About Us
Founded by Neville Noyan who was born in St Mary, Jamaica. At the age of 2 months old his parents moved to Trench Town, in the capital of Kingston.
From an early age Neville gained a love for music with his first inspirations of listening to the Juke Boxes, Radio and Sound Systems and anywhere he could be around music.
Neville began his new school life at Ebenezer Junior School and would utilise his lunch breaks by going to a little deli on Bond Street, next door to the Treasure Isle liquor store. At first Neville was not aware that some of the music he loved was made right there on top of the liquor store by some of his favourite artists.
In 1964 Neville moved with his family to London in the United Kingdom. London being very different from. What he was used to, so Neville sorted comfort in what made sense and that was always music.
Neville was always looking for new musical experiences and was very opened minded when it came to this. His elder brother was also into music and had a great Hi-Fi set which was music to his ears (pardon the pun). He played Soul, Rhythm& Blues, Jazz and Ska and many more and they brought back memories of when he was a little boy living in Jamaica.
With any money he got Neville would use this to buy music and started his own record collection. He would save his lunch money and the money he got from a part time job he had on Friday’s after school and on Saturday’s working at a Green Grocers stall in Brixton Market. It helped to quench his thirst for all the great music he was hearing from the likes of Duke Reid, Neville – The Musical Enchanter, Freddie – Cloudburst, Duke Lee, Glen – The Melody Maker etc.
The first set of records he bought were three 7” for six shillings & eight pence each at the time, (which was approx. £1.00). He prize purchases were, ‘You’re No Good’ by Jackie Opel, ‘Naughty people’ by Delroy Wilson and ‘Little Village’ by Charlie Organaire
Neville Neville was active on the club scene. These included places like Sa Bar. El Partido.
Ramjam, On The Tile, Roaring Twenties, Mr B's and all the shubeens and house parties that were going on.
His taste became a craving when he started listening to Sound System Sir Coxsone
Outer National and was a converted Coxsone tolower arter the expertence.
After secondary school and college of further education, Neville did various jobs until the early 1970's when he started to work as a coil winder supervisor for a firm that made electrical switch gears. They relocated tar away in 1980 and this forced him to take redundancy.
Neville was faced with an uncertainty of what to do next. He turned his hobby to work at a market stall, but with music always at the core of his passion he sought to rent a shop and so in 1983 trom this decision "Collectors Corner' was born. It was named Collectors Corner because it was a specialist shop almed at collectors and it was situated on the corner of Clapnam North Tube Station.
Through the shop Neville went on to build some great memories, good customers and met some great musicians. He was invited to sit in on varlous recording sessions and this built his enthusiasm to grow which led him to get into the production side of things. His first record production was called 'Jazzy Lady (baby)' by an artist called Paula on his very own label 'Rock N Groove.
The single was a Reggae cover of Richard Dimplesfield's (Jazzy Lady) and was so well received that it became a hit in the year of 1984.
Jazzy Lady (baby) was in the UK reggae charts for several weeks and charted at number 2. It received a gold disc in 1985 from the BBC Radio London for Best Female Newcomer.
Like most good luck that seems not to last, Neville received some unfortunate news that London Transport who owned the premises, which housed Collectors Corner was to undergo an upgrade for the station so his lease was not renewed.
This left Neville having to close the shop after 7 years of successful trading.
It was difficult at first for Neville to find another shop straight away and as any business ownwer will tell you locatkion is everything. Inn the meantime, Neville took onn a market stall in nthe New Covent Garden Market. He went onn to do that for serveral yearts building up his networks of clientele
The time came and Neville found a shop he wanted in Brixton Hill in the year 2000 and hamed it 'vinyl Gems'. So why name lt 'Vinyl Gems'?
With the birth of CDs and digital downloads the manufacturing of vinyl records were becoming exceptional. Neville thought this was an appropriate name for hisshop as he had a collectionof rare vinyl that you couldn't really find on many CD's or Digital platforms. Most music collectors are purists and vinyl is their breference.
During the many years as a rcord shop owmner, Neville met many famous artists, musicians and producers and it was dubbed 'The Head Quarters'.
Sadly to say some ot them are no longer with us today, but Neville treasured the moments and memories spent in the shop with such great and talented people.
Unfortunately, after 6 years of trading Neville closed the shop due to high costs of running a premises and the various digital methods that musiccan be bought and sold. Neville's passion for musicis always at his focal point to keep alive, so he formed 'Vinly Gems Music' and contin ues with nthe production side of things and also created an omnlione shop with the help of his wife, Maureen.
Neville owes it to the next generation to encourage them to pick up the baton to carry on this great music that he dubbed
M.O.J.O (Music Of Jamaican Origin).
This is our legacy to the world
