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April 2015

Neville “Quattie" Rhooms - Toronto

 

Neville “Quattie” Rhooms started collecting vinyl records in 1977 influenced by his good friend Rudolph “ Sweet Ruddy” McLaughlin. His musical pursuits took him on many trips to Monica, Sam’s and Kop’s record stores in Canada. A past student of St. Mary’s College in Jamaica, he was an active member of their alumni in Canada between 1978 - 90 and played an integral role in their many fund raising activities.

He mentions Dennis Brown and Gladys Knight as his favorite artistes. Neville joined the VRCA team in 2012 and with his background and experience of service with the St. Mary’s College Alumni he is a good fit for our organization.

Clifford “Cliffy” Walsh - Toronto - Director

 

Clifford “ Cliffy” Walsh, they call him the “record chef” is our newest member having joined the organization in 2015. Growing up in Greenwich Farm, Kingston Jamaica his father being the owner of a small sound system influenced his introduction into the world of music. Cliffy would often accompany him to play at small parties in their area in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s.

Migrating to Canada in 1980 Clifford took his small vinyl collection with him (albeit with nothing to play them on). While in Canada he made contact with Winston"Bobby" Daley an older associate from Greenwich Farm and ardent vinyl record collector living in Detroit. On weekends Clifford often made trips to Detroit to hang out but often would end up in the kitchen whilst Bobby and his friends went record hunting expeditions. On their return he would receive whatever ”brukings” (Jamaican slang for extras) Bobby and his friends could spare him.  For “Cliffy” life as a real collector had begun.

He names Van McCoy as one of his favorite artiste.

Tony Cover - Connecticut - Director

Tony Cover is a “music lover” and an aspiring collector of rare but danceable music of all genres that evoke meaningful, memorable and personal events. He credits his early teenage and early adult years’ exposure to the music noted above to sound system operators such Billy’s Home Town Hi-Fi and Winston Blake of Merrritone. After migrating to New York, the “Carol Street” venue in Brooklyn with Denver Silvera (Jamusa), Chappy Stateside and Clinton Darling (Wheels) continued to shape his appreciation for the music and, a budding collection. For the later years, he credits his more nuanced and deeper understanding of the “structure of music” to a music class he took at Pace University and to the continued association with collectors Par Excellence - Paul Hutton, Lloyd Francis (Frano) and Peter Stewart (Soul Guru) of South Florida.

Tony’s association with the Vinyl Record Collectors Association is not driven solely by the camaraderie and exposure to a family of world-class vinyl record collectors, rather, it relates to the organization’s high degree of social consciousness and dedication to helping the less fortunate.

Tony’s favorite tune is “Again” by Arthur Prysock, his favorite writer/composer is Van McCoy and favorite female vocalist is Gladys Knight.

“When you get hit with music, you feel no pain, play on, and give me excess of it!”

Tony became a member of the VRCA team in 2014.

Gilbert "Gil" Scott – Jamaica

Gil Scott was a member of the planning team for the 2017 Memorial Weekend (MWE) 20th anniversary hosted in Jamaica. An eloquent speaker he did duties as Master of Ceremony at our Dinner and Award function 2017. Gil was also instrumental in raising sponsorship for this milestone event.

A lover of Vinyl Gil has played at two MWE events; New York 2016 (Friday night Meet & Greet) and Jamaica 2017 (Monday picnic). He also attended our inaugural Retreat 2018 in Florida and was invited to our meeting as a guest.

Some of us may recognize the name “De Student” on the Collectors Korner Now network (CKN). That’s Gil.

 

Veronica Airey-Wilson – Connecticut - Director

Jamaican born, former Deputy Mayor of Hartford, Veronica Airey-Wilson was recently named –co-chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Vinyl Record Collectors Association and Director on the board of the International body.

Veronica Airey-Wilson’s passion for music and entertainment was greatly influence by her parents at the early age of ten. The Aireys were music lovers who used their home as a gathering place for newly arrived immigrants from the Caribbean.  The new arrivals depended on the Aireys for Jamaican meals and parties which occurred on weekends at their home in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  While her parents served beverage and food, Veronica functioned as the DJ, playing the latest 33 and 45 records on the family Hi-Fi.  At age ten, she developed an acute sense of pleasing the crowd musically.

Over the years, Veronica’s love for music, her outgoing personality, her passion for recognizing good entertainers, her strong business skills and her commitment to advancing the Caribbean culture has influenced the direction of entertainment in the Greater Hartford Region.  This include promoting groups like the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Temptations and the Supremes while in high school.

In later years, as the first woman President of the West Indian Social Club, Ms. Airey-Wilson continued pushing her passion for music by utilizing the WISC’s facility to promote artists like the Chylites; Byron Lee; Fab5; Bob Marley; Dennis Brown; Gregory Isaacs: Marcia Griffiths; Merritone Music and Others.  As Deputy Mayor of Hartford, she seized the opportunity to expose the Caribbean culture to the larger community by creating Caribbean events in the downtown area of the city.

Veronica welcomed the opportunity to continue to demonstrate her love and commitment for promoting quality music by joining other music enthusiast from around the world when she became a member of Vinyl Record Collectors Association in 2014.  She continues to make major contribution to the development of the Connecticut chapter and the international body of the Vinyl Record Collectors Association.

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