World of Jamaican Music

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An illustrated map of the creators of Jamaican music and how they are connected.

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Herman Chin Loy

Producer. Reggae

Active
1969-1980s
Sunrise
July 11, 1948, Trelawny, Jamaica

Herman Chin Loy ran the Aquarius record shop at Half Way Tree and produced from it for roughly five years, which was long enough to launch Augustus Pablo and to make one of the earliest dub albums.

He was a cousin of Leslie Kong and had worked at Beverley's before opening his own shop. In 1969 he recorded a young melodica player named Horace Swaby and released the results under the name Augustus Pablo, a house name he and others had already used for keyboard instrumentals; Lloyd Charmers and Glen Adams had recorded under it before Swaby did. The sessions were cut at Randy's Studio 17, and the riddim behind "East of the River Nile" was one Chin Loy had obtained from Lee Perry.

He also produced Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, and Bruce Ruffin, and mixed Aquarius Dub at Dynamic Sounds in 1973. Whether it was the first dub album is contested, and the competing claims, from Clive Chin for Java Java Dub and from Perry for Blackboard Jungle Dub, are no easier to settle. His active period was short, and he moved out of production before the decade ended.

Last updated October 21, 2026

Connections

Notes

  1. Wikipedia says the Aquarius store in Half Way Tree was opened in 1969 by his half-brother Lloyd Chin-Loy, with Herman running the retail side. "Herman Chin Loy," Wikipedia, accessed October 1, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Chin_Loy. Bradley lists him among the "comers" of the turn of the 1970s, with Harry Mudie, Rupie Edwards, and Winston Riley. Lloyd Bradley, This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music (New York: Grove Press, 2001), 267.
  2. The Rough Guide calls him "a cousin of Leslie Kong," specializing in "quirky, innovative instrumentals on his Aquarius and Scorpio imprints." Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd ed. (London: Rough Guides, 2004), 113.
  3. The Rough Guide says Swaby's 1969 debut, "Iggy Iggy," came out under "the house name that the producer used for many of his discs featuring a keyboards player," and that the follow-up was the first cut of "East Of the River Nile." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 113. Bradley also says Chin Loy "was the first producer to record Horace Swaby," in 1969. Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 268, 330.
  4. Wikipedia names Lloyd Charmers and the Hippy Boys among the players on his early instrumentals and says other keyboard players' records also came out as "Augustus Pablo." "Herman Chin Loy." The Rough Guide says the early instrumentals usually involved the Hippy Boys, in which Glen Adams played organ. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 113, 128.
  5. The Rough Guide compares the rhythm to the Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 113.
  6. Wikipedia lists these artists and says Ruffin's "Rain" reached number 19 in Britain. "Herman Chin Loy." The Rough Guide singles out Alton Ellis's "Alton's Official Daughter" as "possibly Herman Chin Loy's strongest production." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 221.
  7. The Rough Guide says Aquarius Dub was "probably mixed by the producer himself." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 221. Wikipedia places the mix at Dynamic and dates the album to 1973. "Herman Chin Loy."
  8. The Rough Guide names Blackboard Jungle Dub, Java Java Java Java, and Aquarius Dub as the three contenders for the first dub album, all from 1973. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 221. Bradley says Aquarius Dub appeared "at roughly the same time" as Java Java Java. Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 330.
  9. Wikipedia, however, says he returned to production in 1979 with early dancehall hits for Little Roy and Ernest Wilson. "Herman Chin Loy."

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