Leslie Kong

Leslie Kong (20 December 1933 – 9 August 1971) was a Jamaican reggae producer.

Early life Kong was born into a Chinese-Jamaican family. He had a "relatively comfortable upbringing" and attended St. George's College in Kingston.

Career Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston. This encounter led Kong to launch his own record label, Beverley's, and to record Cliff's song, launching Cliff's career in the process.

Other vocalists who recorded for him and the Beverley's label include Ken Boothe, Bruce Ruffin, the Gaylads and Delroy Wilson. Ex-Skatalites saxophonist Roland Alphonso cut numerous instrumentals for Kong during the rocksteady period. When reggae arrived in late 1968, lead instrumental duties were handled by organists Ansell Collins and Winston Wright, a member of Tommy McCook's Supersonics.

Kong makes a cameo appearance in the 1972 Jamaican film The Harder They Come, playing a recording engineer in a scene in which Jimmy Cliff's character watches a studio recording session, by Toots and the Maytals, of the song "Sweet and Dandy" (Kong was the actual producer of that recording).

Kong's plans to release a compilation album of tracks from the singles he produced by the Wailers led to Bunny Wailer allegedly threatening Kong with a curse, telling him that if he issued the record he would die. Kong went ahead with the release in 1970, and died of a heart attack, aged 37, in August 1971.

Discography Various Artists – Original Reggae Hot Shots – 1969 – Beverley's/Trojan (1975) Various Artists – King Size Reggae – 1970 – Beverley's Various Artists – Golden Hits by the Greats – 1970 – Beverley's Various Artists – Reggae Chartbusters – 1970 – Beverley's Various Artists – King Size Reggae – 1970 – Trojan Records Various Artists – Hot Shots of Reggae – 1970 – Trojan Records Various Artists – Best of Beverley's Records 1969–1970 – Trojan Records (1981) Various Artists – The Best of Beverley's Records or Masterpieces From The Works of Leslie Kong – Island Records/Trojan (1981) Various Artists – The King Kong Compilation – Island Records (1981) Various Artists – Leslie Kong's Connection Vol 01 – 1969–1971 – Jet Set Records Various Artists – Leslie Kong's Connection Vol 02 – 1969–1971' – Jet Set Records