Vintage Boss doesn’t sport the finesse of a contemporary glossy magazine. Its few advertisements are rough and dated. Literally. From 1959 photographs of the then stylish Plymouth, Morris Oxford and other motorcars of the day, to a young Ranny Williams downing a Red Stripe Beer, ‘Sid’ denims and ‘Wink’, a drink made with Jamaican grapefruits.

Today’s generation of graphic artists would scoff at the haphazard layout of the completely handmade magazine put together by Colby Graham, a poor man with no experience or training in journalism, public relations, the graphic arts or printing.

Graham himself acknowledges the problematic grammatical errors that run through the publication, and the visible absence of local advertising support in the publication speaks for itself.

However, Graham, who put out his 10th issue earlier this month, couldn’t be happier. For, although his magazine has not taken off on the local scene, the response he has received for it in Europe, where impressed investors are planning to translate and publish it in Japanese and French, is staggering.

When Andrew Neale, a distributor of Jamaican paraphernalia who works out of Nottingham, England, saw the magazine he came to Jamaica and tracked Graham to his favourite hangout on the third floor of the National Library. On finding him, Neale immediately placed an advertisement in the magazine and took some issues back with him to England. One of them landed in the hands of Geoff Parker, another distributor of Jamaican paraphernalia and host of a website called Zinc Fence, which specialises in reviews of reggae music.

Parker gave the magazine, which describes itself as Jamaica’s monthly ‘vintage entertainment magazine, a rave review.

“Where else will you read about a sound system run by a nun?” asked Parker. “Where else are you going to find a photo of King Stitt spinning the discs at 13 Brentford Road for Sir Coxsone’s New Year’s Eve party last year? Where else will you find a photo of Prince Buster sparring with Muhammad Ali at Norman Manley Airport in 1975? The price of Jamaican $250 or £10 sterling for each issue is money well spent, just in terms of the visual material alone.”

That sent the demand for the magazine rocketing and Graham found himself almost unable to manage the load. Finances were hard to come by – local investment agencies didn’t seem to be interested in the product – and other influential people who could have helped, didn’t, according to Graham.

“Twice I went to see a self-styled copyright activist who is always encouraging young people to start their own business, but I was snubbed,” said the 41-year-old Graham.

This didn’t daunt Graham, whose indefatigable spirit ruled out quitting as an option. This impressed his printer, Trevor West, the director XPRESS Litho Limited, who saw and understood how much effort Graham was putting into the product.

“Mr Graham has been working on this thing for some time now, nearly two years,” West told the Sunday Observer. “When I saw him a week or two ago, I couldn’t believe he was still going at this thing. I thought he had given it up. I have never seen one man with so much determination and that’s why I said I have to do all I can to help. Plus it’s a good thing, good memories that serve some purpose for my grandchildren.”

So now, West takes care of the printing, while Graham provides the material which he sources from the newspaper archives at the National library, contributors, and his own interviews. He then photocopies the black and white newspaper photographs and pastes them to paper along with his own colour prints and the text. His crude, tedious method of putting the publication together was born out of necessity.

“I didn’t know how to use the computer, how to scan photographs and manoeuvre through various programs, so I did it by hand,” said Graham, who worked for several years in production at the now defunct Seprod Company until he was made redundant in 1994.

He then tried his hand at selling insurance policies, and worked in other production capacities while furthering his education in production management before settling down with the publication.

The result is an off-beat, yet compelling package of information that his European distributors have warned him not to alter. And it has attracted endorsements from people like Roger Steffens, one of the most influential advocates of Reggae music in North America.

Steffens’ endorsement is no small compliment, for his accomplishments as the founding editor of the popular Beat magazine, as well as an archivist and lecturer in the field of reggae, are well documented.

Now, the two keep close contact, sharing information and contacts.

In the meantime, Graham, who hosts a music room for reggae lovers on the Internet, is hoping to get a spot in a local radio station. “If that happens,” he said, “I would be able to capture some of the features on long-lost legends live. that would be good because print doesn’t always capture the full essence of some of the stories.”

A look at the features on some of the dancers who ruled the roost at Jamaican dancehalls in the 1950s and ’70s, as well as other veterans in their twilight years, makes the point.

The dancing duos of Leslie “Pam Pam” Walker and “Captain Fish”; and Son Grey and Beryl who were looked up to as the better dancers of the day; as well as “Jenny V”, an exotic rhumba dancer, are just a few of the vintage acts that the magazine pays tribute to, complete with photographs.

“There is a vast amount of untold stories to be unearthed and told, former greats on hard times, lost and forgotten cultural treasures. It is now a matter of racing against time before some of them are no longer with us,” Graham said.

The late Sister Mary Ignatius, who served at the Alpha Boys home for the better part of a century, picking up the potential in some of Jamaica’s greatest musical talents – Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Joe Harriot, Alphanso “Dizzy” Reece and Wilton “Bra” Gaynair – provides a case in point. Graham caught up with her for an interview last year in June. She died less than three weeks ago.