Vinyl will be the order of the day at Coney Island Reggae On The Boardwalk, which takes place September 3 in Brooklyn, New York.

Sound systems and selectors show off their collections at the annual event which is in its seventh year. British record company, Greensleeves Records, holds pride of place as participants celebrate the label’s 40th anniversary.

Carter Van Pelt, an American reggae connoisseur, is founder and organiser of ‘Reggae On The Boardwalk’. In a statement released this week, he stressed the importance of saluting Greensleeves given its impact on contemporary dancehall.

“The Greensleeves catalogue encompasses some of the best reggae of the early ’80s, which is now the cornerstone for much of today’s ‘reggae revival.”

Greensleeves was founded in 1977 by Englishmen Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. The label embraced the dancehall sounds out of Jamaica during the early 1980s, most of which was produced by Linval Thompson and Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes.

Lawes was owner of the Volcano record label and sound system. Working with the Roots Radics Band at Channel One studio in Kingston, he released countless hit songs by Yellowman, Barrington Levy, Eek-A-Mouse and John Holt.

Greensleeves continued to flourish in the 1990s. They had massive hit songs with Shaggy (Oh Carolina) and Mr Vegas (Heads High).

In 2008, Cracknell and Sedgwick sold the company to VP Records.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, VP have reissued several key Greensleeves albums including Lamb’s Bread by singer Sylford Walker.

Some of the sound systems on show at next week’s event include Chanter International, The Timeless Sound; Vaughn Allstars and Joseph Demension and Downbeat The Ruler.

— Howard Campbell