Pama Records
Encyclopedia
Pama records was a United Kingdom
record label active during the 1960s and 1970s. Initially focused on soul music
, it became one of the major outlets for reggae
in the UK.
n music, releasing rocksteady
singles from 1967. Much of the label's output was licenced from Jamaican producers such as Clancy Eccles
, Alton Ellis
, Bunny Lee
, and Lee "Scratch" Perry, although they also released music by local talents such as Junior English
and Delroy Washington. Derrick Morgan
became one of Pama's biggest stars, having a UK chart hit with "Moon Hop". Pama's biggest hit came with Max Romeo
's "Wet Dream", which reached #10 in the UK singles chart (despite lack of airplay, in part due to its risqué lyric), and sold over 250,000 copies.
The rivalry between Pama and their main UK reggae competitor, Trojan Records
, was clear, with Trojan's Tighten Up series of compilations and Pama's similarly titled Straighten Up series going head to head. The rivalry had been fuelled by Bunny Lee's earlier licencing of Derrick Morgan's "Seven Letters" to both Pama and Trojan.
Pama introduced a number of subsidiary labels, often associated with individual producers, including Pama Supreme, Supreme, Crab
, Bullet, Gas, Nu Beat/New Beat (Laurel Aitken
), Success (Rupie Edwards
), Camel, Escort, Unity (Bunny Lee), and Punch (Lee "Scratch" Perry).
In addition to the many reggae releases, the label also released few non-reggae albums, including Butlins Red Coat Review, and an album commemorating the investiture of The Prince of Wales.
The Pama label lasted until the mid-1970s, at which point Carl Palmer was the driving force, and concentrated on establishing a UK distribution network for reggae, later resurfacing as Jet Star
, one of the largest distributors of reggae music.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
record label active during the 1960s and 1970s. Initially focused on soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, it became one of the major outlets for reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
in the UK.
History
The label was set up by the Palmer Brothers - Harry, Jeff, and Carl - initially as a soul label, but later concentrating on JamaicaJamaica
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 music, releasing rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
singles from 1967. Much of the label's output was licenced from Jamaican producers such as Clancy Eccles
Clancy Eccles
Clancy Eccles was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, songwriter, arranger, promoter, record producer and talent scout. Known mostly for his early reggae works, he brought a political dimension to this music...
, 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...
, Bunny Lee
Bunny Lee
Edward O'Sullivan Lee, better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee is a prominent, prolific and successful record producer best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
, and Lee "Scratch" Perry, although they also released music by local talents such as Junior English
Junior English
Junior English is a Jamaican-born reggae singer who began his career in the early 1960s before relocating to England.-Biography:English was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1951...
and Delroy Washington. Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan is a musical artist popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, and Jimmy Cliff in the rhythm and blues and ska genres, and he also performed rocksteady and skinhead reggae.-Biography:In 1957 Morgan entered the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour, a talent...
became one of Pama's biggest stars, having a UK chart hit with "Moon Hop". Pama's biggest hit came with Max Romeo
Max Romeo
Max Romeo is a reggae and roots reggae recording artist who has achieved chart success in his home country, and in the UK. Romeo was responsible for launching an entirely new sub-genre of reggae, whose overtly suggestive lyrics caused an outcry but took a massive hold of the music scene regardless...
's "Wet Dream", which reached #10 in the UK singles chart (despite lack of airplay, in part due to its risqué lyric), and sold over 250,000 copies.
The rivalry between Pama and their main UK reggae competitor, Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
, was clear, with Trojan's Tighten Up series of compilations and Pama's similarly titled Straighten Up series going head to head. The rivalry had been fuelled by Bunny Lee's earlier licencing of Derrick Morgan's "Seven Letters" to both Pama and Trojan.
Pama introduced a number of subsidiary labels, often associated with individual producers, including Pama Supreme, Supreme, Crab
Crab Records
Crab Records was a reggae label that issued releases from 1968 to 1971. Crab was a subsidiary of Pama Records, who along with Trojan Records, was one the major labels for reggae music in the UK...
, Bullet, Gas, Nu Beat/New Beat (Laurel Aitken
Laurel Aitken
Lorenzo Aitken , better known as Laurel Aitken, was a singer and one of the originators of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of ska".-Career:...
), Success (Rupie Edwards
Rupie Edwards
Rupie Edwards is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer.-Biography:...
), Camel, Escort, Unity (Bunny Lee), and Punch (Lee "Scratch" Perry).
In addition to the many reggae releases, the label also released few non-reggae albums, including Butlins Red Coat Review, and an album commemorating the investiture of The Prince of Wales.
The Pama label lasted until the mid-1970s, at which point Carl Palmer was the driving force, and concentrated on establishing a UK distribution network for reggae, later resurfacing as Jet Star
Jet Star
Jet Star was a United Kingdom record distribution company that grew out of Pama Records in 1978. It was one of the largest distributors of reggae music, the company themselves claiming the title "the world's largest reggae distributors".-History:Jet Star was formed in 1978 by the Palmer Brothers,...
, one of the largest distributors of reggae music.