The West Indies Records Limited studio was established by Edward Seaga in 1958.[2] Seaga recruited local artists from Vere John's talent show.[2]
WIRL recorded artists such as Higgs and Wilson, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.[5] Byron Lee and the Dragonaires recorded their debut single "Dumplin's" in 1959 at WIRL. Higgs and Wilson's track "Oh Manny Oh" sold more than 50,000 copies in Jamaica in 1960.[6]
West Indies Records Limited became the most successful record company in the West Indies.[5]
WIRL had the franchise for Columbia Records in Jamaica.[7]Trojan Records handled the studio’s albums abroad and released compilations of the studio’s recordings.[8]
WIRL also established a Barbadian division.
Dynamic Sounds
As Seaga pursued his political career he sold it to Byron Lee in 1964[3] after fire had destroyed the pressing plant on the same site. Byron Lee renamed it Dynamic Sounds and soon rebuilt a new pressing facility on the site.[4] It soon became one of the best-equipped studios in the Caribbean, attracting both local and international recording artists, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon and The Rolling Stones[3] (who recorded their No. 1 song "Angie" there).[9] Lee's productions included Boris Gardiner's Reggae Happening, Hopeton Lewis's Grooving Out on Life, and The Slickers' "Johnny Too Bad".[9] Dynamic also acts as one of Jamaica's leading record distributors.