Clive Hunt

Clive Hunt
Name	Clive Hunt
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth date	1949
Birth place	Jamaica
Instruments	Trombone, keyboards, percussion, bass
Genres	Reggae, ska, rocksteady, dub
Occupations	Musician, producer, arranger, session musician
Years active	1960s–present
Associated acts	The Upsetters, Toots and the Maytals, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Max Romeo, Desmond Dekker

Clive Hunt Clive Hunt is a Jamaican trombonist, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and record producer whose work has spanned ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub. He has contributed as a sideman, musical director and producer on recordings and live performances with leading figures from Jamaica and international artists, and his arrangements have appeared on landmark sessions at studios such as Studio One (Jamaican recording studio), Treasure Isle Studios and King Tubby's Studio. Hunt's career links him to seminal periods represented by acts like The Skatalites, The Wailers (Bob Marley and the Wailers), Desmond Dekker and producers such as Lee "Scratch" Perry and Coxsone Dodd.

Early life and education

Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Hunt studied brass and popular music traditions that intersected with the island's postwar urban culture, drawing on influences from American R&B, Caribbean mento and British pop imported through radio and sound systems. Early exposure to performers at venues like Coronation Market and sound system events promoted by figures such as Sir Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster shaped his musical trajectory. He received informal mentorship from established Jamaican session musicians who worked at labels including Studio One (Jamaican recording studio), Treasure Isle Studios and later toured with bands connected to producers like Lee "Scratch" Perry and Duke Reid. Hunt's formative apprenticeship placed him alongside contemporaries who would become central to ska and rocksteady scenes, such as members of The Skatalites and session players associated with Studio One (Jamaican recording studio).

Musical career

Hunt's career as a performing musician began in the mid-1960s playing trombone and auxiliary instruments on recording sessions for labels including Treasure Isle Studios and Studio One (Jamaican recording studio). He performed with leading touring ensembles and studio groups aligned with producers like Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and Lee "Scratch" Perry, and featured on sessions backing vocalists such as Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals, Max Romeo, Desmond Dekker and John Holt. Hunt's role expanded to brass arrangements for ska revival acts and reggae bands appearing at venues like Carib Theatre and festivals organized by promoters linked to Jamaica Tourist Board initiatives. In subsequent decades he relocated between Kingston, Jamaica, London and New York City, participating in transatlantic tours with artists associated with labels such as Island Records, Trojan Records and VP Records.

Production and session work

As a producer and arranger, Hunt worked with producers and studios including Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studio, King Tubby's studio engineers, and labels like Island Records and Studio One (Jamaican recording studio). He contributed horn charts, rhythm arrangements and overdubs for recordings by artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Max Romeo and U-Roy. Hunt's session work extended to collaboration with international acts in the reggae diaspora, working with musicians tied to British reggae outfits and American artists recording reggae-inflected material at studios in London and New York City. His production credits include singles and LPs released on imprints ranging from Trojan Records to independent Jamaican labels, and he is credited on mixes engineered by figures like King Tubby and Scientist.

Notable collaborations and recordings

Hunt's discography links him as musician or arranger to recordings by Bob Marley and the Wailers, including sessions that intersected with albums released by Island Records; backing tracks for Toots and the Maytals; singles by Desmond Dekker; and productions by Lee "Scratch" Perry. He has also worked with vocalists and DJs across eras such as U-Roy, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis and Johnny Clarke. International collaborations include studio and touring work connected to projects by artists associated with Trojan Records, Island Records catalogues and contemporary reissues curated by labels like Blood and Fire (record label) and Soul Jazz Records. Noteworthy sessions feature engineers and producers such as Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, King Tubby and Scientist, and musicians from ensembles akin to The Skatalites and horn sections that toured with acts on bills alongside The Clash and Paul Simon on crossover reggae bills.

Style and influence

Hunt's style blends traditional brass phrasing rooted in ska and rocksteady with reggae's rhythmic phrasing and dub-era studio innovations associated with King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry. His trombone lines and arrangements emphasize call-and-response patterns heard in recordings by The Skatalites and horn-driven productions issued by Studio One (Jamaican recording studio), while his studio approach incorporates echo, reverb and dub techniques pioneered at King Tubby's Studio and Black Ark Studio. Musicians and arrangers in later generations—connected to scenes in London, Birmingham (England), New York City and the wider reggae diaspora—cite work by Hunt alongside that of Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Bobby Ellis and Rico Rodriguez as influential in shaping horn usage in reggae, ska revival and ska-punk crossovers.

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career Hunt has been acknowledged by Jamaican music institutions and community organizations for contributions to the island's recorded legacy, with recognition appearing in retrospectives by archives such as National Gallery of Jamaica exhibitions and catalog notes from reissue labels like Blood and Fire (record label) and Soul Jazz Records. His session work and production credits are cited in liner notes and histories by writers linked to Island Records archives, Trojan Records retrospectives and documentary projects featuring figures such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Coxsone Dodd and King Tubby.

Category:Jamaican trombonists Category:Jamaican record producers