Brad Osborne

Having moved from Jamaica in 1969 and initially operating an electronics repair shop in the north Bronx, Brad Osborne earned a pivotal role in the NYC reggae community retailing imported records from his store Brad's Record Den where he started licensing and distributing Jamaican recordings in the 1970s. Expanding to production he established labels Brad's Records (or Brad's), and Clocktower Records (under Clocktower Records Inc.). Clocktower Records was responsible for a sizeable output of reggae releases in the USA, yet often re-dubbed, and Brad successfully recorded visiting JA artists and produced new music with local talent. In the 1980s he also founded hip-hop imprint Grand Groove Records with T-Ski Valley. After his death in 1986 following an argument with a customer in his record store, the business concern passed to Canadian label Abraham.