Herman Chin Loy
Encyclopedia
Herman Chin Loy is a Jamaica
n record producer
, best known for his productions from the late 1960s and early 1970s of artists such as Augustus Pablo
, Dennis Brown
, Alton Ellis
and Bruce Ruffin
, and for the Aquarius and Scorpio labels that he ran. He is a Chinese Jamaican
.
, he brought on his half brother Herman Chin-Loy who ran the record store end of the business. Herman Chin-Loy then dabbled in producing. His earliest productions were quirky, innovative instrumentals, using musicians such as Lloyd Charmers
and The Hippy Boys
on tracks such as "African Zulu", "Shang I", "Reggae In The Fields", "Invasion", and "Inner Space". He was the first producer to use the Now Generation band and the first to record Horace Swaby, whose recordings, like those of other keyboard players who recorded for Chin Loy, were released under the name Augustus Pablo, the success of Swaby's releases causing the name to stick.
In the early 1970s, Chin Loy also produced Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, and Bruce Ruffin, whose "Rain" reached #19 in the UK singles chart. Chin Loy was responsible for one of the first dub
albums, Aquarius Dub, released in 1973, and mixed at Dynamic studio by Chin Loy himself. A follow up, Aquarius Dub part 2 was released the following year.
Lloyd A. Chin Loy hired a Welshman, Mr. Rosser in the 1970s to build the first 24-track recording studio in Jamaica and probably the Caribbean. Herman Chin-Loy returned to reggae productions in 1979, scoring several hits in the early dancehall
style with artists such as Little Roy
, and Ernest Wilson
.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, best known for his productions from the late 1960s and early 1970s of artists such as Augustus Pablo
Augustus Pablo
Horace Swaby , known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer, melodica player and keyboardist, active from the 1970s onwards. He popularized the use of the melodica in reggae music...
, Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown 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 sub-genre of reggae...
, Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
and Bruce Ruffin
Bruce Ruffin
Bruce Ruffin is a rocksteady and reggae artist.-Biography:...
, and for the Aquarius and Scorpio labels that he ran. He is a Chinese Jamaican
Chinese Jamaican
Chinese Jamaicans are the descendants of migrants from China to Jamaica. Early migrants came in the 19th century; there was another wave of migration in the 1980s and 1990s...
.
Biography
When Lloyd A. Chin Loy opened up Aquarius Record Store in 1969 in Half Way Tree, KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, he brought on his half brother Herman Chin-Loy who ran the record store end of the business. Herman Chin-Loy then dabbled in producing. His earliest productions were quirky, innovative instrumentals, using musicians such as Lloyd Charmers
Lloyd Charmers
Lloyd Charmers is a ska and reggae singer, keyboard player and record producer.-Career:...
and The Hippy Boys
The Hippy Boys
The Hippy Boys was formed in 1968 by Lloyd Charmers. The band included guitarist Alva "Reggie" Lewis, organist Glen Adams and brothers Aston 'Family Man' Barrett on bass guitar and Carlton Barrett drums respectively....
on tracks such as "African Zulu", "Shang I", "Reggae In The Fields", "Invasion", and "Inner Space". He was the first producer to use the Now Generation band and the first to record Horace Swaby, whose recordings, like those of other keyboard players who recorded for Chin Loy, were released under the name Augustus Pablo, the success of Swaby's releases causing the name to stick.
In the early 1970s, Chin Loy also produced Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, and Bruce Ruffin, whose "Rain" reached #19 in the UK singles chart. Chin Loy was responsible for one of the first dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
albums, Aquarius Dub, released in 1973, and mixed at Dynamic studio by Chin Loy himself. A follow up, Aquarius Dub part 2 was released the following year.
Lloyd A. Chin Loy hired a Welshman, Mr. Rosser in the 1970s to build the first 24-track recording studio in Jamaica and probably the Caribbean. Herman Chin-Loy returned to reggae productions in 1979, scoring several hits in the early dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
style with artists such as Little Roy
Little Roy
Little Roy is a Jamaican reggae artist.-Biography:Little Roy launched his career in the rocksteady age, recording a few singles for Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster, none of which made much headway. As reggae itself unfolded, Roy switched to Lloyd Daley's recording studio...
, and Ernest Wilson
Ernest Wilson (singer)
Ernest Wilson is a reggae singer who found fame as a member of The Clarendonians before working as a solo artist.-Biography:...
.