Launched in 2007 by VP Records, the 17 North Parade imprint pays homage to the historic location of Randy's Record Mart, the premier recording studio and record shop in Kingston, and the Mecca for Reggae music between the late 60s and 70's.

The history of 17 North Parade begins over 40 years ago, when reggae pioneers Vincent Chin and his wife Patricia moved their record store to 17 North Parade, a former ice cream parlor in downtown Kingston.  It quickly became the center of the burgeoning reggae music scene distributing foreign and local music throughout the island.  Above the new store they constructed a recording studio aptly called “Randy's Studio 17” which became the recording facility of choice for the majority of Reggae's most prominent artists, writers and producers. Bob Marley & The Wailersrecorded parts of Catch A Fire there, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Bunny Lee, Niney The Observer,as well as foreign artists looking for the authentic reggae sound such as Quincy Jones and Joe Cocker all worked extensively at Randy's.

Drawing on some of the best reggae catalogs in the world and on the extensive Randy's and VP Records vaults, much of the classic material found on 17 North Parade will make its first appearance on CD and digitally, with restored and re-mastered audio, rare bonus tracks, extensive liner notes and more!  Exclusively featuring music from such prominent producers/ labels as Joe Gibbs, Penthouse Records, Powerhouse, Music Works and King Jammy's amongst others, each 17 North Parade release will belong to one of three very distinct catalog series that define both the contemporary and classic eras of Jamaican music: