According to Mark Romano of AllMusic, Straker's Records "...defined major calypso and soca artists starting in the early '70s.
Around the same time, in response to the growing popularity of Caribbean music in Brooklyn, he set up several record stores in the area.
[3] Straker was also active as a talent scout and concert promoter, and he frequently traveled to Trinidad to look for new calypso musicians.
In 1978, fellow Vincentian Frankie McIntosh began working for Straker as his musical director.
In this capacity, McIntosh wrote the musical arrangements for many of Straker's artists, and oversaw hundreds of recording sessions for calypsonians backed by the studio band the Equitables.