Producer Donovan Germain To Make Entire Penthouse Catalog Available Online
Come March 7, iconic Reggae/Dancehall music producer Donovan Germain will make his Penthouse Records catalogue featuring pre-internet hits from a galaxy of stars including Marcia Griffiths, Buju Banton, Cutty Ranks, Sanchez, Tiger, Tony Rebel and others, available for purchase in digital form.
“We have been working on a special project for you, our loyal supporters‼‼ PenthouseReggae.com will be officially Launching on March 7th. This will be the home for all things Penthouse, including the entire catalog right at your fingertips‼ Be on the look-out for an official announcement video coming soon‼As always thank you for the continued support and we hope you enjoy,” Germain noted on his Instagram page recently.
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According to the Kingston College old boy, the move is something he had been considering for many years. He told The Jamaica Observer in a recent interview that he recognized that a large number of the songs produced by him are not available on the major digital platforms, such as iTunes and Amazon.
“So based on the depth of the catalogue, I just said to myself let me just go for it, and what this has done is really just pointed to the depth of the Penthouse catalogue. It will also highlight some of the things that people never even knew existed as well as the favourites… so we a try a ting,” he told the newspaper.
So far 400 albums are set to be made available on Penthouse’s website. Recordings which were released on vinyl, new and old exclusive music, as well as merchandise, are also to be added.
Germain said that the launch of this new phase of his music business which takes place on his birthday is also a means of streamlining Penthouse’s operations and ensuring that all his music is “available in one place” and accessible to the purchasing public.
“As you notice, the launch date is also my birthday and as I advance in years, I just want to put my thing in order, so that when that day comes when I’m no longer here, my family will be aware of what is owned by Penthouse so there is no questioning as to what belongs to who…, and in doing so it also puts things in order for that day when Donovan Germain is no longer at Penthouse,” the producer told The Jamaica Observer.
“I feel very strong about this, as I see it happen far too often that persons are not putting the plans in place, and I would be remiss if I didn’t do my part and clean up my house,” he added.
More than 280 artistes have recorded for Germain, since the birth of Penthouse Records, according to the label’s website.
Germain’s first big hit on Penthouse Records was Chaka On The Move” by Chaka Demus in 1989.
He was also behind the rise of Wayne Wonder, Buju Banton, Tony Rebel, Cutty Ranks, Sanchez and Thriller U to stardom.
He also played a major role in getting experienced artistes like Marcia Griffiths back in the limelight in the 1990s with her hits Feel like Jumping, All I Need Is Love and Check it Out (feat. Tony Rebel, Cutty Ranks and Buju Banton).
Penthouse was responsible for the production of a slew of Buju Banton’s hits including Come Test Mi, How It a Guh Go and Murderer as well as Chaka Demus’ Young Gal Business and Workie Workie.
Cutty Ranks was also part of the Penthouse stable where his hits Slaughter, The Bomber, Half Idiot (feat. Marcia Griffiths) Pon Mi Nozzle, Russia & America, Dominate and Grizzle were recorded.
Gregory Isaacs’ Mr. Brown, Hang On and Number One were also Penthouse productions, as were Mad Cobra’s hits Gundelero, Yush and Mate a Rebel and Richie Stephens’ Trying To Get To You and Weakness For Sweetness.
More recently, Penthouse produced Queen Ifrica’s hits To Serve And Protect, Lioness On the Rise and Below the Waist.
Germain produced iconic riddims such as Dickie in 1992 which featured songs such as Beres Hammond’s No More Pain, Buju Banton’s Dickie, Terror Fabulous’ No Retreat No Surrender, Terry Ganzie’s Who So Ever Will May Come and Tony Rebel’s Guns And Ammunition.
His Operation Ardent riddim in 1992, was also a hit. It featured Buju Banton’s Operation Ardent track, Cutty Ranks’ Everything Legit, General Degree’s People, Tony Rebel’s Creator, among others.
His Up Close and Personal riddim, in 1998 featured a slew of hits including Beenie Man’s Do You Wanna Dis, Buju Banton’s Up Close & Personal, Mr. Vegas’ Wuk The Money, Richie Stephens’ Weakness For Sweetness, Sean Paul’s Nah Get No Bligh and Tanto Metro & Devonte’s Everyone Falls In Love.
The Yush riddim in 1991 featured Tiger’s Dress Back, Mad Cobra’s Yush (Bad boy talk), Cutty Ranks’ Dominate, Richie Stephens’ Never Too Much, Tony Rebel’s Bomb and Wayne Wonder’s Nothing Compares To You, while Hardware and Lumber which was also released that year featured the controversial Buju Banton song Have To Get You Tonight, Cobra’s Mate Ah Rebel, Terror Fabulous’ Satisfaction and Terry Ganzie’s Hardware And Lumber.