In 1959 Chris Blackwell founded Island Records in a small office in Kingston, Jamaica in an effort to bring Jamaican music to the broader stage. After moving the offices to the UK, Island Records sought out talent from various musical genres. The company has been one of the most important labels in the music industry and the force behind some of the top era-defining acts like Bob Marley and the Wailers, U2, Roxy Music, Tom Waits, Eric B and Rakim, Tricky, Grace Jones, Amy Winehouse, Keane, and numerous others. In celebration of the company’s fiftieth anniversary, Rizzoli in collaboration with Island Trading Co. present a comprehensive retrospective of the people and artists behind the label in The Story of Island Records: Keep on Running.

CHRIS BLACKWELL is the founder of Island Records and one of the most highly regarded figures in the entertainment industry.

PAUL HOLDENGRABER is the Director of LIVE from the NYPL