Leonard Chin

Who is Leonard Chin?

Leonard Chin aka Santic, is a Jamaican reggae record producer. After first working as a car mechanic, he then trained as a photographer and worked for the Gleaner Company. In the early 1970s he began working as a singer with Charles Hannah and The Graduates, and recorded a single for Gussie Clarke, but he realized that he was better suited to production. His early productions between 1973 and 1975 included recordings by Augustus Pablo, who recorded the first single for his Santic record label, "Pablo In Dub", as well as Paul Whiteman, Horace Andy, Roman Stewart, and Gregory Isaacs. Two of the tracks he produced for Pablo were included on the melodica player's debut album. Chin's recording sessions generally took place at Randy's studio, with Errol Thompson at the mixing desk, and using Pablo as an arranger or keyboard player. Chin also produced Jah Woosh's 1976 album, Chalice Blaze. A mid-1970s compilation of his productions, An Even Harder Shade of Black, was reissued by Pressure Sounds in 1995. The label released a further collection of his work, Down Santic Way, in 2005.