Why the sound system had to be invented

In the years after the Second World War, Jamaican radio played little Jamaican music, and the uptown clubs were closed to most of Kingston. So the music went to the people instead of waiting for an invitation: a man with a truck, an amplifier and a stack of records could turn a yard or a street corner into the biggest dance in the city. That decision — to build the venue rather than beg for one — is where the Jamaican music industry actually starts.