Patrick Colleony passed away on 31 December 2009, taken by cancer. His name, little known to the general public, hides behind a multitude of labels. Patrick, whom we knew well from having worked with him, was one of those anonymous contributors to the development of reggae in France. He was a talent scout and a catalogue digger, tasked with discovering artists in order to distribute them in France.
His career, which began as a saxophonist, took him from the label Night & Day (of which he was a co-founder) to Media Set, then Next Music, before he became a project manager at Nocturne. He had even set up two labels: On the Corner (Miles Davis fans will appreciate it) and Corner Shop, the latest,
The On the Corner catalogue holds quite a few references well known to reggae fans. Anthony's "Live on Battlefield", Capleton's "Live in Negril"... He is also largely responsible for Groundation's success in France, who were first signed under licence on On The Corner.
With Nocturne, he notably reissued Pablo Moses's "Pave the way" and launched SOJA in France. In all, thousands of titles passed through his hands. We extend our condolences to his family and loved ones.
Photo: Anthony B, Patrick Colleony, Richard "Bello" Bell in Jamaica, by Hugues Lawson (thanks to Maxime Nordez).