Black music history trail

If you’ve ever been into dancehall and reggae music, it's almost a certainty that the imprint of Greensleeves Records will be found in your collection.

From 1977 onwards it became the number one label for both the sound of the Caribbean, and for of Caribbean-influenced black British music.

Remember Barrington Levy, Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Gregory Isaacs? Every single one of them had records out with that logo on their label.

And if you have one or more of them, what are the chances you bought them from the legendary Greensleeves shop at 44 Uxbridge Road – a place to hear the latest tunes, or just hang-out back in the day.

Across the 1980s and 1990s Tippa Irie, Shaggy and Beenie Man all had pop crossover hits from the clan.

And, coming into the new century, names known by the younger record buyer have included Wayne Wonder and Sean Paul.

Even if you didn’t know it, Greensleeves may be there amid your vinyl or CDs: Cool Rockers, Evolution of Dub and UK Bubblers are all sub-labels that have, one time or another, been a part of the family.

Along the way they have also been hugely active in the publishing market: Shaggy’s 1993 worldwide smash Oh Carolina is surely their biggest hit.