CHIN'S
1950s
Chin's Records was a Jamaican record label owned by Ivan Chin in the mid-1950s.
Without Ivan Chin, there would never have been a Chin’s Calypso Sextet, and without a Chin’s Calypso Sextet, Mento would never have achieved great success. Chin – an electronic technician – recorded, produced, and financed all the recordings done by the group at his store, situated at 48 Church Street, downtown Kingston. It was at his instigation that the group was formed between 1952 and 1953 and duly named after him.
Chin's Records operated out of the own radio store at 48 Church Street in Kingston, Jamaica, which was also the location of the recording studio. Most records were pressed by Decca or Melodisc. Ivan Chin stated that the first record he made sold for three shillings and sixpence in 1955. This is roughly $.34 in current US dollars.
Some 96 songs were reportedly recorded and produced by Chin, with The Chin's Calypso Sextet accounting for about 35 by Bedasse's count.
