BAREFOOT LUXURY AT GOLDENEYE - JAMAICA TOURIST ISSUE 17
You only need five minutes in Chris Blackwell’s presence before you become captivated by his creativity, great sense of humor and relaxed attitude to life. A true island legend, Blackwell has done more to promote Jamaica to the world than any other individual. His aura of allure and celebrity still very much alive, the man who brought Bob Marley to the attention of the world, is now putting his considerable energy and imagination into the creation of the uniquely spectacular resort hide-away of GoldenEye, the birthplace of James Bond.
Famous for being the man who worked with Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear, Third World and many other Jamaican artists and ensured Jamaica’s sensual reggae rhythms infiltrated even the most remote areas of the planet, Blackwell’s name will forever be intertwined with global music icon Bob Marley. This Jamaican entrepreneur made his fortune in the music industry with the 1959 formation of Island Records, a venture he built into the world’s most successful and groundbreaking independent record label. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Blackwell is recognized as the single person most responsible for turning the world onto reggae music.
“Jamaica has been good to me, Jamaicans are inspirational,” Blackwell explains. “We had a huge hit with ‘My Boy Lollipop’ by Jamaican teenager Millie Small when we first started Island Records. Millie took me into the mainstream music industry right in the middle of the period rock was emerging. When I met Bob Marley in London in 1972, I felt that I could market him as a rock act.” Marley had already recorded for Jamaican labels, but Blackwell helped make a worldwide superstar of reggae’s greatest talent by advancing Bob & The Wailers money to record their first album without a contract.
Blackwell’s gesture led to the long term success of both Marley and Island Records. Of his experience with Marley Blackwell says; “He trusted my instincts, which were that he should go after being a rock star, rather than a star on black American radio. His music was rough and raw and exciting, but all black American music at the time, other than James Brown, was very slick and smooth. Bob trusted me on that, he was as keen as I was.” When Blackwell got Eric Clapton to record a rock version of Marley’s “I Shot The Sheriff”, history was made.
Island Records and Blackwell himself became renowned for a relaxed, nurturing vibe and an imaginative flair for marketing. The secret of the music mogul’s success resided with his skill in spotting and creating trends, his gift for finding talent and his insistence on quality control. Over thirty years, the mastermind behind Island Records gave the world rock stars U2, Cat Stevens, Steve Winwood, Melissa Etheridge, Tom Waits, The Cranberries, Grace Jones, Richard Thompson, PJ Harvey, Roxy Music and Robert Palmer, just to name a few. Blackwell sold Island Records in 1989, eight years after Bob Marley died from cancer at the tender age of 36. “It got too big for me, and the enjoyment was not there anymore. It was never the same after Bob died. It was about so much more than music when he was alive.”
Blackwell currently runs Island Outpost, which he set up to operate and market a group of elite resorts in Jamaica including Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains¸ Jake’s in Treasure Beach, The Caves in Negril, and the recording studio and private hotel Geejam near Port Antonio, where artists such as Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, Drake and Gorillaz have recorded.
The former music mogul is now putting his sizeable talent into the creation of his new master piece; GoldenEye Hotels & Resorts. He draws comparisons from the music industry to the real estate industry; “It is almost like having a great song, gives you the responsibility of making a great record. It is the same with GoldenEye and the overall masterplan for the area. You have the responsibility to make sure it is amazing.”
Blackwell bought GoldenEye from the Ian Fleming estate in 1976. He started renting out Fleming’s main villa, and soon started receiving requests from visitors who wanted to buy a little slice of heaven. “That is what made me think I should probably develop the property,” he explains. Walking around barefoot, Blackwell has spent decades and at least US$50 million since the mid-90’s, creating a hide-away that captures what he considers to be the island’s true charm. Says the developer; “Jamaica’s magic is the breeze.”
The magical spot possesses significant family history and a lifetime of memories for Blackwell, who grew up swimming in the waters off the Oracabessa coast in the summers, when not attending boarding school in England. Considered the love of Ian Fleming’s later life, his mother Blanche Lindo became the James Bond author’s muse and the inspiration for the character Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. Explains Blackwell; “Ian built the house in 1948, and he wrote all the Bond books at GoldenEye. You really could say that James Bond was born here.” The combination of GoldenEye’s history as the birthplace of James Bond with Blackwell’s fame as the discoverer of Bob Marley, has created a mystique and an allure that is hard to match. Artists and musicians have been enjoying the tranquility of GoldenEye for years. Reveals Blackwell; “Sting wrote Every Breath You Take here and Bono has been here several times. Recent visitors include, Scarlett Johanson and Tom Waits. Jay-Z and Beyonce spent Christmas with us.”
You just have to admire Chris Blackwell’s attitude to life and his openness to new ideas, which has brought him extraordinary opportunities throughout his life. However, you soon realize that part of Blackwell’s genius lies in having a long term plan that he commits fully to bringing to fruition. This is definitely the case with GoldenEye, a place as enthralling as its history. The property boasts an enormous variety of trees, plants, flowers and birds and puts you at complete ease the moment you step through its entrance to see the beach resort’s drawbridge reveal itself through the trees as a hidden paradise.
GoldenEye includes 9 beach cottages and 8 lagoon units, ranging from US$840k for a single bedroom hideaway – to US$1,8m for a 2 bedroom beach cottage. On the beautiful lagoon side, you can purchase a studio cottage with an oceanfront deck from where you can dive straight into the turquoise lagoon. The cottages come with a lot upon which you can build a villa. GoldenEye’s group of purchasers is an international clientele of people who are attracted to the resorts rustic privacy. States the developer; “The GoldenEye lifestyle is not for everyone.”
The luxurious hide-away forms part of a Masterplan to develop Oracabessa Bay into a waterfront resort community. He describes the Ian Fleming Airport, which is large enough for private planes to land, as a great addition to the area.
Firmly rooted in his community, Blackwell set up the Oracabessa Foundation in the mid-90’s to inform the locals about his plans, market the project and create a community spirit. To this day, the Foundation has monthly information meetings to ensure that the community is on board with the development plans. “I started working with these musicians from the streets. Those are the real people,” explains Blackwell. In practical terms, the Foundation has donated a wing to the local school, assisted with various sports program and helped the community in various ways.
The latest of his adventures is the recent launch of “Blackwell Gold” rum, an idea started by his friend Richard Kirschenbaum, who owns a successful advertising agency in New York. “Dark rum is going to be the next big thing,” says Blackwell. One just has to marvel at the creativity of the promoter, who is as laid back and disarmingly charming as the island on which he lives. Visit www.goldeneye.com
Famous for being the man who worked with Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear, Third World and many other Jamaican artists and ensured Jamaica’s sensual reggae rhythms infiltrated even the most remote areas of the planet, Blackwell’s name will forever be intertwined with global music icon Bob Marley. This Jamaican entrepreneur made his fortune in the music industry with the 1959 formation of Island Records, a venture he built into the world’s most successful and groundbreaking independent record label. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Blackwell is recognized as the single person most responsible for turning the world onto reggae music.
“Jamaica has been good to me, Jamaicans are inspirational,” Blackwell explains. “We had a huge hit with ‘My Boy Lollipop’ by Jamaican teenager Millie Small when we first started Island Records. Millie took me into the mainstream music industry right in the middle of the period rock was emerging. When I met Bob Marley in London in 1972, I felt that I could market him as a rock act.” Marley had already recorded for Jamaican labels, but Blackwell helped make a worldwide superstar of reggae’s greatest talent by advancing Bob & The Wailers money to record their first album without a contract.
Blackwell’s gesture led to the long term success of both Marley and Island Records. Of his experience with Marley Blackwell says; “He trusted my instincts, which were that he should go after being a rock star, rather than a star on black American radio. His music was rough and raw and exciting, but all black American music at the time, other than James Brown, was very slick and smooth. Bob trusted me on that, he was as keen as I was.” When Blackwell got Eric Clapton to record a rock version of Marley’s “I Shot The Sheriff”, history was made.
Island Records and Blackwell himself became renowned for a relaxed, nurturing vibe and an imaginative flair for marketing. The secret of the music mogul’s success resided with his skill in spotting and creating trends, his gift for finding talent and his insistence on quality control. Over thirty years, the mastermind behind Island Records gave the world rock stars U2, Cat Stevens, Steve Winwood, Melissa Etheridge, Tom Waits, The Cranberries, Grace Jones, Richard Thompson, PJ Harvey, Roxy Music and Robert Palmer, just to name a few. Blackwell sold Island Records in 1989, eight years after Bob Marley died from cancer at the tender age of 36. “It got too big for me, and the enjoyment was not there anymore. It was never the same after Bob died. It was about so much more than music when he was alive.”
Blackwell currently runs Island Outpost, which he set up to operate and market a group of elite resorts in Jamaica including Strawberry Hill in the Blue Mountains¸ Jake’s in Treasure Beach, The Caves in Negril, and the recording studio and private hotel Geejam near Port Antonio, where artists such as Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, Drake and Gorillaz have recorded.
The former music mogul is now putting his sizeable talent into the creation of his new master piece; GoldenEye Hotels & Resorts. He draws comparisons from the music industry to the real estate industry; “It is almost like having a great song, gives you the responsibility of making a great record. It is the same with GoldenEye and the overall masterplan for the area. You have the responsibility to make sure it is amazing.”
Blackwell bought GoldenEye from the Ian Fleming estate in 1976. He started renting out Fleming’s main villa, and soon started receiving requests from visitors who wanted to buy a little slice of heaven. “That is what made me think I should probably develop the property,” he explains. Walking around barefoot, Blackwell has spent decades and at least US$50 million since the mid-90’s, creating a hide-away that captures what he considers to be the island’s true charm. Says the developer; “Jamaica’s magic is the breeze.”
The magical spot possesses significant family history and a lifetime of memories for Blackwell, who grew up swimming in the waters off the Oracabessa coast in the summers, when not attending boarding school in England. Considered the love of Ian Fleming’s later life, his mother Blanche Lindo became the James Bond author’s muse and the inspiration for the character Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. Explains Blackwell; “Ian built the house in 1948, and he wrote all the Bond books at GoldenEye. You really could say that James Bond was born here.” The combination of GoldenEye’s history as the birthplace of James Bond with Blackwell’s fame as the discoverer of Bob Marley, has created a mystique and an allure that is hard to match. Artists and musicians have been enjoying the tranquility of GoldenEye for years. Reveals Blackwell; “Sting wrote Every Breath You Take here and Bono has been here several times. Recent visitors include, Scarlett Johanson and Tom Waits. Jay-Z and Beyonce spent Christmas with us.”
You just have to admire Chris Blackwell’s attitude to life and his openness to new ideas, which has brought him extraordinary opportunities throughout his life. However, you soon realize that part of Blackwell’s genius lies in having a long term plan that he commits fully to bringing to fruition. This is definitely the case with GoldenEye, a place as enthralling as its history. The property boasts an enormous variety of trees, plants, flowers and birds and puts you at complete ease the moment you step through its entrance to see the beach resort’s drawbridge reveal itself through the trees as a hidden paradise.
GoldenEye includes 9 beach cottages and 8 lagoon units, ranging from US$840k for a single bedroom hideaway – to US$1,8m for a 2 bedroom beach cottage. On the beautiful lagoon side, you can purchase a studio cottage with an oceanfront deck from where you can dive straight into the turquoise lagoon. The cottages come with a lot upon which you can build a villa. GoldenEye’s group of purchasers is an international clientele of people who are attracted to the resorts rustic privacy. States the developer; “The GoldenEye lifestyle is not for everyone.”
The luxurious hide-away forms part of a Masterplan to develop Oracabessa Bay into a waterfront resort community. He describes the Ian Fleming Airport, which is large enough for private planes to land, as a great addition to the area.
Firmly rooted in his community, Blackwell set up the Oracabessa Foundation in the mid-90’s to inform the locals about his plans, market the project and create a community spirit. To this day, the Foundation has monthly information meetings to ensure that the community is on board with the development plans. “I started working with these musicians from the streets. Those are the real people,” explains Blackwell. In practical terms, the Foundation has donated a wing to the local school, assisted with various sports program and helped the community in various ways.
The latest of his adventures is the recent launch of “Blackwell Gold” rum, an idea started by his friend Richard Kirschenbaum, who owns a successful advertising agency in New York. “Dark rum is going to be the next big thing,” says Blackwell. One just has to marvel at the creativity of the promoter, who is as laid back and disarmingly charming as the island on which he lives. Visit www.goldeneye.com
