Page 18 - BOX SET BOOKLET _ Down In Jamaica _ 40 Years Of Vp Records

Women have played an increasingly important role on the VP roster, with reggae revivalist
Jah9 being among the most recent of a new wave of female reggae singers that started with
Queen Ifrica and Etana in the mid-2000s.

In 2008, VP Music purchased Greensleeves Records & Publishing, a British record
label dating to 1977. Greensleeves’ early catalog encompassed much of the same music
VP released through its Jah Guidance and Lightning imprints in the early 1980s. The
Greensleeves catalog is the perfect complement to that of VP and has allowed the VP Music
Group to market over 25,000 sound recordings and published songs.

In 2009, VP established an independent distribution company, VPAL (VP Associated
Label Group), run by Donovan Williams, to help independent producers and artists
bring products to the market. Both upcoming and veteran artists have taken advantage
of this resource. Israel Vibration received a Grammy nomination for a VPAL release and
Ziggy Marley won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 2014. VPAL have also raised
the profile and up and coming artists, most recently the singjay Koffee, whose hit record
“Raggamuffin” was a highlight in the reggae world in 2018.

Through the years, succeeding generations of the Chin family have been active in the day
to day management of the company, with co-founder Patricia enjoying matriarchal status
as well as a regular Saturday shift at the flagship retail store for many years. Ms. Pat’s
affable charm continues to give the business an endearing public presence. Her memoir is
scheduled to be published in 2019. She was awarded Jamaica’s civilian honor, the Order
Of Distinction, in 2006. She and her husband Vincent guided their sons, Chris and Randy,
into their roles as CEO and President of VP Records. Chris and Randy have overseen
the day to day operations of the company’s greatest periods of growth and mainstream
success. With offices in New York, London, Kingston, and satellites in Tokyo, Rio, and
Miami, the company is truly global in its operation.

In 2016, Chris Chin was also awarded the Order of Distinction. He is the executive
producer of most VP label releases. His sister Angela, and her husband Howie Chung,
manage company operations in South Florida, including a retail store in Miramar. Vincent
and Patricia’s grandchildren Stephen and Stephanie (Chris’s children) work in the Queens Down In Jamaica: 40 Years Of VP Records
office. Ms. Pat’s sister Michelle Williams manages the company operations in Jamaica for
the Caribbean region.

Vincent Chin passed away from complications from diabetes in 2003, marking the end
of an era. Clive Chin has been involved with the company at different times and has
also spearheaded his own initiatives. The producer of many classic early 70s Randy’s
recordings featuring Dennis Brown and Augustus Pablo, he was the driving force behind
a 21st century VP imprint, 17 North Parade, that issued over 130 classic albums and
compilations beginning in 2007. Clive Chin’s son Joel, Vincent’s grandson, worked for the
company from the early 1990s until his tragic murder outside Kingston in 2011. His legacy
at VP is enormous, having contributed to the successful Strictly The Best, Reggae Gold,
Riddim Driven, Total Recall, and other series while emerging as a key player in VP’s A&R
department, helping sign some of its most successful acts. Joel’s passion for the music
has served as a motivation for the family and the company to continue doing the work he
loved.

As VP celebrates its 40th anniversary, its roster includes the reggae revival generation
with Jah9 and Raging Fyah, the pure singers Christopher Martin and Romain Virgo, the
modern reggae soldier Jah Cure, the veteran Beres Hammond, dancehall diva Spice, and
the international powerhouse Alborosie, plus Ikaya and Spiritual.

In 2018, the label released an acclaimed album from R&B singer Estelle, entitled Lovers
Rock, which showed her love for the blended urban sounds of Jamaica, the Caribbean,
America, the UK, and Africa. The album demonstrated VP’s sustained commitment to the
development of a continuum of genres that grew from deep down in Jamaica and continue
to influence music in nearly every corner of the world.
Some long time VP Staff, including, from op left, Selector A; top right, Clive Davidson and Pat Chin;
Bottom left, Edwin Howell, Paul Shields, Dorothy Henry, Stephen Chin, and Amy Dudhi.
Bottom right, Joel Chin in the mastering studio above the retail store.

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