King Pharaoh Riddim – Studio One

King Pharaoh Riddim finds Studio One in 1963 with Coxsone Dodd at the helm, and the cut is tied to Delroy Wilson’s King Pharaoh alongside Cornell Campbell’s later Forward Natty Dread. Studio One was already laying the groundwork for Jamaica’s classic sound in that early period, and this one carries that same spare, direct feel. The release’s identity comes from the contrast between Wilson’s original version and Campbell’s 1976 update, which gives the riddim a tidy two-song shape and a clear line from early ska-era roots into the deeper Studio One catalogue.