Early 1960’s Toronto was a mostly white, Anglo-centric city. Beneath this veneer of  Conservative respectability, an exciting underground music scene emerged, created by a Jamaican diaspora including newcomers like Jackie Mittoo, Wayne McGhie and a teenage Jay Douglas. Battling racism and indifference, they made an indelible, but little appreciated mark on Canadian music and culture. Six decades later, Jay Douglas is still carrying the torch for Jamaican music, and enjoying the recognition and respect he has long craved.

Today, after more than 60 years in show business, Jay Douglas is one of the most respected, loved, honoured and busiest performers in Canada, and is the unofficial “godfather” of Jamaican-Canadian music. He’s a multiple Juno award nominee, and the living embodiment of a musical and cultural movement, recording and headlining shows with his band, The Jay Douglas’ All Stars, along with young artists like Dubmatix and Michee Mee, forging a link between the past and present. Pioneers like Douglas blazed a trail and made possible the success of today’s Canadian black music stars. Drake, The Weeknd, Daniel Caesar, Jesse Reyez & Alessia Cara stand on the shoulders of these artists.

Play it Loud! features appearances by legendary producer Sly Dunbar (of Sly & Robbie fame) rapper Cadence Weapon (Rollie Pemberton), singer Jackie Richardson, Everton “Pablo Paul”, reggae stars Adrian Miller and Carlene Davis, former Much Music host Michael Williams, and many others.

Credits
Director: Graeme Mathieson
Producer: Andrew Munger
DOPs: Keenan Lynch + Kiarash Sadigh
Editor: Brina Romanek
Special Thanks: the MLSE team