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Veronica Airey-Wilson – Connecticut - Director

Jamaican born, former Deputy Mayor of Hartford, Veronica Airey-Wilson was recently named –co-chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Vinyl Record Collectors Association and Director on the board of the International body.

Veronica Airey-Wilson’s passion for music and entertainment was greatly influence by her parents at the early age of ten. The Aireys were music lovers who used their home as a gathering place for newly arrived immigrants from the Caribbean.  The new arrivals depended on the Aireys for Jamaican meals and parties which occurred on weekends at their home in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  While her parents served beverage and food, Veronica functioned as the DJ, playing the latest 33 and 45 records on the family Hi-Fi.  At age ten, she developed an acute sense of pleasing the crowd musically.

Over the years, Veronica’s love for music, her outgoing personality, her passion for recognizing good entertainers, her strong business skills and her commitment to advancing the Caribbean culture has influenced the direction of entertainment in the Greater Hartford Region.  This include promoting groups like the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Temptations and the Supremes while in high school.

In later years, as the first woman President of the West Indian Social Club, Ms. Airey-Wilson continued pushing her passion for music by utilizing the WISC’s facility to promote artists like the Chylites; Byron Lee; Fab5; Bob Marley; Dennis Brown; Gregory Isaacs: Marcia Griffiths; Merritone Music and Others.  As Deputy Mayor of Hartford, she seized the opportunity to expose the Caribbean culture to the larger community by creating Caribbean events in the downtown area of the city.

Veronica welcomed the opportunity to continue to demonstrate her love and commitment for promoting quality music by joining other music enthusiast from around the world when she became a member of Vinyl Record Collectors Association in 2014.  She continues to make major contribution to the development of the Connecticut chapter and the international body of the Vinyl Record Collectors Association.

Douglas "Prince" Grant - Atlanta - Director

 

Douglas Grant AKA “Prince” was born in West Kingston, where he attended St. Annes’ school in Kingston.

At age 15 a friend recognizing his developing love of music got him involved as they established the Shanghai Disco along with a group of five other friends.  The friends commenced playing around Kingston and St. Andrew and established a friendly rivalry with Lauderbelle another popular Disco at the time.  

Doug continued playing with Shanghai until he migrated to the USA in 1984.   He moved to Atlanta in 1992 and after taking a break from spinning for a few years, began collecting and playing out at house parties, Since 2016 he has played under the name “Doug Atlanta” on various internet networks.

Doug’s love and dedication to the music are evident whenever he spins his favorites from his collection. Doug’s desire is to help the Vinyl community and continue to spread the great music of our generation.

 

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