PRODUCER

Chris Blackwell

1937 - Today

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Icon of person Chris Blackwell

Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell OJ (born 22 June 1937) is a Jamaican-British former record producer and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels." According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which Blackwell was inducted in 2001, he is "the single person most responsible for turning the world on to reggae music." Variety describes him as "indisputably one of the greatest record executives in history," while Barron's has described him as "a contender for most interesting man in the world." Having formed Island Records in Jamaica on May 22, 1959, Blackwell was among the first to record the Jamaican popular music that eventually became known as ska. Returning to Britain in 1962, he sold records from the back of his car to the Jamaican community. His label became "a byword for uncompromised artistry and era-shaping acts." Backed by Stanley Borden from RKO, Blackwell's business and reach grew substantially, and he went on to forge the careers of Bob Marley, Grace Jones and U2 among many other diverse high-profile acts. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Chris Blackwell has received more than 1,417,446 page views. His biography is available in 18 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 15 in 2019). Chris Blackwell is the 53rd most popular producer (up from 64th in 2019), the 3,228th most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 4,176th in 2019) and the 4th most popular British Producer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 55.87

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 18

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.23

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.07

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among PRODUCERS

Among producers, Chris Blackwell ranks 53 out of 140. Before him are Robert Chartoff, Boney Kapoor, Jesse L. Lasky, Gale Anne Hurd, Yoram Globus, and Mike Todd. After him are Clive Davis, Richard D. Zanuck, Sam Spiegel, Kevin Feige, Harry Saltzman, and Oskar Messter.

Most Popular Producers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1937, Chris Blackwell ranks 321. Before him are Jorge Cafrune, Pierluigi Chicca, William Lombardy, Giorgi Shengelaia, Gyula Zsivótzky, and Mohammad Hamid Ansari. After him are Loretta Swit, Manga, Grace Bumbry, Ramsewak Shankar, Nadia Gamal, and Jack Nitzsche.

Others Born in 1937

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Chris Blackwell ranks 3,228 out of 8,785. Before him are Roger Lloyd-Pack (1944), Stuart Baxter (1953), George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood (1923), Nevile Henderson (1882), Mark Gatiss (1966), and Stephen Hendry (1969). After him are Thomas Francis Wade (1818), Paul Day (1956), Marc Almond (1957), Noddy Holder (1946), Peter R. Hunt (1925), and John Evans (1823).

Others born in United Kingdom

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Among PRODUCERS In United Kingdom

Among producers born in United Kingdom, Chris Blackwell ranks 4. Before him are Simon Cowell (1959), Walter Legge (1906), and David Heyman (1961). After him are Emma Thomas (1971), Mark Ronson (1975), David Barron (1954), Peter Safran (1965), Hugh Padgham (1955), Miles Millar (1967), and Eric Fellner (1959).

British born Producers

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