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.

Featuring
Jay Douglas, Sly Dunbar, Everton “Pablo” Paul, Lillian Allen, Jackie Richardson, Grub Cooper (Fab 5), DJ Supreme La Rock, Carlene Davis, Adrian Miller, Michael Williams and Cadence Weapon.

And the music of
Jay Douglas, Bob Marley & The Wailers, James Brown, Wayne McGhie, The Cougars, Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles, Bo Diddley, The Sheiks, Eddie Spencer, Trevor Dandy, Jo-Jo Bennett & The Fugitives, Jennifer Lara, Stranger Cole, and more.

Credits
Director: Graeme Mathieson
Executive Producers: Clement Virgo, Andrew Munger
Executive Producers for: TVO Alexandra Roberts, Jane Jankovic
Directors of Photography: Keenan Lynch, Kiarash Sadigh
Editor: Brina Romanek
Written by: Graeme Mathieson, Brina Romanek, Andrew Munger
Sound Design: Daniel Pellerin
Producer: Andrew Munger
Line Producer: Colette Vosberg
Assistant Director: Joanne Gnatek
Associate Producers: Sarah Michael, Joanne Gnatek, Caitie Drewery
Consultants: Klive Walker Nicholas Jennings, Matt Sullivan
Art Director: Chelsea Attong
Art Department Assistant: Stephanie Hanson
Production Design: Peri Greig
Costume Designer: Darynel Beckford
Archival Research: Jessica Joy Wise, Mark Kiss, Talia Woodbridge
Music Supervisor: Everton Lewis Jr (GMSC), Chantel Anais