Addis Pablo recalls the days when he visited his father Augustus Pablo’s Rockers record store at Orange Street in downtown Kingston, Jamaica. That’s where his interest in music began.
He followed Pablo’s footsteps into music, and has recorded a clutch of albums and numerous songs. In 2025, Addis and his sister Isis began renovating Rockers. Fittingly, it was completed in February, celebrated in Jamaica as Reggae Month.
Revitalising the Rockers store and label is something they believe is critical to preserving the legacy of Pablo, a dub visionary who died in May, 1999 at age 44.
“It’s utterly important due to the legacy of our father needing preservation, and with a better presentation, especially regarding the record shop as the only physical location historically related to Augustsus Pablo and his label Rockers International,” said 36 year-old Addis. “For us, it’s somewhat of a sanctuary.”
Visitors to the new-look Rockers store get an instant introduction to Pablo, the melodica-playing mystic known for classic songs like ‘Java’, ‘East of The River Nile’ and ‘King Tubbys Meets The Rockers Uptown’. He also produced outstanding songs and albums by acts like Jacob Miller and Hugh Mundell.
According to Addis, the interior was redesigned with his father being the central figure, as well as several of his contemporaries. There is also an updated Rockers International sound system and a flatscreen television display of the company’s achievements.