ORIGINS OF JAMAICAN MUSIC – A COLLECTION OF SONGS FROM EDWARD SEAGA, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA!

Commemorative Collection Features Extensive Liner Notes, Deluxe Packaging & 
100 of the Island’s Most Celebrated Hits From Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff

Bob Marley, Yellowman, Shaggy, Buju Banton, Sean Paul and more

Music has significantly shaped the political, social and economic DNA of Jamaica. As 2012 marks the island’s 50th year of independence, VP Records offers arguably one of the most historical and genre-comprehensive box sets selected by Edward Seaga, the former Jamaican Prime Minister (1980-1989). Entitled Reggae Golden Jubilee – Origins of Jamaican Music, this 4-disc deluxe collection will be in stores November 6 on VP Records. As a former record company owner and producer, Mr. Seaga was a major pioneering force in the birth and development of the Jamaican music industry, especially the ska movement in the 1960s. This  led to the explosive interest in reggae during the ’70s.Edward Seaga, who is the longest serving member of Jamaica’s Parliament and the only surviving member of the legislature that drafted Jamaica’s Constitution in 1962, has hand picked 100 of the most significant songs to emerge from the country to celebrate the island’s half-century turn of liberation. Reggae Golden Jubilee – Origins of Jamaican Music encapsulates every era over last 50 years with double the hits from artists including Bob Marley and The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Marcia Griffiths, Yellowman, Beres Hammond, Lady Saw, Buju Banton, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Mavado and many more.To accompany the music, Seaga has written extensive liner notes and track-by-track notations in the box set’s 64-page booklet. The commemorative 6” x 12” songbook package also includes iconic photographs from Jamaica’s first fifty years, a preface from VP Records President Christopher Chin and a foreword from radio personality Dermot Hussey and reggae historian John Masouri.

VP Records will host Mr. Seaga on a U.S. promotional tour in late October in New York City. A press conference for Seaga will be held on Wednesday, October 24 at theJamaican Consulate beginning at 6pm. The following day (Oct 25), he will be presented an award at the American Friends of Jamaica Gala. The event begins at 6pm and will feature artists including Peetah and Gramps Morgan, Johnny Osbourne, Richie Stephens and Gentleman. Then on Friday, October 26 at 3pm, he will give a special presentation at NYU to the students of Clive Davis School Of Music. On Saturday, October 27 he concludes his trip by greeting fans for an intimate in-store signing at VP Records retail store in Queens.

Born in Boston to a Jamaican-Lebanese family, Seaga graduated from Harvard University in 1952 with a B.A. in Social Sciences. In 1955, he supervised the recording of an album of ethnic music on the Folkways label, a project that grew out of scholarly research. In the late 50s, Seaga founded his own label, WIRL (West Indies Recording Limited) and signed Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, Slim Smith, along with the duo Joe Higgs and Roy Wilson, who scored the massive 1959 ska hit  “Manny Oh” that sold over 30,000 copies for Seaga. After becoming a Member of Parliament, he sold the company to Byron Lee, who renamed it Dynamic Sounds Recording, now a popular studio for international stars ranging from Paul Simon to Eric Clapton. While in office, Seaga was able to spread ska far beyond the boundaries of the West Indies. The New York World’s Fair was about to open, and he arranged for Prince Buster, Roy Willis, Eric Morris, Peter Tosh, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires to perform there. This opportunity introduced ska to the citizens and the city’s most popular night clubs. He also established the annual Jamaica Festival, which gave the island a chance to showcase its music and culture. Even though Seaga’s formal involvement in music was mostly over after the mid-’60s, his ska contributions laid the groundwork for the explosion of interest in reggae in the United States seven years later, and made it easier for artists like Bob Marley to find an audience in America.

Reggae Golden Jubilee – Origins of Jamaican Music
Track Listing:Disc One1.       Easy Snapping (Original Version) – Theophilus Beckford
2.       Dumplings – Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
3.       Manny Oh – Higgs & Wilson
4.       Oh Carolina – The Folkes Brothers
5.       They Got To Go – Prince Buster
6.       Independent Jamaica – Lord Creator
7.       Black Head Chinaman – Prince Buster
8.       Blazing Fire – Derrick Morgan
9.       Wash Wash – Prince Buster
10.   Sammy Dead – Eric ‘Monty’ Morris
11.   My Boy Lollipop – Millie Smalls
12.   Carry Go Bring Come – Justin Hinds & The Dominoes
13.   Occupation – Don Drummond & The Skatalites
14.   Little Did You Know  – The Techniques
15.   Dancing Mood – Delroy Wilson
16.   Rough And Tough – Stranger Cole
17.   Take It Easy – Hopeton Lewis
18.   Every Night – Chuck & Joe White
19.   Rock Steady – Alton Ellis
20.   Tougher Than Tough (Rudie In Court) – Derrick Morgan with
Desmond Dekker & The Aces
21.   No More Heartaches – The Beltones
22.   The Tide Is High – The Paragons
23.   Trench Town Rock – Bob Marley & The Wailers
24.   Israelites (a.k.a. Poor Me Israelites) – Desmond Dekker & The Aces
25.   Sweet And Dandy – The Maytals
26.   Everything Crash – The Ethiopians
27.   Satta Massa Gana – The Abyssinians
28.   Fire Corner – King Stitt
29.   Java Dub – Impact All Stars
30.   Hypocrite – The Heptones

Disc 2
31.   Wear You To The Ball – U- Roy & The Paragons
32.   Cherry Oh Baby – Eric Donaldson
33.   54-46 Was My Number (Stick It Up Mister) – Toots & The Maytals
34.   Them A Fi Get A Beatin’ – Peter Tosh
35.   Many Rivers To Cross – Jimmy Cliff
36.   The Sun Shines For Me – Bob Andy
37.   Marcus Garvey – Winston ‘Burning Spear’ Rodney
38.   Fade Away – Junior Byles
39.   Lady With The Star Light – Ken Boothe
40.   Right Time – Mighty Diamonds
41.   Police And Thieves – Junior Murvin
42.   Ram Goat Liver – Pluto Shervington
43.   We De People/ The Power And The Glory – Ernie Smith
44.   Two Sevens Clash – Culture
45.   It’s Alright – Bob Marley
46.   Forward Ever – Jacob Miller
47.   My Number One – Gregory Isaacs
48.   Money In My Pocket – Dennis Brown
49.   Kaya – Bob Marley
50.   Rub-A-Dub Style – Michigan & Smiley
51.   Uptown Top Ranking – Althea & Donna
52.   Land Of My Birth – Eric Donaldson
53.   Silly Games – Janet Kay
54.   Someone Loves You Honey – June ‘J.C.’ Lodge
55.   Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner – Black Uhuru
56.   Arlene – General Echo

Disc 3
57.   Over Me – Yellowman
58.   One Two – Sister Nancy
59.   Pass The Dutchie – Musical Youth
60.   I’m Getting Married In The Morning – Yellowman
61.   Try Jah Love – Third World
62.   Push Comes To Shove – Freddie McGregor
63.   Love Has Found Its Way – Dennis Brown
64.   Cottage In Negril – Tyrone Taylor
65.   Every Time A Ear De Soun’ – Mutabaruka
66.   Electric Boogie – Marcia Griffiths
67.   Under Me Sleng Teng – Wayne Smith
68.   Greetings – Half Pint
69.   No Way Better Than Yard – Admiral Bailey
70.   Wild World – Maxi Priest
71.   Cover Me – Tinga Stewart & Ninjaman
72.   Wild Gilbert – Lovindeer
73.   Pocomania Day – Lovindeer & Chalice
74.   Good Thing Going – Sugar Minott
75.   One Blood – Junior Reid
76.   Twice My Age – Shabba Ranks & Krystal
77.   Hello Africa – Garnett Silk
78.   Murder She Wrote – Chaka Demus & Pliers

Disc 4
79.   Putting Up A Resistance – Beres Hammond
80.   You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) – Dawn Penn
81.   Murderer – Buju Banton
82.   Tour – Capleton
83.   Lord Give Me Strength – Luciano
84.   Untold Stories – Buju Banton
85.   Fed Up – Rodney ‘ Bounty Killer’ Price
86.   Sycamore Tree – Lady Saw
87.   Black Woman & Child – Sizzla
88.   Who Am I (Sim Simma) – Beenie Man
89.   Down By The River – Morgan Heritage
90.   Virtuous Woman – Warrior King
91.   Gimme The Light – Sean Paul
92.   Pon De River, Pon De Bank – Elephant Man
93.   Welcome To Jamrock – Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley
94.   She’s Royal – Tarrus Riley
95.   True Reflections – Jah Cure
96.   Roots – Etana
97.   Boombastic – Shaggy
98.   Lioness On The Rise – Queen Ifrica
99.   On The Rock – Mavado
100.  The Harder They Come – Jimmy Cliff