Thomas Wong and The Great Sound system

Between 1850’s and 1860’s a lots of Chinese groups immigrated to Jamaica in way to open their business and make money to support their kids and help them to reach great schools. 

Around the 1920’s Jamaicans were used to listening jazz music. Jamaicans are really known around the world because they love music and they love to dance.

The Chinese’s started to be involved with local Jamaicans. The music was a method to put the community together.

Thomas Wong is one of the guys you will always hear from Jamaica music history. His father was a Chinese Jamaican and his mother African. Wong   was born in Kingston in the early 1940’s he was owner of an iron store. Thomas became famous because he helped to develop the Dancehall system. the locals didn’t have money to afford professional music bands or even the local unprofessional. They were just buying some hits from that time, and it was already quite difficult to get. But it was easier to pay someone, who could bring the music and play. Wong had He’s big sound system known as Tom the Great Sebastian. The name was given by some circus artists.

At the time Thomas was playing for the citizens and in 1952 he had is first sound system battle against Count Nick.

 Thomas won the battle. Accidently both build a new culture of sound system battles that now a days is commune is Jamaica.