Vincent “Randy” Chin is a Jamaican producer born in 1937 with Kingston and died in Fort Lauderdale in Florida on January 31st, 2003.

Biography

He is the son of a Chinese immigrant carpenter who settled in Jamaica after a short stay with Cuba. With the beginning of the year 1950, Chin makes the maintenance and the provisioning of the juke-boxes in the bars of the island for Isaac Issa, a Jamaican business man of Syrian origin . Vincent lives in the east of Kingston, in the district of Fortifies Town yard. By discovering the success of certain discs, it opens a store of music named Randy' S Records Shop in 1959 on the corner of East and Tower streets in the center of Kingston. The name comes from a radio broadcast of R&B emitting of the Tennessee. With the beginning of the year 1960, Vincent starts to record and publish local alternatives of R&B by artists like Alton Ellis, Eddie Perkins, Basil Gabbidon with the Federal studios. Its first session will record Bunny & Skitter in company of Rico, Jah Jerry and Bra Gaynair. At that time, he attends many artists in while going to the groundations of the camp rasta of Count Ossie. Then in 1961, the store moved to the 17 North Parade. It is at this place that will be built a studio of four-tracks above their store the Studio 17 . Chin was one of the first producer to propose with Tommy McCook a session of recording. Its first success came with Lord Creator Independent Jamaica in 1962.

Vincent will record at the beginning of his long career number of the best musicians and singers: The Maytals, Ken Boothe, Stranger Sticks, Cornell Campbell, The Gaylads, max Romeo, John Holt, Ernest Ranglin, Lester Sterling, Bobby Ellis, Don Drummond, Baba Brooks, The Skatalites…

Initially built for its own musical production, Chin rented its studio with other producers. Among them, Bunny Lee, Danny Simms, Niney, Phil Pratt, Lee Perry & the Wailers, Joe Gibbs came to record there. His/her oldest son, Cleaves Chin, there also records and discovers in particular Augustus Pablo.

In the middle of the years 1970, Vincent Chin immigrated in the United States and settles in New York in the Queens. He founds the store VP (for the initial ones of Vincent and its Patricia wife) then the label of the same name in 1993. The label quickly became the largest producer and distributer of music of the Caribbean in North America then in the world. Its catalog is rich albums and artists (approximately 15.000 titles) recognized like Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, Beres Hammond, Capleton, Lady Saw, Freddie McGregor, Buju Banton, Sizzla or Bounty Killer.

Sources

• Barrow S., booklet of compilation Rough Guides To Ska , World Music Network 2003.

• Katz D., Vincent “Randy” Chin in The Guardian of February 22nd, 2003.