Killamanjaro Still A Killing Sound System 40 + Years And Going!
Maybe the most acknowledged sound system in Reggae Dancehall has got to be Killamanjaro from Jamaica.. Jaro has a span of over 40 years in the Reggae business and still continues to bring the music to the people today.
The sound system got its inception from its owner Nole Harper (also known as Papa Jaro) who started the sound system in late 1969 to be exact. At that time it was just a small sound with one turntable, one speaker, and one amp. Straight from the bottom to the top.
When the sound system started to increase a little bit they began to bring on the live artist section. This is around the 1970’s and one of the first DJ’s to perform on Jaro was a DJ by the name of O Lord. From that time deh other DJ’s started to come around the set. This is generally around 1982 or 83 with DJ’s such as Lone Ranger, Burro Banton, Danny Dread, and Dirty Harry just to name a few that began to mash it up on Papa Jaro. Not only DJ’s performed also singers would start to rise to fame from Jaro. Singers like Puddy Roots, UU Madoo, Don Carlos, and more just to name a small selection.
Moving out to the start of the mid-80s Jaro is really making a name for themselves in the Dancehall with top DJ’s like Early B, Super Cat, Charlie Chaplin, Josey Wales and a host of others. Jaro is for sure on the rise in the Dancehall in Jamaica and now it starting to take notice outside Jamaica onto European shores.
During the late 1980’s Jaro is still playing out the Island of Jamaica and new DJs are coming onto the scene DJs like Daddy Shark, Ironman, Ninja Man, Papa San and a host of others are making their way on the sound system, just before the live artist are starting to die down and dub plates are taking over.
In the change of the dub plates also comes a change with the selectors from Ainsley who was there at the beginning right down to Jeremy Lee from the mid 80’s and then comes a new selector & that man is Ricky Trooper. Trooper started as a box bwoy for Papa Jaro and was able to prove himself up the ranks from DJ to main selector! He was able to take Jaro way across the world with its hardcore murderous style. At this point in the early 90’s Jaro was ranked the number one sound clash champion and they made a name for themselves as one of the most important sounds to beat in any sound clash.
Trooper was able to take Jaro all the way through the new millennium until his departure in early 2000 when he decided to start his own sound called Sound Trooper. Since then Papa Jaro has still played out the world with there foundation chunes and killing sounds with other selectors on the set like Freddy Krueger Hype Crazy D and others.
Many fans of Killamanjaro still love the days of the early 80’s and a lot of those dances can be heard at DJ14K’s Tapes R Us.
You can hear a wicked sound clash featuring Papa Jaro as well as check out the thousands more Sound System CD’s from DJ14K’s Tapes R Us
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