All CHIN'S CALYPSO/ MENTO RECORDINGS were produced by
CHIN'S RADIO SERVICE of 48 Church St. Kingston Jamaica
in the 50s, Producer Ivan S Chin.
All Rights Reserved Unauthorized Copying Prohibited
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I wish to thank Daniel Neely of the New York University for his keen interest and research into the History of Chin's Calypso recordings, and the discovery of photos of Williams Bedasse and I, in the archives in Jamaica.
I also wish to thank Michael Garnice of the Mento Music.com site, for his keen interest, and very generous contribution to the re-introduction of these Chin's Calypso recordings.
To me, Mike has one of the best site on the internet.
I also wish to thank Derek Sivers of CD BABY and all his very efficient, courteous and pleasant staff, for their part in getting these CDs to you.
This year 2006, you will have in your possession, recordings that were done 51 years ago, these CDs are now being produced in Toronto Canada.
Here is a small history that you might find interesting.
When I was in my early teens, I heard that people could talk hundreds or thousands of miles away and you could hear them in Jamaica, you could also hear music the same way.
I got fascinated with the idea and decided to learn more about it, at that time I did not know anything about Alexander BELL or MARCONI, I heard that the thing that could do all that was called a RADIO.
One day I saw an ad in a news paper which read, LEARN RADIO BY CORRESPONDENCE COURSE. The school was HOLLYWOOD RADIO AND TELEVISION INSTITUTE of California.
I sent for the course, I paid five shillings per week, or one Pound each month from my allowance, of five shillings weekly. The first radios I saw were an ATWATERKENT and a Philco, their shapes were like Churches of those days,with a round top. they had a very small opening in front and a round knob to turn some numbers in the window called a dial.
I learnt from the course that a radio needed a long antenna before it could receive a signal to operate. it also needed two poles, with one glass insulator on each pole from which the long wire antenna was strung.
In those early days, the only band on the radio was the long wave band, then later the medium band, the only thing we could hear was Spanish language and Spanish music from CUBA.
A few years later we started to hear English language and music from Miami, one of the early stations I remembered was one called WINZ, in Miami, radio improved over the years, with other Short Wave bands. During that period I learnt to repair radios.
I started a radio repair shop in Montego Bay in 1942, that was during the war years WW2, there were no radio or TV stations in Jamaica at that time, we listened to music and news on the short wave bands, the stations we received were the BBC, the Voice OF AMERICA, and the ARMED FORCES RADIO.
In those days there were very memorable songs played on the radio every day, songs like, South of the border, down argentina way, Mexically rose, Tennessee Waltz, Always, Together, To Each His Own, Rum and Coca cola,and many other good songs, like the White Cliffs Of Dover,and Via Con Dios.
I went to New York in October 1946, I never knew what cold was until I felt my first winter and saw my first snow, I never knew that people could live in a country so cold, I survived the winter and returned to Montego Bay in March
1947. That trip was my first plane ride, there were no jet planes at that period, I flew in a two engine propellar plane, it only had seats for about twenty people and it took almost the whole day to reach New York.
One of my most memorable experience in New York, was going to the Radio City Music Hall Theater, I had never seen a theater so beautiful, the sound was out of this world, the carpets were very thick, the drapes very heavy, and the seats very comfortable, which made the acoustics very outstanding.
In Jamaica in the 50s and 60s, we also had a very good theater called The CARIB THEATER, when you decided to go to the Carib, you had to dress very neat, because everyone else would be in their best, there were standards set at the Carib, no noise, no fooling around and no smoking.
The Theater was very elegantly decorated with thick carpets very heavy drapes and soft plush seats, the CARIB was the place to go on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.
The best part of going to the Carib was to be in your seat before the lights go out. When the show was about to start, they gradually turned the lights down, then at the same time gradually lighted the drapes in front of the screen, a pale blue and green colour.
Then at the same time they started the music, gradually increasing the volume to a comfortable level, the best part of all that, was the music, they played the most beautiful music you ever heard. LA GOLONDRINA AND MELODY OF LOVE.
The sound system was the best Stereo system in Jamaica,
you were wrapped around with this wonderful music, and the sound was always at a very comfortable level. It was always a joy to go to the Carib in those days.
For everyone who have received these CDs, I hope you will enjoy these songs for many more years,it gives me great pleasure to be able to preserve them, and to be in a position to offer them to you again.
I hope you will enjoy them, and realize that they were originally recorded 51 years ago, at a time when most modern things we enjoy today were not yet invented.
Please preserve these CDs for other Generations to enjoy.
To order by phone from CD Baby, the toll free number is 1-800-289-6923
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Track List:
1. Depression
2. Look Out Fe Yu Tongue
3. Honey Bee
4. Red Tomato
5. What's A Kiss
6. Mussu And John Tom # 2
7. Farm Yard Cha Cha
8. Not Me Again
9. Quadrille Figures 1 & 2
10. Quadrille Figures 3 & 4
11. New Federation
12. Industrial Fair 1955
13. Let's Play Ring ( Sally Water)
14. Let's Play Ring ( Show Me Yu Motion )
15. Let's Play Ring ( Kisses Go By Favour )
16. Let's Play Ring (Jane & Louise )
Other Genres:
