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Reggae producer Clive Chin tells Davina Morris about the musical legacy of his father, VP Records producer, Vincent Chin.
<span style="font-weight: bold">On Friday, Brixton Town Hall, England, hosted a launch party to mark the release of the two CD/DVD collection, Reggae Anthology: Randy's 50th Anniversary</span>.
<span style="font-weight: bold">The compilation aims to celebrate work of the late Jamaican producer, Vincent 'Randy' Chin, who, 50 years ago, began what was to become a reggae empire.</span>
Back in 1958 Vincent, along with his wife, Patricia, opened up a small record shop in Kingston called Randy's. They set up the premises using discarded stock of American rhythm and blues records cleared from jukeboxes.
Moved to larger premises
In 1962 they moved to larger premises on 17 North Parade, right in the heart of Kingston. But it was their recording studio, Studio 17, set up above the shop, which would see the Chins playing a more integral part in the development and worldwide acknowledgment of reggae music. Most notably, they went on to launch today's leading reggae label, VP Records.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Reggae Anthology brings together 50 of Studio 17's greatest productions, featuring musical icons like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, The Skatalites and Dennis Brown.</span>
The DVD was made and produced by Vincent's eldest son, Clive Chin, who himself became a reggae producer in the late 1970s.
"The DVD features interviews with many artistes, musicians and patrons who were part of the foundation of Studio 17," says Clive. "It gives audiences an insight into how VP Records came to be. Older folks may know that VP Records spawned from Randy's, but the younger generation probably don't know that.
Remembering the days
"I remember how things started; it was just a small record shop. And then there was the studio, where countless artistes recorded music. And later down the line we launched VP Records in order to get into the distribution side of things," Clive Chin said.
"At the time we saw that the major labels didn't really know what to do with reggae artistes like Shabba Ranks. So it seemed like a good idea for us, as Jamaicans, to step in. And so, VP Records came to be."
Today, VP - the initials of Vincent and Patricia - has its main base in New York and boasts a host of reggae stars, including Elephant Man, Mavado and Tarrus Riley.
Currently at the helm of the company are Vincent's younger sons, Christopher and Randy, while his wife, Patricia (affectionately known as 'Miss Pat') contributes to oversee the 'daily' operations of VP's clothing line, Riddim Driven, which she launched
Vincent died of natural causes in 2003.
With the company starting out as a humble record shop, Clive feels that it was their family's Chinese heritage (Vincent was born in Jamaica to Chinese parents) that spawned their work ethic. "The Chinese who lived in Jamaica during that era were regarded as the shopkeepers," says Clive. "There were no Chinese families in Jamaica who weren't involved in some kind of business, whether it was a restaurant, a haberdashery, a bakery shop, an ice cream parlour or something like that. We weren't just nine to five workers. We worked 24-7," he said.
"Even at a young age I was expected to work in the record shop - after I did my homework, of course! I think it was just about having that sense of hard work and dedication. And as the years went on we developed a wonderful team who helped to take the company where it is today."
<span style="font-weight: bold">Reggae Anthology: Randy's 50th Anniversary is out tomorrow on VP Records.</span>
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