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Monique Blake is feeling especially grateful to carry on the Merritone Music legacy. The sound system and music movement marks its 75th anniversary this month with a line-up of activities and the global commemoration of World Merri Music Day on October 25.
“I am incredibly grateful to carry on the legacy of this musical movement,” said Monique Blake, who now leads the organisation. “There are so many stories of how Merritone has positively touched people and communities.”
This year’s Merritone Reunion and Anniversary Celebrations will take place from October 24 to 27 at SeaGarden Beach Resort in Montego Bay, St James. Guests can expect four days of nonstop music from Merritone DJs, along with a wellness expo and craft village.
Back in Kingston, the celebrations continue with the inaugural Rum & Riddims Pirate Merritone Fete at Footprints Café on October 30.
The Merritone journey started in Morant Bay, St Thomas, where Valentine ‘Val’ Blake established the Merritone Sound System. Inspired by Mr Chin’s Sky Rocket system and driven by a desire to support his four sons – Trevor, Winston, Tyrone, and Monte – after their mother Ruthlyn passed away unexpectedly, Val Blake unknowingly sparked a cultural revolution. When he died, the Blake brothers moved the sound system to Kingston, helping to reshape Jamaican entertainment and music culture.
The Turntable Club, Merritone’s home base for 29 years, became a centre for musical innovation and a launch pad for Jamaican artistes. It was the first to showcase emerging talents at the time, like Bob Marley. It hosted Jamaica’s first live nightclub recording featuring Dennis Brown. Turntable also welcomed international legends, including Marvin Gaye, Keith Richards, Johnny Nash and Jimmy Cliff. In 2018, the Turntable Club was officially recognised as a National Heritage Site by the Government of Jamaica.
Winston Blake’s VIP Talent Exposure series also unearthed some of Jamaica’s greatest voices, including Cynthia Schloss, Beres Hammond, The Tamlins, Jacob Miller, Ruddy Thomas, and The Mighty Diamonds.
What started in rural St Thomas has grown into a global movement, with fans spanning Florida, Georgia, Canada, the UK, Trinidad, Japan, and beyond, as well as many followers who bring their children and grandchildren to celebrate the magic of Merritone.
As the 75th anniversary approaches, Merritone continues to celebrate important milestones. The first is the official designation of World Merri Music Day on October 25, which is especially meaningful because it is Val Blake’s birthday.
In 2024, the Merritone Mural was installed in downtown Kingston in the Kingston Creative art district. It retraces history: Merritone was a staple of downtown Kingston when Winston Blake played at the nearby Victoria Pier a few decades earlier.
Monique Blake shared that there are several projects on her wish list that she hopes investors and organisations will support. “We look forward to continuing the legacy project to complete the establishment of the heritage site in Morant Bay and to refurbish the Merritone murals in the town,” she said.
Her father, Monte Blake, added, “Merritone has a great story, and we still have more to tell. We have been looking for funding to make a documentary. This is an important Jamaican story.”
The late Winston Blake, one of Merritone’s driving forces and co-founder of the Turntable Club on Red Hills Road, once said: “Every great story has a beginning. Some get even better with every new chapter. Things of quality have no fear of time.”
English (US) ·