The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that would be drawn upon later by reggae and ska artists.

[3] His middle name was given to him by his family in honour of the Labour activist and first post-Independence Prime Minister William Alexander Clarke Bustamante.

Jamaican sound systems at that time were playing American rhythm 'n' blues and Campbell credits Tom the Great Sebastian with his first introduction to the songs and artists that would later influence his own music: The Clovers' "Middle of the Night", Fats Domino's "Mardi Gras in New Orleans", the Griffin Brothers featuring Margie Day, and Shirley & Lee.

[2][3] Campbell approached his family and a radio shop owner called Mr Wong for financial backing; both parties agreed.

[6] In 1961, Campbell released his first single "Little Honey" / "Luke Lane Shuffle" featuring Jah Jerry, Drumbago and Rico Rodriquez recording under the name of Buster's Group.

[3][8] The drumming on the record was provided by members of the Count Ossie Group,[5] nyabinghi drummers from the Rastafarian community, Camp David, situated on the Wareika Hill above Kingston.

In 1964, Campbell met World Heavyweight Champion boxer Muhammad Ali, who invited him to attend a Nation of Islam talk at Mosque 29 in Miami.

Campbell tracks like "Shaking Up Orange Street" (1967) were arranged with the slower, more soulful rocksteady template as used by Alton Ellis ("Rock Steady") and many others.

In 1968, the compilation album FABulous was released, opening with the track "Earthquake" (which revisited the theme of Orange Street) and including earlier hits.

[14] The UK ska revival at the end of the 1970s that started with the 2-Tone label from Coventry introduced Campbell's music to a new generation of listeners.

[28] In 2002, electronic duo Mint Royale sampled Prince Buster for their single "Sexiest Man in Jamaica" on their album Dancehall Places.

[30] In September 2002 the tune was released on David Wood and Neil Claxton's Faith & Hope Records label and debuted at #20 on the UK singles chart.

[31] Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn used Campbell's "Ten Commandments Of Man" on the soundtrack of his 2019 television series "Too Old to Die Young".