‘Qdos’ to Trojan Records
VETERAN marketing practitioner Anthony “Chips” Richards says that although the musical contribution of Jamaicans in Britain is often overlooked, things are nevertheless changing.
He spoke to the Jamaica Observer at the handover of the Q Award to Minister of Culture and Entertainment Olivia “Babsy” Grange at Jamaica Pegasus hotel in
New Kingston last Thursday. The film Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records, was also shown.
“I don’t think we have been given the recognition we deserve, but things are changing because UNESCO has now acknowledged how Jamaican musicians have impacted the world and how we have changed other music. We are now protected and they now acknowledge that the part we have played has been fundamental to the development of where music is right now,” he said.
The Kingston-born Richards’ involvement in music began in the United Kingdom nearly five decades ago. He made his mark with Trojan Records, helping to promote major hit songs like Ken Boothe’s Everything I Own which topped the UK national chart in 1975.
For his contribution to the music industry, he received the Prime Minister’s Medal of Appreciation in 2018.
Richards’ sentiments were echoed by Sonny Roberts, principal of Planetone and Orbitone Records. The Manchester-born Roberts is the first black man to open a recording studio in the UK.
“Initially, they were overlooked but because of their contribution to the economy, they built up the British economy so now it is recognised but initially, it was definitely overlooked,” he said.
Richards said it was imperative to present the Q Award to Jamaica.
“It was very important to hand the award over to Jamaica because the Q Award is one of the most prestigious awards in England and we actually won
it at a big music event, not just reggae music, and we won it hands-down for inspirational promotions.”
The annual Q Awards are run by Q Magazine. Since beginning in 1990, it has become one of Britain’s biggest and best publicised music awards.
“I would like to see Jamaica recognise the people who have passed and gone, a lot of them in England went through a lot of struggle and never made it to be successful but they made great contribution and great effort. I want there to be a system that recognises them,” said Richards.
As for the film, he believes it helps preserve a critical part of Jamaica’s musical heritage.
“The film is an accurate representation of what happened in England. It is very, very important to us as the younger generation is out of touch with what happened before,” Richards said. “Trojan is now holding 50 years in the music industry, 50 years in our musical works, the people who up-and-running now are the younger people and they have no knowledge of what happened in the past.”