| Pama Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Phoenix Music International |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Harry Palmer, Carl Palmer, Jeff Palmer |
| Genre | Reggae, rocksteady, ska, soul, bluebeat |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Official website | www |
Pama Records is a British record label active during the 1960s and 1970s. Initially focused on soul music, it became one of the major outlets for reggae in the UK.
The label was set up by the Palmer Brothers – Harry, Jeff, and Carl – initially as a soul label, but later concentrating on Jamaican music, releasing rocksteady singles from 1967. [1] Much of the label's output was licensed from Jamaican producers such as Clancy Eccles, Alton Ellis, Bunny Lee, and Lee "Scratch" Perry, although they also released music by local talents such as Junior English and Delroy Washington. Derrick Morgan became one of Pama's biggest stars, having a UK chart hit with "Moon Hop". Pama's biggest hit came with Max Romeo's "Wet Dream", which reached #10 in the UK singles chart (despite lack of airplay, in part due to its risqué lyric), and sold over 250,000 copies.
The rivalry between Pama and their main UK reggae competitor, Trojan Records, was clear, with Trojan's Tighten Up series of compilations and Pama's similarly titled Straighten Up series going head to head. The rivalry had been fuelled by Bunny Lee's earlier licensing of Derrick Morgan's "Seven Letters" to both Pama and Trojan.
Pama introduced a number of subsidiary labels, often associated with individual producers, including Pama Supreme, Supreme, Crab, Bullet, Gas, Nu Beat/New Beat (Laurel Aitken), Success (Rupie Edwards), Camel, Escort, Unity (Bunny Lee), and Punch (Lee "Scratch" Perry). [2]
In addition to the many reggae releases, the label also released a few non-reggae albums, including Butlins Red Coat Review, and an album commemorating the investiture of the Prince of Wales. [2]
The Pama label lasted until the mid-1970s, at which point Carl Palmer was the driving force, and concentrated on establishing a UK distribution network for reggae, later resurfacing as Jet Star, one of the largest distributors of reggae music. Pama Records is now owned by Phoenix Music International who continue to distribute the Pama label digitally. [1] [2]
Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD, better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records in the early 1970s, and later working with Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby.
Lorenzo "Laurel" Aitken was an influential Caribbean singer and one of the pioneers of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Ska".
Lynn Taitt was a guitarist born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, who later moved to Jamaica and became a pioneer of rocksteady music.
The Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's best-loved harmony groups during the late ska, rocksteady and early reggae periods. Responsible for a significant number of hits between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group was also one of the first Jamaican acts to perform widely in Britain.
Clancy Eccles was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, songwriter, arranger, promoter, record producer and talent scout. Known mostly for his early reggae works, he brought a political dimension to this music. His house band was known as The Dynamites.
Derrick Morgan is a Jamaican musical artist who was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, and Jimmy Cliff in the rhythm and blues and ska genres, and he also performed rocksteady and skinhead reggae.
Slim Smith was a ska, rocksteady and reggae singer. In their book Reggae: The Rough Guide (1997), Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton described Smith as "the greatest vocalist to emerge in the rocksteady era".
Derrick Clifton Harriott OD is a Jamaican singer and record producer. He was a member of the Jiving Juniors with Herman Sang before embarking on a solo career. He has produced recordings by Big Youth, Chariot Riders, The Chosen Few, Dennis Brown, The Ethiopians, Keith & Tex, The Kingstonians, Rudy Mills, Scotty, Sly & Revolutionaries, and Winston McAnuff.
Kenneth Byles, also known as "Junior Byles", "Chubby", or "King Chubby", is a Jamaican reggae singer.
The Pioneers are a Jamaican reggae vocal trio, whose main period of success was in the 1960s. The trio has had different line-ups, and still occasionally performs.
Roy Samuel Reid, better known as I-Roy, was a Jamaican deejay who had a very prolific career during the 1970s.
The Silvertones are a Jamaican reggae harmony group formed in 1964, best known for their recordings for Lee "Scratch" Perry in the early 1970s.
Susan Cadogan is a reggae singer best known for her hit records in the 1970s.
Horatious Adolphus "Pat" Kelly was a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer, whose career began in the mid-1960s. He recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the vocal group the Techniques.
Owen Gray, also known as Owen Grey, is a Jamaican musician. His work spans the R&B, ska, rocksteady, and reggae eras of Jamaican music, and he has been credited as Jamaica's first home-grown singing star.
Stranger Cole, also known as StrangeJah Cole is a Jamaican singer whose long recording career dates from the early days of ska in 1962 through to the present (2019).
Winston Tucker, better known as Winston Groovy, is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for his recordings between the late 1960s and 1980s.
Zap Pow is a Jamaican reggae band, founded by singer/bassist Michael Williams aka Mikey Zappow and guitarist Dwight Pinkney. Members also included singer Beres Hammond, trumpeter David Madden, saxman Glen DaCosta, and drummer Cornell Marshall. They originally existed from 1969 to 1979. They re-formed in 2016.
The Viceroys, also known as The Voiceroys, The Interns, The Inturns, The Brothers, and The Hot Tops, are a reggae vocal group who first recorded in 1967. After releasing several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they split up in the mid-1980s. They reformed and recorded a new album in 2006.
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