VP Music Group

Last updated

VP Music Group is a US-based record company that owns and distributes four labels: VP Records , Greensleeves Records , Dub Rockers and 17 North Parade. The company's origins stem from the "Randy's Records" record shop which opened in 1958 on the corner of East and Tower streets in Kingston. [1] Also under the music group is a distribution branch named VPAL. The company has offices in New York City, Miami, Kingston, London, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg.

VP Music Group
Founder
Distributor(s) ADA
Genre
Location
Official website www.vprecords.com

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Bounty Killer</span> Jamaican musician (born 1972)

    Rodney Basil Price OD(born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk". He is considered one of the best dancehall lyricists of all time.

    Clive Chin is a son of Vincent "Randy" Chin. He is a Hakka Chinese Jamaican record producer whose work includes recordings by The Wailers, Dennis Brown, Lee Perry and Black Uhuru, among others. Chin was a pioneer in the establishment of dub as a standalone musical form.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">The Kingston Trio</span> American folk and pop music group

    The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds. It rose to international popularity fueled by unprecedented sales of LP records and helped alter the direction of popular music in the U.S.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Isaacs</span> Jamaican reggae musician (1951–2010)

    Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in The New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".

    Bobby Dixon, known as Bobby Digital, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall producer. He was given his nickname "Bobby Digital" because King Jammy, with whom he worked in the mid-1980s, had begun experimenting with digital rhythms at around the same time. He owned the Digital B label, and among the artists with hits on the label are Shabba Ranks and Sizzla. He has influenced reggae artists such as Admiral Tibet.

    Joe Gibbs born Joel Arthur Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Brown</span> Jamaican reggae singer (1957–1999)

    Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a subgenre of reggae. Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, dubbing him "The Crown Prince of Reggae", and Brown would prove influential on future generations of reggae singers.

    <i>Soul Rebels</i> 1970 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

    Soul Rebels is the second studio album by the Wailers, their first album to be released outside Jamaica. The Wailers approached producer Lee "Scratch" Perry in August 1970 to record an entire album, and the sessions took place at Randy's recording studio above Randy's Record Mart at 17 North Parade in Kingston, Jamaica, until November. First issued in the UK by Trojan Records in December 1970, the album has since been re-released several times on several different labels. Perry's production is sparse and haunting, only featuring guitar, bass, drums, electronic organs, and vocals with no horns or other embellishments.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">T.O.K.</span> Jamaican dancehall reggae group

    T.O.K. are a dancehall reggae group from Kingston, Jamaica. As of 2024, the group consists of Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay-C" Clarke, Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, and previously Xavier "Flexx" Davidson. They started their band in 1996, and announced its dissolution in 2015, before reuniting in 2022 and releasing a new song which would be the first after their reunion, titled NPLH (Home), featuring Shams the Producer. This song was released in 2023. T.O.K. were described as "the world's greatest dancehall-reggae boy band" by The New York Times in 2004. They were best known for such hits as "Footprints", "Diamonds and Gold", "Gal You Ah Lead", "Chi Chi Man", "Eagles Cry", "Guardian Angel", "Money 2 Burn", "She's Hot", "Hey Ladies", "The Voice", "I Believe", "Shake Your Bam Bam" and "Galang Gal".

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">VP Records</span> US independent reggae record label

    VP Records is an independent Caribbean-owned record label in Queens, New York. The label is known for releasing music by notable artists in reggae, dancehall and soca. VP Records has offices in New York City, Miami, London, Kingston, Tokyo, Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, the label has established a presence in Toronto, Australia and New Zealand.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Fontana Distribution</span> US music distributor

    Fontana Distribution was a division of San Francisco–based Isolation Network. A minority stake of the company was owned by Universal Music until Ingrooves acquired Fontana Distribution from UMG in 2012 to form Ingrooves Fontana.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Reynolds</span> Musical artist

    Nicholas Wells Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose folk and folk-style material captured international attention during the late Fifties and early Sixties.

    <i>At Large</i> (album) 1959 studio album by The Kingston Trio

    The Kingston Trio At Large is the American folk music group the Kingston Trio's fourth album, released in 1959. It was the Trio's first stereo studio album and one of the four they would simultaneously have on Billboard's Top 10 albums during that year. It spent fifteen weeks at #1. The single "M. T. A." b/w "All My Sorrows" spent eleven weeks on the singles charts and peaked at number 15. The Trio's second single that same year, "The Tijuana Jail" b/w "Oh Cindy", was recorded during The Kingston Trio At Large sessions. It peaked at number 12.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Fraser</span> Jamaican saxophonist

    Dean Ivanhoe Fraser is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Musgrave Medal by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.

    Stafford Elliot, better known as Fred Locks, is a roots reggae singer best known for his mid-1970s single "Black Star Liners" and the album of the same name.

    Vincent "Randy" Chin was a Jamaican record producer and entrepreneur who ran the Randy's shop, recording studio, and record label, later moving to New York City and setting up the VP Records empire, now the world's largest independent label and distributor of Caribbean music.

    <i>Children of the Morning</i> 1966 studio album by The Kingston Trio

    Children of the Morning is an album by the American folk music group the Kingston Trio, released in 1966. It was their last album on the Decca label. Three singles were released from the album and all were commercial flops, as was the album. The singles were: "Norwegian Wood" b/w "Put Your Money Away", "The Spinnin' of the World" b/w "A Little Soul is Born" and "Lock All the Windows" b/w "Hit and Run".

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lieutenant Stitchie</span> Musical artist

    Cleveland Laing, better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the shorter name Stitchie.

    Everton Hardweare, better known by his stage name Singing Melody, is a reggae artist from Kingston, Jamaica. He is known for his abilities as a vocalist, his production work and for combining aspects of reggae and R&B in his own releases.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana Meets Kingston</span> Musical artist

    Havana Meets Kingston is a collaboration between the musicians of Cuba and Jamaica.

    References

    1. Katz, David (2003-02-22). "Obituary: Vincent 'Randy' Chin". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-07-07.