1) PATRICK DONEGAN: ENGINEER & PRODUCER
HISTORY
My musical education started when I and a friend took some guitar lessons in the evenings after school. I wanted to play reggae but the teacher knew nothing about reggae, so I stopped attending after a few chords.
The guitar lessons paid off. In 1975 my friend and I joined a band called Exodus and played in the local pub (on plough Road, Battersea, South London). My career really took when the Reggae Regulars asked me to join them. I gave up my job as a Mechanic when the gigging became a full time operation.
A major recording deal followed the success of an extensive “gigging” supporting bands such as the Boomtown Rats and Peter Tosh. Hits followed: where is Jah and Black Star Liner for Greensleeves Records. The Regulars were one of the first British Reggae outfits to sign to a major record label, CBS records. The subsequent album didn’t fulfil expectations and the band split.
I started producing records in 1979 with Tony Rookwood and Leroy Tyrell under the guise of company x for the one time Greensleeves Label “Cool Rockers” producing Lovers Rock girl trio Sister Love. They achieved two number 1 hits in the UK reggae charts. I then went on to produce and co-produce for various independent labels and then returned to Greensleeves during their UK Bubblers Label era where I co- produced on almost all UK Bubblers releases, including their Tippa Irie national hit “Hello Darling” and his subsequent album.
After the demise of the Regulars, I worked in the record sales and distribution side of the business, first with Kingdom Records selling Jazz and Reggae and then with Body Music Distribution in seven sisters, Tottenham, North London as a sales rep.
Although I gained a fair amount of experience in the recording studio over the years, it was not until about 1983 when I started working with Neil Fraser “The mad professor” of Ariwa. In this capacity, I began to learn the technical side of recording and started to experiment seriously with what a studio could achieve.
After leaving mad professor, I worked at various studios as a freelance engineer. At one such studio Remaximum in Clapham I was recording engineer working alongside Lindel Lewis on the Judy Boucher album from which came the national chart hit ‘Dreaming Of A Little Island’
2) PATRICK DONEGAN: PROGRESSIVE SOUND
HISTORY
In 1985, I started a small business of my own. First I acquired a rehearsal room and then it progressed to an 8 track demo studio recording demos for UK Bubblers artists and others. Things progressed to a 16 track sequencer based studio specialising in reggae, Ragga, Soul, R&B and Rap basically all types of street music.
The business is run as a small production company concentrating on artist development working mainly with young people who have a talent and can’t find an outlet.
I started a record label in 1988 which specialised in lovers’ rock which is identified as British reggae. The first recording on this label was a song called Ribbon in the sky by Don Ricardo.
In four years, the Progressive Sound label has managed to stamp an indelible imprint on the sound of contemporary British reggae.
The trademark, heavy bass lineLovers’ rock has seen the labels output competing head on with popular imports from Jamaica.
With hits from Richie Davis, Fredrica Tibbs, Anthony Ritch and Private Collection, they have contributed to the labels standing as one of the biggest in the country.
As a studio, Progressive Sound has spawned hits for many of Britain’s reggae artists. The studio has been used for some recent classics such as Lloyd Brown’s “Sharing the night” Peter Hunningale’s “Fallin” Franki Paul’s “Acid” Neville Morrison’s
“Best of me” Richie Davis’s “Jah Army” and Ricky Tuffie’s “Stamina”.
The most recent hit out of the progressive sound studio was the Party Time Version Excursion featuring prominent British Reggae artists such as Frederica Tibbs, Richie Davis, Neville Morrison, Peter Spence,and Many More.
