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Don Letts, the punk's DJ, recreates one of his Punky Reggae nights from London club The Roxy.

When the UK's first punk club The Roxy opened in London on New Year's Day in 1977, Don Letts was employed as resident DJ to play records between live sets from the likes of The Clash, The Damned and Buzzcocks.

In those early days hardly any punk records had been released, so Don entertained the young punks by playing his own selection of dub reggae by the likes of Augustus Pablo and Lee Scratch Perry plus influential tracks from bands such as The New York Dolls and The Ramones.

As the punk musicians and fans rubbed shoulders with Don and his rasta brethren, who worked in this dingy Covent Garden basement as barmen and bouncers, an extraordinary cultural exchange took place.

Don's Jamaican dub selections provided a welcome break from the frenetic punk sets and an unexpected but influential allegiance formed between the new movement and the equally rebellious and oppressed reggae community. The club only remained open for 100 nights, but played an important part in the development of punk.

In this two-hour special Don tells the story of this heady time, provides his own insights and plays the same records he span on the single turntable at the Roxy when he provided the soundtrack for a punky reggae party, the influence of which spread wide and can still be felt today.

2 hours

Last on

Mon 25 Jun 2012 00:00
麻豆社 Radio 6 Music

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Music Played

  • Tradition

    Movin' On Dub

    • RCA.

  • Sex Pistols

    Anarchy In The U.K.

  • Augustus Pablo

    Tubby Dub Song

    • Greensleeves.

  • The Stooges

    I Wanna Be Your Dog

    • Elektra.

  • Prince Far I & The Arabs

    Hello Love Brother

  • New York Dolls

    Personality Crisis

    • Mercury.

  • Trinity

    Three Piece Suit and Thing

  • Ramones

    Blitzkrieg Bop

    • Sire.

  • Dennis Bovell

    Give It Up Dub

  • Richard Hell & Voidoids

    Blank Generation

    • Polygram TV.

  • Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers

    Roadrunner (Twice)

    • Essential.

  • Joe Gibbs & The Professionals

    Chapter Three

  • The Saints

    (I'm) Stranded

    • COLUMBIA.

  • The Jays

    Truly

  • The 101-ers

    Keys To Your Heart

    • Cherry Red Records.

  • Big Youth

    Marcus Garvey

    • Mango.

  • Television

    Little Johnny Jewel

  • Patti Smith

    Free Money

  • The Congos

    Fisherman

  • Clash

    1977

  • Joe Gibbs & The Professionals

    Jubilation Dub

    • VP Music Group, Inc..

  • The Damned

    New Rose

    • Big Beat.

  • Dennis Brown

    Man Next Door

  • The Jam

    In The City

    • Polydor.

  • Dennis Bovell

    I'm Still In Love Dub

  • Siouxsie and the Banshees

    Hong Kong Garden

    • Polydor.

  • Subway Sect

    Ambition

  • Tapper Zukie

    Mpla

    • Frontline.

  • The Heartbreakers

    Chinese Rocks

    • Jungle Records.

  • Sex Pistols

    Pretty Vacant

    • Virgin.

  • Joe Gibbs & The Professionals

    Dub Three

  • Buzzcocks

    What Do I Get?

    • EMI.

  • The Jays

    Yaho

    • Reggae Anthology - The Channel One Story.
    • VP Records UK.

  • The Clash

    Complete Control

    • Columbia.

  • Junior Murvin

    Police And Thieves

    • Mango.

  • Junior Byles

    Fade Away

  • Culture

    Two Sevens Clash

    • Music Club.

  • The Slits

    Typical Girls

    • CUT.
    • Island.

  • Keith Hudson

    Part 1 & 2 Dubwise

  • X鈥怰ay Spex

    Germ-Free Adolescents

    • Virgin.

Broadcast

  • Mon 25 Jun 2012 00:00
    麻豆社 Radio 6 Music