Because she started in the music business 64 years ago, Patricia “Miss Pat” Chin has seen the evolution of Jamaican music —- from ska to rock steady, roots-reggae and dancehall. The co-founder of Randy’s Records and VP Records spoke about her favorite genre during her recent visit to Jamaica.
“I really liked the rock steady period. That really brought about some great producers and singers…the competition with the producers to be the best was a good thing for rock steady, so I think I like rock steady out of all,” she said.
Many musicologists agree that rock steady — which succeeded ska — began in late 1965 with “Take it Easy”, a song by Hopeton Lewis, recorded at Federal Records in Kingston. Though it lasted just over two years, rock steady yielded countless classic songs, most of them produced by Clement “Coxson” Dodd and Arthur “Duke” Reid.
A number of influential singers made their names in rock steady including Alton Ellis, John Holt, Desmond Dekker, Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, Slim Smith and Pat Kelly. Groups like The Maytals, The Heptones, The Melodians, The Paragons and The Jamaicans also thrived during that time.
Miss Pat visited Jamaica in late August to promote her memoir, “Miss Pat: My Reggae Music Journey”.
The matriarch of VP Records launched the 209-page book on August 26 at the University of the West Indies’ Mona campus. She also donated copies to the National Library of Jamaica and Jamaica Library Service and did signings at locations throughout the country’s capital.
“Miss Pat: My Reggae Music Journey” was officially released in March, 2021 by the VP Music Group. Pat Chin and her husband Vincent started VP Records in 1979 in Queens, New York, shortly after migrating there from Jamaica.
They got into the music business in 1958 with Randy’s Records, a retail store which officially opened its famous 17 North Parade headquarters in downtown Kingston in 1962, the year Jamaica got independence from Britain.
Vincent died in 2003 but his wife, their sons Chris and Randy and daughter Angela, have made VP one of the most competitive independent record companies in the world. They are also the largest distributors of reggae.
Written By Howard Campbell