- published: 05 Jul 2012
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Winston Riley (14 May 1943 – 19 January 2012) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter and record producer. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Riley had a claim to being the most successful reggae producer of all-time.
Riley was born in Kingston, Jamaica. His entry into the music industry was at 16 years old in 1962, when he formed The Techniques harmony group, which recorded their first tracks for Byron Lee, and then later recorded for Duke Reid. In 1968, he left the group and formed his own Techniques record label, moving into production, producing artistes like Boris Gardiner, The Escorts, Alton and Hortense Ellis, and Johnny Osbourne. His own song, "Double Barrel", performed by Dave and Ansell Collins under Riley's own production, was one of the first international reggae hits, reaching #1 in the Dutch and UK Singles Chart.
His "Stalag" riddim is the most sampled Reggae song of all time. The rhythm was first released in 1973, as the instrumental Ansell Collins track, "Stalag 17", named after the World War II film of the same name. It reappeared later as "Stalag 18", "Stalag 19", "Stalag 20" and "Ring the Alarm Quick".