Biography of King Tubby

Osbourne Ruddock, or King Tubby as he was better known, originated the reggae offshoot known as dub in 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica, while working on a session with fellow pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry. Tubby removed the vocals from tracks and replaced them with echo-laden percussion and effects, shifting the focus to the throbbing bassline that in turn became the staple of every later dance-related form. By the early '70s, dub versions began getting major releases as the B-sides of reggae singles, and before the end of the decade, entire albums were devoted to the form. Throughout the '80s, King Tubby incorporated dancehall and ragga into the mix, but was shot and killed outside his home by a burglar in early 1989. ~ John Bush