Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul
2025 | 1h 30m
2025 | 1h 30m
Play it Loud is a feature documentary that tells the little known story of how Jamaican music became a critical and unlikely part of Canadian culture, told through the life, music, struggles and triumphs of beloved singer Jay Douglas.
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.
TVO & Knowledge Network
Produced by Ultramagnetic Productions, in association w/ Bonfire Originals.
Produced by Ultramagnetic Productions, in association w/ Bonfire Originals.
Synopsis:
Play it Loud! is a feature documentary that tells the little known story of how Jamaican music became a critical and unlikely part of Canadian culture. The film reveals a social and cultural migration that made Canada a mecca for Jamaican music, recognized around the world, but little heralded at home. We tell This story is told through the life, music, struggles and triumphs of beloved Jamaican Canadian singer Jay Douglas. Born as Clive Pinnock, in rural Jamaica to a single mother, Douglas began performing professionally at 17 and has never stopped. Today, nearly sixty 60 years later, he’s more popular than ever.
Play it Loud! is a feature documentary that tells the little known story of how Jamaican music became a critical and unlikely part of Canadian culture. The film reveals a social and cultural migration that made Canada a mecca for Jamaican music, recognized around the world, but little heralded at home. We tell This story is told through the life, music, struggles and triumphs of beloved Jamaican Canadian singer Jay Douglas. Born as Clive Pinnock, in rural Jamaica to a single mother, Douglas began performing professionally at 17 and has never stopped. Today, nearly sixty 60 years later, he’s more popular than ever.
Douglas’ life mirrors the emergence of Jamaican popular music, both in its birthplace, and his adopted country. He’s a witness and participant to the birth of ska and reggae, the Jamaican diaspora in the UK and Canada, and the emergence of a uniquely Canadian Black music culture. Through Jay’s personal story, the film will tell an important and largely unknown tale of cultural transformation.
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.
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.
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.
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
Consultants: Klive Walker Nicholas Jennings, Matt Sullivan
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
Consultants: Klive Walker Nicholas Jennings, Matt Sullivan
