Leonard Chin (born Leonard Anthony Chin; 1953 in Kingston, Jamaica) [1] aka Santic, is a Jamaican reggae record producer. After first working as a car mechanic, he then trained as a photographer and worked for the Gleaner Company. [1] In the early 1970s he began working as a singer with Charles Hannah and The Graduates, and recorded a single for Gussie Clarke, but he realized that he was better suited to production. His early productions between 1973 and 1975 included recordings by Augustus Pablo, who recorded the first single for his Santic record label (the name derived from the nickname of his friend, drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, and "Atlantic"), [1] "Pablo In Dub", as well as Paul Whiteman, Horace Andy (with whom he had two hits - "Problems" and "Children of Israel"), Roman Stewart, and Gregory Isaacs. [2] Two of the tracks he produced for Pablo were included on the melodica player's debut album. [3] Chin's recording sessions generally took place at Randy's studio, with Errol Thompson at the mixing desk, and using Pablo as an arranger or keyboard player. [3] Chin also produced Jah Woosh's 1976 album, Chalice Blaze. [4] A mid-1970s compilation of his productions, An Even Harder Shade of Black, was reissued by Pressure Sounds in 1995. The label released a further collection of his work, Down Santic Way, in 2005.
In 1975, he relocated to London, England, and became a prominent producer in the lovers rock genre, working with the likes of Carroll Thompson, Jean Adebambo, Trevor Walters, Donna Rhoden, and Lorna Pierre. [1] [2]
Horace Michael Swaby, also known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer and a multi-instrumentalist that was active from the 1970s until his death.
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer, record producer and sound-system operator.
Errol Thompson, better known as "ET", was a Jamaican record producer, audio engineer, and one of the first studio engineers to be involved in dub music.
The Congos are a reggae vocal group from Jamaica which formed as the duo "Ashanti" Roy Johnson (tenor) and Cedric Myton (falsetto), later becoming a trio with the addition of Watty Burnett (baritone), and have been active on and off from the mid-1970s until the present day. They are best known for their Heart of the Congos album, recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Prince Far I was a Jamaican reggae deejay and producer, and a Rastafarian. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics about government measures initiated at the time against violent crime.
Joe Gibbs born Joel Arthur Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.
Lloyd Woodrowe James, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer, sound system owner and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio. His dubs are known for their clear sound and use of effects.
Pressure Sounds is a British DIY record label, specialising in releasing reggae music. Run by Pete Holdsworth, it is one of the most enduring reggae labels in the UK, specialising in reissuing obsolete tunes. It was originally a subsidiary of On-U Sound.
Keith Hudson, was a Jamaican reggae artist and record producer. He is known for his influence on the dub movement.
Freddie McKay was a Jamaican singer, whose career spanned the rocksteady and conscious spiritual roots reggae eras.
Herman Chin Loy is a Jamaican record producer, best known for his productions from the late 1960s and early 1970s of artists such as Augustus Pablo, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis and Bruce Ruffin, and for the Aquarius and Scorpio labels that he ran. He is a Chinese Jamaican.
The Meditations are a spiritual, conscious roots reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974, who have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today.
Ansel Collins is a Jamaican musician, composer, singer, songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Dave Barker as Dave and Ansel Collins.
Neville Beckford, better known as Jah Woosh, was a Jamaican reggae deejay and record producer, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.
Soul Syndicate, originally called the Rhythm Raiders, were one of the top reggae session bands in Jamaica from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.
Black Roots is a 1979 album by Sugar Minott. It was the first to appear on Minott's Black Roots label, and was described in the book Reggae: 100 Essential CDs – The Rough Guide as a "classic, which catches the singer on the cusp of the roots and dancehall phases, and with total control over his music." The album includes contributions from some of Jamaica's top session musicians including Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Noel "Scully" Simms, Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont, Gladstone Anderson, Larry 'Professor Bassie' Silvera and Ansell Collins, with harmony vocals provided by Don Carlos, Lacksley Castell and Ashanti Waugh. Two of the tracks on the album had previously been issued as singles – "Hard Time Pressure" and "River Jordan". The album was described by Dave Thompson in his book Reggae & Caribbean Music as a "deeply dread collection...time has bestowed a stately uniqueness to it". Alex Henderson, writing for AllMusic, said of the album: "If you combined Stax's raw production style with the type of sweetness that characterized a lot of Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia soul and added a reggae beat, the outcome might sound something like Black Roots."
Gladstone Anderson, also known by his nickname "Gladdy", was a Jamaican pianist, keyboard player, and singer, who played a major part in the island's musical history, playing a key role in defining the ska sound and the rocksteady beat, and playing on hundreds of recordings as a session musician, a solo artist, and as leader of Gladdy's All Stars, featuring bassist Jackie Jackson, drummer Winston Grennan, guitarist Hux Brown, and keyboardist Winston Wright. As Harry J All Stars the band had a massive hit in Jamaica and United Kingdom with the instrumental song "The Liquidator" 1969. Anderson's work was consistently popular in the late 70s too, as roots reggae, dub and sound system culture increasingly prioritised more conscious and deeply spiritual concerns.
Lloyd Coxsone is a Jamaican-born sound system operator and record producer, who has been resident in the United Kingdom since 1962.
Felix Headley Bennett OD, also known as Deadly Headley, was a prolific Jamaican saxophonist who performed on hundreds, possibly thousands, of recordings since the 1950s.
Maxwell Grant, better known as Ranking Trevor and sometimes as Ranking Superstar, was a Jamaican reggae deejay.