Veteran broadcaster Patrick Lafayette was recognised for his contribution to and preservation of Jamaican culture and music at the inaugural True Tribute Award held at the Jamaica Performing Arts Centre in New York on Saturday night.

He was one of 18 people lauded for their contribution to Jamaica’s culture and music.

“This is my first award and I am truly happy that my work over the years is being recognised,” said Lafayette, who is principal of the online radio station www.chrismixradio.com.

The other recipients were LeRoy Graham (journalist), Clement Dodd (music producer), Cecil “Prince Buster” Campbell (music producer and singer), Ronald Wilson (music pioneer), Patricia Chin (co-founder— VP Records), Francine Chin (radio broadcaster), Sharon Gordon (journalist), Monica Johnson also known as Doreen Schafer (singer with the Skatalites), Safia Seivwright (radio broadcaster), Jefferson Barnes (radio broadcaster), Irwin Claire (co-Founder — Caribbean Immigrant Services), Charles Cameron (music pioneer), Alonzo Connell (music arranger), Carl McDonald (singer), Eric “Monty” Morris (singer), Lester Sterling (founding member of the Skatalites), and Winston Tucker (radio host and community advocate).

“I was happy to be a part of it and I am happy for Patrick,” said Patricia Chin, co-founder of VP Records. “It’s the uplifting of the spirit of the people.’

Lafayette has worked on Jamaican radio for over 30 years and was instrumental in the start up of KLAS FM and Kool 97FM. In 2014 he started www.chrismixradio.com which features Jamaican and Caribbean music content and has a strong diaspora listenership.

In addition to production, Lafayette is also an artiste. His latest single, Love Ain’t Easy was released in April 2018 and is available on iTunes/Apple Music.

“Next steps for me are to finish my album. I have been working on that for a long time and it’s time to finish it,” said Lafayette. “I also will continue with my audio features. It is so important for us to document our rich musical history.”