Asked about the earliest traces in the rich history of the music business in Jamaica, most sources will refer to the Federal Studio of the Khouri family, active from 1958, but 'Soundman Shots' now adds an almost forgotten and lost chapter to that history. This compilation is based on the 78 rpm recordings of the Caribou and Downbeat labels of Dada Tewari, an Indian entrepreneur who founded the Jamaica Recording Company in 1956 to immortalize Jamaican mento, calypso and rhythm & blues artists on record. The first disc of this double CD contains the recordings of the Caribou label: Jamaican mento and calypso of artists like Lord Tanamo, Count Lasher and ska legend Laurel Aitken's early work. The tracks on the second CD are devoted to the Downbeat label and focus on Jamaican rhythm & blues. Rhythm & blues, originating in the United States, would remain popular on the island well into the 1960s and eventually lead to the creation of an entirely new style: ska. Several of the songs included here, would later be rerecorded in a reggae version ('The Vow', originally done by Gene & Eunice, was later rerecorded by Bunny Wailer & Rita Marley). Though 'Soundman Shots' will appeal mostly to avid collectors, from a music historic perspective this is certainly not a trivial effort.