The Jamaican producer Philip Smart passed away last night, we learned from those close to him. Based in New York, Philip Smart played an essential role in the development of the reggae scene in the Big Apple.
He was barely twenty when he arrived in New York in 1976 with, as his CV, training as a sound engineer under King Tubby. In Jamaica, Philip Smart had notably recorded and mixed Johnny Clarke's None Shall Escape for Bunny Lee.
In New York, after learning the ropes, he set up his studio HC&F Recording Studio, which opened its doors in 1982 in Freeport, Long Island, and quickly attracted artists from the reggae scene. Sister Carol recorded Black Cindirella there, among others.
Over time, HC&F became an essential stop for any Jamaican passing through New York. It was there that Hyman Wright, aka Jah Life, based in Brooklyn, produced Barrington Levy's formidable Murderer (then Carlton Livingston's 100 Weight of Collie Weed on the same Hotmilk riddim) and Cocoa Tea his Rikers Island.
The 90s would crown Philip Smart's work: Supercat recorded "Don Dada" there, Shabba Ranks "Mr Loverman", and Shaggy no fewer than five albums, including the best-sellers "Boombastic" and "Hot Shot".
Photo credit: Beth Lesser