CROSSFIRE HURRICANE celebrates The Rolling Stones 1972 Jamaica sessions and their 50-year creative bond with the island.

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Arrival in jamaica

In 1972, the Rolling Stones arrived in Jamaica during a period of constant movement. Having recorded Exile on Main Street in the South of France and toured the United States that same year, the band remained in exile, moving between countries without a fixed base.

Jamaica offered something different. A scene already identified by their record label head, Ahmet Ertegun, as a centre of emerging musical influence.

  • Sly Dunbar in Kingston, Jamaica. photographed by Adrian Boot

  • Valdene Dixon AKA Charlie Ace with his Swing-A-Ling mobile record shack 1973, photographed by Adrian Boot

  • Keith Richards with Sly and Robbie and Mikey Chung photographed by Adrian Boot in 1979.

  • Eugene ‘Festus’ Clarke and Bikey Dread in session photographed by Jean-Bernard Sohiez

The Stones recorded Goats Head Soup in Kingston, immersed in a new sound, a new pace, and a culture defined by rhythm.

As Keith Richards later reflected:

"Jamaica was one of the few places that would let us all in. The island said come in and we recorded Goats Head Soup. It's never let me down since."

As noted by David Katz, the author of Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae, reggae formed a constant presence around the band during this influential phase.

“From Eric Donaldson’s ‘Cherry Oh Baby’ to the soundtrack of The Harder They Come, reggae was ever-present when the Stones were recording Exile On Main Street. And after reaching Jamaica in 1972 to begin working on Goats Head Soup, through subsequent collaborations with the island’s leading performers, the Stones helped reggae to reach new audiences around the world.”

Dynamic sound
sessions

  • Eric Donaldson, Jamaican Singer songwriter and author of ‘Cherry oh Baby’ photographed by Randall Richards, 2026.

  • The Rolling Stones recording Goats Head Soup at Dynamic Sounds, shot by Koh Hasebe c/o Getty Images, in 1973.

  • Dynamic Sounds Recording Studio, Kingston Jamaica. Photographed by Ariel Tagar.

At the Terra Nova Hotel, the band kept late hours. Recording at Dynamic Sound Studios took place at night, alongside Kingston’s emerging reggae scene. The studio was a hub for local artists recording at the same time. Tracks including Angie and Star Star were recorded during these sessions.

There was something in the air. You could feel it from everybody on the street – a vital thing happening with reggae.”

the rolling
stones and
jamaica legends

These relationships extended beyond the studio.
The Stones built close links with iconic Jamaican musicians including Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Max Romeo,
Sly & Robbie, Black Uhuru, Toots & the Maytals and Lee “Scratch” Perry.

Among those collaborations was a deep and lasting connection with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. When the Rolling Stones signed Peter Tosh to their own label in 1978, Sly and Robbie came with him. They recorded together in Kingston before Sly and Robbie joined the Stones on tour. Sly Dunbar passed away in January 2026, aged 73. His rhythm lives on.

Born in exile. Crafted in Jamaica.

The same rhythm, intensity and communal warmth that drew the Stones to Jamaica lives on in Crossfire Hurricane,  a rum shaped by the island’s craft, culture and unmistakable energy.
Crafted from rum distilled at four of Jamaica’s most respected distilleries, Crossfire Hurricane captures the bold character and vibrant spirit that defines the island.

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