about gladdy wax
Gladdy Wax is a legendary figure of sound system culture in the UK. Renowned for his consummate skill as a selector, his knowledge of all genres of Jamaican popular music and his commitment to Britain’s black communities, Gladdy is an esteemed figure whose sound system has been a perennial highlight of the Notting Hill Carnival, attracting a diverse crowd.
Gladdy has also provided management assistance to iconic figures such as Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Freddy McGregor, and John Holt, as well as Lloyd Parks’ We The People band.
He has broadcast on BBC Radio London and community stations BRMB and WNK, as well as Boiler Room and Vice. Gladdy’s Wax Unlimited record shop was a focal point for reggae in northeast London for over fourteen years, and he continues to stock vinyl to the public online. He is also one of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet, the positive outlook adding to his widespread appeal.
Born Gladwin Wright in Jamaica in 1951, Gladdy spent his formative years between the countryside and Spanish Town, where his mother held weekly sound system dances at her grocery store and bar; one of his uncles was a guitarist at Studio One, the renowned recording facility often referred to as Jamaica’s Motown.
When a cousin began bringing home ska records, Gladdy made his first forays into deejaying, even playing his own leaving do before sailing to England, aged fourteen. Settling in Birmingham, Gladdy and his older brother soon built a small sound system, importing records from Jamaica to keep on top; the Gladdy Wax moniker came from working at the Black Wax record shop during term-time holidays.
After working at a chemical laboratory and briefly serving in the Air Force, Gladdy returned to the sound system circuit, and when Bob Marley and the Wailers reached Birmingham in 1973, Gladdy Wax was the featured DJ; in addition to running his own sound system, he became a resident mic man on the heavyweight Quaker City, later shifting to the rival Duke Neville. Then, in 1979, after Gladdy won a singing contest, his “Portrait Of You” was released by Arawak Records, prompting a move to London at the suggestion of producer Dennis Bovell.
Working in a record shop led to record distribution, the establishment of a community radio station, and finally, to the Gladdy Wax Road Show, a high-calibre sound system established by 1989.
For his services to the industry, Gladdy has received various honours, including a lifetime achievement award from the organisers of the Notting Hill Carnival, as well as Best Radio DJ in1989 (courtesy of Top Line Promotions); the British Black Music History Day award from Hackney Council in 2001, and the Veterans’ Salute in 2004 for outstanding contribution to the black community. He has played festivals such as Rototom Sunsplash and Reggae Geel and was visited by the then-Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in the seasonal runup to the 2022 Notting Hill Carnival.
Gladdy was dubbed a “Certified Londoner” by BBC Radio London and when presenter Robert Elms asked him, “Who is your favourite imaginary Londoner?” Gladdy’s response naturally was, “Anyone who can beat me in a Sound Clash.”
“An esteemed figure on the UK reggae scene, the Jamaican-born selector and sound system owner Gladdy Wax has been active on the sound system circuit since his arrival on these shores in the late 1960s, building up the Gladdy Wax Roadshow as a mainstay of the Notting Hill Carnival. A consummate selector of great skill and uncommon passion, Gladdy has also hosted popular reggae radio shows in diverse cities and acted as a manager for top-ranking figures such as Dennis Brown, John Holt and Freddy McGregor.”