Complex sentence: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rea collaborated with many of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese music and was one of the first Western musicians to record an album for the state-owned China Record Corporation.
Split into simpler sentences: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rea collaborated with Chinese musicians. He was one of the first Western musicians to record an album for the state-owned China Record Corporation.