| 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 number 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 Crowns covered the Mighty Hannibal song, "Jerking the Dog". Backed with and released on Pama PM 736, it was the Pama Record of the Week in the 24 August, 1968 issue of Melody Maker . [3] [4]
Lloyd Chalmers recorded the song "Desiderata" which was backed with an instrumental version and released on Pama Supreme PS 355 in 1972. [5]
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 a Cuban-Jamaican singer and one of the pioneers of ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Ska".
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.
The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, Right Time, produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 1979 release, Deeper Roots.
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.
Derrick Morgan OD 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".
Leroy Sibbles is a Jamaican reggae musician and producer. He was the lead singer for The Heptones in the 1960s and 1970s.
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.
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.
The Cimarons are a British reggae band formed in 1967. They were the UK's first self-contained indigenous reggae band.
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.
Jah Lloyd, aka Jah Lion, The Black Lion of Judah, and Jah Ali was a Jamaican reggae singer, deejay and producer.
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.
Winston Tucker, better known as Winston Groovy, is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for his recordings between the late 1960s and 1980s.
Denzil Dennis, aka Alan Martin, is a reggae singer from Jamaica who came to the UK in 1963.
The Viceroys, also known as The Voiceroys, The Interns, The Inturns, The Brothers, and The Hot Tops, are a conscious roots 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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