Delicious Vinyl, the independent music company founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987, had success with Caribbean acts at a time when major labels courted artistes from the region.

Dike died in January from cancer, but his family announced his death last week. He was 55.

The Born Jamericans, Mr Vegas, Jovi Rockwell and Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano were once signed to Delicious Vinyl located in Los Angeles.

Dike was remembered by the label’s former A&R director, Leslie Cooney, as a loner who appreciated music from the Caribbean.

“Matt rarely came into the office during business hours. Instead, he often came by the office late at night, apparently to see what his company was working on. My interaction with him was minimal as he was a creative recluse, a record collector and art junkie,” she told the Jamaica Observer. “He would come to company parties late and slide out early. He also loved to DJ dark clubs where he could control a crowd without being in the spotlight himself.”

Cooney was instrumental in signing Norman “Notch” Howell and Horace “Edley Shine” Payne (Born Jamericans) to Delicious Vinyl, which made its name breaking West Coast hip hop acts.

“My first official signing was Born Jamericans in 1993. I started out at the label as an intern in 1990 and was quickly promoted to the A&R department working with The Pharcyde, The Brand New Heavies, rapper Tone Loc and others,” she recalled.

Born Jamericans’ reggae-dancehall/hip-hop songs like Cease and Seckle, Sweet Honey, Yardcore and Boom Shak-A-Tack entered the Billboard R&B, Hot 100 and Rap charts.

Montano was signed in 1994 and scored a minor hit with Come Dig It the following year. Mr Vegas released two albums on the label — 2004’s Pull Up and 2007’s Hot It Up.

Rockwell was signed to Delicious Vinyl in 2004.

Dike was among a handful of genuine dancehall/reggae lovers from independent American record companies in the 1980s and 1990s. Others included Murray Elias, Craig Kallman and Tom Silverman.

Elias, who worked at Profile Records (once home to Run DMC) in the 1990s, was instrumental in signing Cutty Ranks to that label. He later became Sean Paul’s A&R at VP Records.

Craig Kallman, who is the current CEO of Atlantic Records, is owner of Atlantic affiliate Big Beat Records, which had Dawn Penn, Garnet Silk and Inner Circle on their roster.

Silverman started Tommy Boy Records in 1981. That label released reggae compilation albums as well as Tropic of Love, the 1992 album by singer J C Lodge.