The Islander

My Life in Music and Beyond

By: Chris Blackwell

Narrated by: Bill Nighy

In the vein of Sound Man and The Soundtrack of My Life, a lyrical memoir from the founder of one of the greatest music labels of all time, Island Records, about his astonishing life and career helping to bring reggae music to the world stage and working with Bob Marley, U2, Grace Jones, Cat Stevens, and many other icons.

Since its founding in 1959, Island Records has been home to legendary artists representing wildly divergent musical styles, yet who share the same maverick, outsider spirit of its founder, Chris Blackwell. Time and again, Blackwell and his Island cohorts identified and nurtured musicians overlooked by other labels, including Bob Marley, U2, Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, Roxy Music, Traffic, Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Robert Palmer, Free, the B-52’s, John Martyn, and Jimmy Cliff.

Like these artists, Blackwell never took the conventional route. After a privileged early childhood in Jamaica—crossing paths with Ian Fleming, Noël Coward, and Errol Flynn—he was expelled from the elite British school Harrow for rebellious behavior at age seventeen. Within five years, he had moved back to Jamaica, and founded Island.

Intertwined with the story of Island is that of Bob Marley and the Wailers. After an impromptu meeting with the band in 1972, Blackwell produced the groundbreaking album Catch a Fire, formed a deep bond of mutual trust and friendship with Marley, and became known for helping to bring reggae music to the world stage. He also opened the first Jamaican boutique hotel, on the property of Ian Fleming’s former home, GoldenEye, where all the James Bond books were written.

This engaging memoir from one of the great raconteurs of the late 20th century makes for a giddy ride through some of that era’s most cutting-edge, enduring music. As Bono says, Blackwell “is an adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary, and a gentleman.”

The Islander

This was a great book. It was very interesting and full of stories about one's favorite artists! It is nice to listen to as Bill Niighy has a nice speaking voice.

Great listen.

An enjoyable recounting of the author’s life. Maybe he could have gone a little deeper into U2 instead of Cat Stevens or Grace Jones, but still-very well done and insightful.

Fascinating book about a fascinating person

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a massive music fan and the business aspects of building some of the biggest careers in that arena were fascinating to hear about. Interesting too Mr. Blackwell's involvement in the revitalization of Miami Beach and his Jamaican hotelier activities. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in music, the music business, or popular culture from the 50s through today.

Great book with many names dropped

But mostly tells about Jamaica & the record business. If you intend to visit some day you should read this book to gain an understanding of the people of Jamaica. And listen to some real reggae, made by the people mentioned in this book.

Fabulous Book! Fantastic History of music

I don't normally write reviews. I have over 600 titles. This book is very important. The narration is like the author is speaking to you. But, more importantly, it gives us a history, a small part, of what it was like to live during Island records. The insight to the artists and their music. I wish the audio book had short examples of the music. If you listen to U2, Bob Marley, and Tom Waits, you begin to understand that Blackwell's "non involvement" was a special addition to our music history.