Only someone with Chris Blackwell's unique background could have founded a company as innovative as Island Records. Although it took several years before Island made the charts, yet in time it became the finest small record company in the world, with an artist roster the envy of every major record company. Now, after nearly 40 years in the entertainment business, Blackwell has created Palm Pictures as an entertainment company with a particular focus on DVD, a format that perfectly incorporates his passion for music and film. Born just prior to World War II in London, Blackwell's father was Irish while his mother came from a prominent Jamaican family of successful traders in rum, sugar, coconuts and cattle. He spent the first 10 years of his life on the island, finished his education in England and returned to Jamaica in 1955. His first job was as aide-de-camp to the Governor of Jamaica, followed by a stint selling real estate. But it was the six months Blackwell spent in America in 1959, hanging out in the New York jazz circuit, which led him to a life in music.
