Dudley Sibley, one of the artistes associated with Studio One in its early years, died on July 30 at his home in St Andrew. He was 74 years old.

His daughter, Grace Sibley, confirmed the singer’s death.

Sibley was born in St Mary but came to Kingston as a pre-teen and began hanging out at 13 Brentford Road where emerging music producer Clement “Coxson” Dodd was transforming a club called into his Studio One company.

In several interviews, Sibley recalled how he helped in the construction of Studio One, reggae’s most famous label, starting in 1962. It is also where he recorded his first songs, Things Are Not Right and Gunman, during the mid-1960s.

The latter became Sibley’s signature song. He had other underground hits such as Run Boy Run and Love in Our Nation, also recorded for Studio One.

During his early years at Studio One, Sibley met another aspiring artiste named Robert Marley, who became world-famous during the 1970s as Bob Marley. He recounted his friendship with the future reggae king many times, including in Marley, the acclaimed 2012 documentary about the singer/songwriter.

Sibley’s Studio One songs earned him a cult following in Europe and Brazil. He toured the South American country in 2014.

Dudley Sibley is survived by his daughter, five grandchildren and two sisters.

— Howard Campbell