Easy Star Records

Easy Star Records
Parent companyIndependent
Founded1996; 28 years ago (1996)
FounderMichael Goldwasser
Eric Smith
Lem Oppenheimer
Remy Gerstein
GenreReggae, rocksteady, dub, dancehall, ska
Country of originUnited States
LocationNew York, NY
Official websiteeasystar.com

Easy Star Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996. Based in New York City, the label primarily produces and releases albums in the genres of reggae and dub.

The label has had multiple albums chart at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart, including Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band, two albums by The Green, and Vines by Passafire, who signed to the label in 2013.[1] In 2014, the label released albums by Rebelution,[2][3] Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad,[4] Backbeat Soundsystem,[5] New Kingston,[6] and The Expanders, whose June 2015 album Hustling Culture debuted at No. 1 on the Top Reggae Albums chart.[7] Since 2015, the label has released albums by London-based quartet The Skints, Jamaican vocalists Jesse Royal and Protoje, among others.[8][9][10] Falling Into Place by Rebelution and A Matter Of Time by Protoje, released via Easy Star Records, each received Grammy Award nominations for Best Reggae Album in 2016 and 2018 respectively.[11][12] The label also manages bands such as the Easy Star All-Stars, a touring and recording musical collective, and has worked with artists outside the reggae genre such as Citizen Cope, Corey Harris, Janelle Monáe, Jason Mraz, Kelly Clarkson, and Yoko Ono.[1]

  1. ^ a b "About Me". Easystar.com.
  2. ^ "Music Archives". Mtbweekly.com.
  3. ^ "REBELUTION RELEASES ALBUM WITH EASY STAR | Easy Star". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  4. ^ "Steady, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, New Music, Songs, & Albums, 2014". Archived from the original on 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  5. ^ Patti, Mike (3 November 2014). "Review: BackBeat SoundSystem - Together Not Apart". Thepier.org. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ "New Kingston Signs with Easy Star Records". 20 November 2014.
  7. ^ "THE EXPANDERS DEBUT #1 ON BILLBOARD REGGAE | Easy Star". Archived from the original on 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  8. ^ "The Skints New Album w/ Easy Star Records « The Pier Magazine". 13 January 2015. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  9. ^ dev. "Jesse Royal". Easy Star Records. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  10. ^ easystar. "Protoje". Easy Star Records. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  11. ^ "Rebelution". GRAMMY.com. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  12. ^ "Protoje". GRAMMY.com. 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2019-02-27.