Chris Lane

Chris was born in London in January 1956 and bought his first reggae records 13 years later when his family acquired their first record player. At 17 he was writing a regular column for the prestigious Blues & Soul magazine and soon made his first trip to Jamaica, spending his eighteenth birthday at the newly built Black Ark studio co-writing a song with Lee ’Scratch’ Perry and Bob Marley, as well as conducting trail-blazing interviews with legendary reggae artists and producers such as Big Youth, Augustus Pablo, Keith Hudson, Dennis Brown, Bunny Lee and Coxsone Dodd. 

Despite being recognised as the leading (if not the only) authority on reggae at the time, and going on to contribute articles and reviews to Melody Maker, New Musical Express, Let It Rock, Music Week, Black Music and the first reggae fanzine Pressure Drop, he decided that his ambitions lay in other directions and in 1976 founded Dub Vendor with fellow enthusiast John MacGillivray. Although he left the company after a couple of years it wasn’t long before he re-entered the business as a producer, recording four tunes for Dave Hendley’s Cruise label.

Dub Vendor stall, Clapham Junction Market August 1977

In 1980 he renewed his partnership with John MacGillivray, this time as co-owner of Fashion Records, and continued to hone his skills as a producer, arranger, engineer and musician, finding time to play guitar and percussion with Maxi Priest’s Caution band, engineer and mix for a wide variety of other producers at Marc Angelo’s Studio as well as cutting dub plates for London’s top sound systems in his own A-Class Studio.


Chris also occasionally wrote sleeve notes and compiled albums, including Lee Perry's 'Upsetter Collection' and Big Youth's 'Everyday Skank' (for Trojan) and Augustus Pablo's legendary 'Original Rockers' set (Greensleeves).  

Carlton & The Shoes Session, Vineyard Studio, 1981 

    (photo courtesy of Dave Hendley)

For the rest of the 80's and 90's he concentrated on Fashion and it’s associated labels, producing, playing and engineering top quality music with many of reggae’s most respected artists and musicians. Mykal Roze (of Black Uhuru), Junior Delgado, Johnny Clarke, Augustus Pablo, Cutty Ranks, Top Cat, Michie One and Louchie Lou, General Levy, Sanchez, Freddie McGregor, Mafia & Fluxy, Steely & Clevie and Sly Dunbar........ the list goes on and on! 

Selecting at Tighten Up, February 2007
(photo courtesy of Tim Paine)

Fashion Records ceased to produce music in 2000, and although Chris has a written a couple of articles (on the creation of dub, and the effect of Hollywood and Spaghetti Westerns on Jamaican music), and deejayed at various reggae clubs, he has only recently returned to the music business to work on the relaunch of the Fashion catalogue.

On the wheels of steel, Venice 2011
(photo courtesy of Dave Hendley)

The Pirate's Choice Selections.....

Chapter 1.....

http://www.drumandbass-rec.com/blog/radio/4996

Chapter 2......

http://www.drumandbass-rec.com/blog/radio/5007

Interview with Chris by Angus Taylor.......

Part 1......

Interview: Chris Lane, Reggae Writer

Part 2.....

Interview: Chris Lane, Reggae Writer (Part 2)

.... and an interview from World A Reggae ....


http://www.worldareggae.com/dancehallyard/a-life-in-fashion/