The band was poised to record its first album - Seasons Greetings during the later part of 1983. The band traveled to Puerto Rico to Ochoa Studios to record the music for this album. In order to create a recording label for their first album, the group needed a name. They decided to use the then popular colloquial term - posse; coupled with the fact that the group was from the panyard; and it was their very own production. Hence: Panyard Posse Productions was born! Panyard Posse Productions became the registered trademark for all the subsequent audio and video productions of the band.
In February 1985, the band traveled once again to Ochoa Studios in Puerto Rico where they recorded their second album - On The Move.
The Instructors conducted several recording experiments both within the band, and within different sections, utilizing different equipment and settings, with regards to capturing the real sound/impact of a large steel orchestra. This, along with our recording engineering training, as it related to all audio recording productions, would be utilized in movie productions, marketing and sales.
The Instructors were also continuing their efforts to be able to capture that live, big steelband effect in our recorded music for our albums, cassettes, CDs and videos. Our proverbial challenge was to match the overall tonal ambience of a recording with the actual large number of players in the Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra, within a studio setting.
In 1992 during their Annual Christmas Concert at Reichhold Center, the Orchestra was recorded live - in concert - by Ochoa Studios of Puerto Rico. This album - Christmas with the Rising Stars: Live in Concert (cassette and CD) - sells very well, especially during the Christmas Season as it includes local and national favorites. During the holiday season, there is generally an outpouring of requests for the Rising Stars rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus featuring the combined choirs of Charlotte Amalie and Eudora Kean High Schools.
Later, in 1993, the Orchestra was able to put out another recording: On Tour With The Rising Stars. This double cassette recording includes a variety of music, including classical, contemporary and reggae.
Celebrating their fifteenth anniversary in 1996, the Rising Stars Program embarked on a new venture: recording their first videos. The Video Committee worked extensively, for months, putting together an extensive script for the recording of this video. Needless to say, the recording of this video proved to be quite a challenge as we were trying to record two videos at one time. The resulting product included the Rising Stars Message to the Youth of the World. The two videos titled The Lord's Prayer and Educate Yourself, was produced entirely by the Rising Stars staff, a Panyard Posse Production. Additionally, the band was also able to produce audio recordings from this project and named the ensuing CDs “15 Years of Pan and Sticks - ‘81 to ‘96.”
Following Carnival 1997, the Rising Stars embarked on still another innovative project: recording the band in the Barbel Plaza Panyard. Recording engineer Simeon Sandiford, of Sanch Electronics, agreed to come to the Virgin Islands with his state-of-the-art, compact recording equipment to record the band. After the completion of this recording, our CD - A Taste Of Carnival - proved to be an immense success. The sound is so real that we were convinced that this was the kind of equipment that we should purchase to record, not only our band, but also the other local steelbands (and school choirs) at substantial savings.
This recording was so impressive that we embarked on repeating this feat, utilizing our own staff, again in 1998 and 1999. These recordings were released in compact discs titled: A Taste of Carnival II. One of the songs that our Instructors recorded in 1999, Aldwyn “Lord Kitchner” Roberts' song - Toco Band - was chosen by Mr. Sandiford to be included on a CD with notable Trinidad steelbands (current and former Trinidad Panorama Champions). This CD, Pan Sweet Pan, is currently available for sale to the general public.
The Orchestra has also recorded and produced several other CDs under the guidance of our own Production Engineer, Ralph “Rabbi” Felix, that includes: A Musical Christmas Journey (2004) and Classics on Steele (2004) that has been dedicated to Retired Court Administrator, Mrs. Viola E. Smith.
The proceeds from all sales are used to fund our annual scholarships.