This interview was done in October of 1998, and published in Reggae
Runnins, Volume 4 #4. Polly Riddims, editor and founder of Reggae
Runnins, a grassroots reggae/ska newsletter covering events from the
Baltimore/Washington DC area.

    RAS Records, the American reggae label has been producing records
    by many of Jamaica's premier reggae artists since 1981 right here
    in Washington DC.  Freddie McGregor, Israel Vibration, Don Carlos,
    are just a few that found lasting success outside of Jamaica due to
    RAS.  I had decided it was about time the Reggae Runnins got down
    to find out the story of the RAS evolution and it's evolution
    today.  It was a dismal, rainy day as I drove down to interview
    owner and founder Dr. Dread, a.k.a. Gary Himelfarb at their new
    digs in Silver Spring. In a bright and roomy space, we settled in
    to talk:

Polly:  So Gary, why don't you start by telling me a little bit about
yourself, where you're from.

Gary:  I was born in Washington DC in 1954 and grew up here.  After
graduating high school in 1972 I got on an airplane by myself and flew
to South America. I lived with either the Colombians or the Indians of
Ecuador - spent a lot of time with the Indian culture.  After that I
lived in upstate New York for a while and then moved back to Washington
and worked in the seafood business with my brother. I first went to
Jamaica in 1977 and stayed for 3 months.  I walked Blue Mountain Peak -
spent a lot of time walking through Jamaica to get to know the people.
Was very interested in Rastafari and reggae and spent three months
there. In 1979 I became a disc jockey at WHFS and started Dr. Dread on
the radio - which is when I first took on the name Dr. Dread.  I did
that for a year or two and then I felt to spread reggae music even
further I decided to start a record distribution company. That was RAS
Records -  which stands for Real Authentic Sound.   And it was in
Jamaica a year later - I was going to Jamaica pre

Polly:  So, in the early days, how did you decide whom to choose as
artists, or how did you convince them to go with you?

Gary:  You know I've always believed in fairness and being straight
with people.  I think a lot of the artists back then weren't getting
that kind of treatment. Early on I met Freddie McGregor and Bob had
died a few years earlier and I felt Freddie had a good potential, to
not be the next Bob Marley because I don't think there is such a thing,
but to fill a void.   Freddie had a great voice, he had a great look,
and he had what I would consider star quality.   So I signed Freddie to
a long-term agreement and had to come up with some money to do it.   I
thought Don Carlos was great -  loved his voice - so I talked with some
people in England who had a Don Carlos record and talked to Don about
producing him.  And other people like Michigan and Smiley, the
Melodians, some Gregory Isaacs, Eek-A-Mouse, you know I look for people
who are unique and different and I don't always say, "what is the
commercial potential?"  If this person is interesting and unique then I
think people will take notice.  And those are the 

Polly:  Over the years since you've had RAS you've seen a lot of
changes in the music industry, and can you tell me a little of how it's
affected RAS and your perception of the business?

Gary:  Well in the beginning, RAS established itself as a reggae
label.  RAS is about reggae, RAS is from Rastafari, the Head Creator
and a lot of Jamaicans and especially a lot of Rasta could relate to
that.  And I've spent a lot of time in Jamaica - I love the people and
the culture there and the people picked up on that - that I wasn't just
a quick buck.  Also I had some experience in business from being in the
seafood business so I knew business, and how to set up companies and
all that kind of stuff.   So I took the business seriously, and dealt
with the artists in a certain way.  I always paid them royalties, was
always straight with them, and so we got to sign a number of good
acts.  Back then, there were only a few other labels like Shanachie,
but Shanachie was an Irish label that had a reggae division, Heartbeat
was the reggae division of Rounder,  Alligator got into reggae for a
bit but it was a blues company.  On the American scene, RAS was really
key.  We started touring our packages in the early (double CD),  new
Gregory, new Dennis and new Israel Vibration.    All of a sudden I see
things happening in a real positive way and it reminds me a lot of when
I first started RAS, that same energy.  People wanting to see us
succeed and working with us.   It's a good feeling and like the 12
years I only owned 20%, it's like a child that went away and now has
come home.   Because you know I started RAS and it's like a child.
The child went away and now its back.  

Polly:   Did you get hooked up with Rounder because of the change in the industry and competition?

Gary:  Rounder was a distributor of mine and I had done a deal with
Studio One Records. They were interested in Studio One so they asked,
"how did you get the deal?"  As a joke I said, why don't you buy RAS.
They called the next day and said how much.  So we talked and you know,
having a record company you always are investing in new projects.  It's
not like at the end of the month you have this huge amount of money in
the bank.  I thought this would be the opportunity to get some money,
buy a house, settle down a bit - I had just gotten married.  So I
thought it would be a good idea.  And you know Jah makes everything
happen for a reason.  I got into this experience and it was great for
awhile.  I still feel good about Rounder as a people, appreciate the
experience but you know everything happens for a reason.  Perhaps there
was a reason RAS went into a decline for those years with the whole
industry - I know Jah could have made it and I would end up owning my
company again.

Polly:  What about future projects and Beatville Records you started?

Gary: You have to keep things from getting too stagnant in your life
and status quo.  And RAS could keep putting out Israel Vibration and
Culture albums each year.  But I was talking to somebody who owns a
record store and he said the ska craze is really going on strong.  So I
came back and we were having a sales meeting that morning and mentioned
what he said. Mark Dickinson, who has worked here for awhile and is
into Ska and has a great ear for the music, talked about forming a
label together - Beatville Records. We have 5 CD's out. Again, it's a
great energy - it's like RAS.  I'm not really involved in the A&R, but
help Mark make some business decisions.  It's cool - a whole different
audience.  As long as the music is good and there is a place for it, I
think it's a great thing.  We both have an attitude about developing
this and seeing where it goes.   We're just trying to put out good
records and see what happens.  It's fun.  It's always good to inject
new energy in your life.

Polly:  Ska music definitely has energy. And I find the Ska community
so much better connected than the Reggae community. They are on the
Internet, they are using all those tools, they tour - the bands tour
all the time.

Gary:  I also find too it's not the Jamaican culture.  A lot of the
Jamaican culture is almost like a secret society - this whole
underground.  When you send ska stuff to even mainstream media, they're
much more open to reviewing it than reggae releases.  Reggae right now
is flat.  There's not too much exciting happening in the music.  I'm
looking for new artists in Jamaica and I've only heard one artist in
the last few years that really excites me.   It's hard - People say who
are the new artists you want to sign and they are really hard to find.
I think Jamaican artists need to get into being creative and original
and new and really try something different.  It may take a few years
once you do something like that to break but at least you'll be
recognized as something different.

Polly:  How about US artists - would you turn to a US based artist?

Gary:  I heard an artist from Barbados recently who I thought was
really good but it would take a lot of development and time so I'm
waiting to hear back from the people.  I'm a little bit more
open-minded to it doesn't have to be from Jamaica.  I just worked with
a group from Chile and that was a great experience for me.  Their
record is #1 on the pop chart in Chile.  I'm trying to sign them
worldwide and it's mostly all Spanish.  I just feel they have a vibe,
they are real and the music is tight I really want to get behind these
guys worldwide.   I don't care that it's in Spanish because 30 million
people in America speak Spanish and it's a way to talk to new radio
stations - it's a whole new market.   It is interesting and exciting.
So we're on the verge of signing them in America.  It should happen any
day.  Its things like that that make being in the record business
really positive.