Words By Erin MacLeod—
You may have heard that Jamaica just celebrated a big birthday. VP Records is keeping the 50th anniversary celebrations going by releasing Reggae Golden Jubilee – Origins of Jamaican Music – 50th Anniversary, a 4 CD set of a hundred tunes. VP Records President Christopher Chin and music historians Dermot Hussey and John Masouri also lend their expertise to the extensive liner notes. The selection itself, however, represents the range of Jamaican music released over the past half-century and each track has been hand picked by former producer, record label owner, member of parliament and prime minister Edward Seaga.
Out come November 6, 2012, it’s an amazing collection of music, from ska and rocksteady to dancehall, with one drop, rockers, steppers and roots rock reggae in between. More than anything, however, we can’t wait to see what 82-year-old Mr. Seaga has to say about Mavado and Elephant Man, who are featured on the compilation alongside greats like Derrick Morgan, Prince Buster and Byron Lee.