Greensleeves Records

Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to Greensleeves Records, is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975. The record label was founded in 1977, with early releases including albums by Augustus Pablo and Barrington Levy.
They have released records by Red Rat, Anthony Johnson, Barrington Levy, Billy Boyo, Chezidek, Dennis Brown, Dr Alimantado, Eek-A-Mouse, Elephant Man, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Keith Hudson, Mad Cobra, Scientist, Shabba Ranks, Sizzla, Vybz Kartel and Yellowman, and have had crossover pop hits with Tippa Irie's "Hello, Darling", Shaggy's "Oh Carolina", Beenie Man's "Who Am I (Sim Simma)" and Mr Vegas's "Head High."
Greensleeves Publishing has the largest catalogue of reggae songs in the world, including the copyrights of Shaggy's "Oh Carolina", Sean Paul's "Get Busy", and "Break It Off" among over 20,000 copyrights.
The company was bought by Zest Inc. in 2006, and in 2008 was bought by VP Records.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links To Peel ==
"He [Peel] was fantastic. He played Capital Letters's "Smoking My Ganja" for about two years, at least once a week."(Greensleeves co-founder Chris Cracknell recalls help from the DJ for the fledgling label.)
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Huge reggae fan Peel was an early supporter of Greensleeves Records, playing at least six tracks from the label's debut LP, Dr Alimantado's 'Best Dressed Chicken In Town', over two shows on its release in autumn 1978. Initial signings included UK band Capital Letters, who became big favourites of the DJ and recorded a session. Focused mainly on the latest music from Jamaica, the London-based operation quickly emerged as Britain's leading reggae label of the era, charting musical developments from roots to dancehall, ragga and beyond, earning regular airtime over decades of Peel's shows. 
Celebrated albums released on the label in the UK and played by Peel include an allegedly unauthorized series of colourfully named and packaged dub LPs by Scientist ('Meets The Space Invaders', 'Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires', etc), which became the subject of long-running legal battles. On air, Peel diplomatically attributed tracks to the Roots Radics (the original studio band).
On 17 December 1984, JP dedicated the Greensleeves single 'Nuh Skin Up' by Keith Hudson to his wife, Pig, describing it as 'one of our all-time favourite records'.
During Peel's week of lunchtime shows covering for Jakki Brambles on Radio One in April 1993, he played Shaggy's recent UK #1 'Oh Carolina' three times.
 The Greensleeves single was the label's first to top the national charts.
Other artists with Greensleeves releases featured by JP include: Anthony B, Bounty Killer, Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, Don Carlos, Clint Eastwood, Junior Delgado, Chaka Demus, Brian & Tony Gold, Half Pint, Beres Hammond, Heptones, King Kong, Frankie Paul, Lone Ranger, Sugar Minott, Johnny Osbourne, Michael Prophet, Junior Reid, Revolutionaries, Tony Rebel, Anthony Red Rose, Ranking Trevor, Admiral Tibet, Trinity, Wailers, Yabby You, Desmond Young.
More than a decade after the DJ's death in 2004, reggae expert and broadcaster Don Letts included the 1977 Greensleeves single 'Born For A Purpose' by Dr Alimantado among his selections for a record box drawn from Peel's Record Collection. In the liner notes to his 2xCD compilation 'Dread Meets Greensleeves: A Westside Revolution' (2008), Letts praised the UK label for staying the course for over three decades, "riding every new twist, turn and new innovation that Jamaican music would throw up".
== Sessions ==
(Greensleeves artists who recorded Peel sessions. List includes sessions when the artists were on other labels. Please add more information if known.)
*Capital Letters: (1 session, 1979)
*Eek-A-Mouse: (2 sessions, 1983-84)
*Gregory Isaacs and Roots Radics: (2 sessions, 1981-82)
*Reggae Regular: (2 sessions, 1978)
*Wailing Souls: (1 session, 1984)
== Compilations ==
	
	
(Plays by Peel of various artist (v/a) compilations released by Greensleeves, listed in order of first play.)
(LP - The Yellow, The Purple And the Nancy)
*05 January 1983: Purpleman: Get Ready 
(LP - Homeland: A Collection Of Black South African Music)
*23 March 1988: Manka Le Phallang: Ea Nyoloha Khanyapa
*29 March 1988: Elias Mathebula & The Chivani Sisters: Ntlela A Tingängeni
*05 April 1988: Dilika: Ngayishela Yavuma
*20 July 1988: Manka Le Phallang: Ea Nyoloha Khanyapa
(album - Selekta Showcase 89)
*13 April 1989: General Trees: Me No Know Why
*18 April 1989: Carl Meeks: Rawborn Rub A Dub 
(album - Glen Brown ‎– Dubble Attack (The Original Pantomine Dee-Jay Collection 1972-74)) 
*22 May 1989: I-Roy: Brother Toby Is A Movie From London
*23 May 1989: Big Youth: Opportunity Rock
*24 May 1989: I-Roy: Rasta On A Sunday
*31 May 1989: I-Roy: Festive Season
*01 June 1989: Lloyd Young: Butter Bread
*06 June 1989: I-Roy: Brother Toby Is A Movie From London
*06 June 1989 (Radio Bremen): I-Roy: Rasta On A Sunday
(album - Check The Winner The Original Pantomine Instrumental Collection 1970-74) 
*13 September 1989: Tommy McCook & Richard Hall: Dirty Harry
*19 September 1989: Glen Brown: No More Slavery
*20 September 1989: Glen Brown: The Winner 
*21 September 1989 (Radio Bremen): Tommy McCook & Richard Hall: Dirty Harry
*28 September 1989: Glen Brown: 2 Wedden Skank 
*10 October 1989: Glen Brown: No More Slavery
*14 October 1989 (BFBS): Glen Brown: No More Slavery 
*26 October 1989: Glen Brown: Check The Winner
*02 November 1989: Glen Brown: High Holborn St. Song
*11 November 1989 (BFBS): Glen Brown: Mitchville Rock 
(LP - Hardcore Ragga) 
*18 June 1990: Cocoa T and Shabba Ranks with Rebel Princess: Just Be Good To Me
(album - Two Friends Ting And Ting) 
*17 March 1991: Cutty Ranks: Idle Talk Ting
(CD - One Man One Vote)
*02 June 1991: Bunny Rugs, Dennis Brown, Cocoa Tea: Warning  
*08 June 1991: Bunny Rugs: One Man One Vote 
*14 June 1991 (BFBS): Pad Anthony: It Nah Go So, It Can't Go So
(12" - Lizard / Twitch / Skullman - Gun Something Gun Something)
*11 August 1991: Skull Man: Gun Fool
*24 August 1991: Two Friends: This Dub Will Self Destruct In 3'53" 
(CD - Greensleeves Sampler 7 ) 
*08 January 1993: Mighty Diamonds: I Need A Roof
(CD - Bogle Mania – X-Terminator Versus Junjo) 
*17 April 1993: Ninjaman: Gun Bogle 
(CD - Greensleeves Sampler 8) 
*14 August 1993: Capleton: Hard To Believe
(12" - Over The Years / The Love Of Jah)
*18 September 1993: Cocoa Tea & Charlie Chaplin: Heads Of Government
(12" - Retreat Wicked Man / Oppressors / Low Profile)
*18 September 1993: Garnett Silk: Retreat Wicked Man 
(12" - In And Out / More Gyal / Mad House Tek Him)
*26 May 1996: Spragga Benz: Mad House Tek Him
*09 June 1996: Spragga Benz: Mad House Tek Him
(CD - Ragga Ragga Ragga! 9) 
*24 April 1997 (BFBS): General Degree: Cartoon Character
(2xCD - The Biggest Dancehall Anthems 1979-82: The Birth of Dancehall) 
*31 March 2004: Wailing Souls: Firehouse Rock 
== See Also ==
*Record Boxes: Don Letts
== Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Total Reggae: Greensleeves 40th 1977-2017
Category:Record Labels
Category:Compilations
Category:Reggae