Q : For how many years did you work on a sound before you got an offer to record?

A : Well, um, I can't remember definitely but it take me a couple of years, y'know, some five years, something like that. The first producer that really give me a chance was a guy named Winston Edwards.

Q : How did that come about?

A : Well, I was down by the studio an' Tubbys was telling him about me and then he decided to record two tracks with me, one titled 'Jamaican Tobacco' and the one called 'Wet Your Pants Foot'. And then the next producer I record for was Yabby You.

Q : Yes, that was 'Dem A Wolf '.

A : Yeah, 'Dem A Wolf ', right. And then after Yabby I record numerous tracks for Bunny Lee. Yeah, Bunny Lee was the first man who released and produced an album with me.

Q : But Edwards was essentially the first man who decided to give this a try in the studio with you? No one before him then, like things that never came out?

A : Yeah, the first opportunity... How it come about was Tubby introduced me to him, like saying that 'This guy is my young lickle deejay that play on the sound an' him sound alright', and Winston decide to give me a try. Because at those days the only cost it will cost a producer is to pay for the studio time to record me, is not that he had to pay me to do it - like today. Because those days we're just doing them t'ing an' don't know where it gonna take us.

Q : You didn't think too much about money at this time in other words.

A : No, money wasn't the main factor, the main factor was to record songs an' hear your songs playing, and know that you have done that.

Q : But it was three tunes for Winston Edwards that came out on his UK label Fay Music?

A : Two! Two, two - 'Jamaican Tobaco', and one called 'Wet Up Your Pants Foot'.

Q : What about 'Jah Jah Whip Them'? Also for Edwards.

A : 'Jah Jah Whip Them'? I never did that song for him.

Q : They never came out in Jamaica, those two tunes?

A : No, in London - UK.

Q : And you got paid for it?

A : No, I never get paid for them songs, yunno! Never get pay for them songs up until this day (chuckles)! Yeah, never get pay.

Q : And the link with Yabby?

A : Yeah, by doing that it's the same thing again I come across and Yabby You came to the studio and see me and I think he asked Tubby who I am, an' Tubby told him who I am and he recommend me to him as well. And he decide to do a track with me, beca' that was Yabby You. Yabby You is a man who try to give young talents a try as well.

Q : Speaking about dealing with King Tubby on a private level, how did you experience Tubby in private?

A : Yeah, Tubbys is an OK person, easy to go along with as long as you show him respec' and know how to deal with him as a person, is just OK to socialize with an' communicate with.

Q : A man of a quiet nature, the reserved type.

A : Yeah, he was quiet, man. Tubbys was a quiet guy, man.

Q : Not the one to brag and boast about his achivements.

A : No, no, no. Tubbys just - any braggin' Tubbys do, Tubbys make the music do the bragging, or let something do the braggin'! By playing the better music and the better quality.

Q : Then from Yabby you hooked up with Bunny Lee, and eventually you did the 'Satta Dread' album. Did it come out without a picture and even without the name on the cover, was it? I think I've seen the cover of it somewhere but I don't remember in detail how it looked like, looked more like a mysterious dub album from what I can remember.

A : Yeah, 'Satta Dread'. It came out with the name but without a picture, 'cos at the time when they decide to release it, they didn't have a picture with me.

Q : That's kind of bad, you knew about that at the time?

A : No, I didn't know about that at the time, after I came to London I know about that. I had mixed emotions, happy to know that 'yeah, you got the songs released'. But at the same time the returns or the income from it, I wasn't happy about it. But when you don't understand the business they tell you all kinda different things, y'know what I'm saying?

Q : Sure, to take as much advantage of that as possible when you're new to things.

A : Yeah, yeah, some do it intentionally and some jus' do it because they feel like they should do it.

Q : What was the payment like in those days?

A : Well, I tell you the truth, I can't remember about payment. Because there was no such things as payment.

Q : No talk about a straight royalty on a regular basis, right?

A : No, no, no, no. If you don't know nothing about those things, sometime you do a song for someone an' after they give you some money it's like you never go back to get any more. It's not until late, about late seventies going into the eighties that I start to realize that there should be a thing called 'royalties'. Some form of returns supposed to be coming from the song, from the sales of the record.

Q : What about this exchange between you and U Roy of the slot at the Solar Tone sound, who had that sound?

A : The name of that guy was Rupert Brown, we called him Rupie.

Q : And Ranking Trevor was deejaying on that sound too.

A : Yeah, Ranking Trevor usually be on that sound. That's where (it's) the first time that I start to deejay with another deejay on the sound system.

Q : This is the late seventies, can you recall that you got filmed and featured in the 'Roots Rock Reggae' documentary (by Jeremy Marre) in 1977? Which sound is it you deejayed for at the time?

A : Yeah, yeah, where I was deejaying Jack Ruby's sound system? Yeah, Jack Ruby's sound in Ocho Rios, yeah.

Q : You've seen the film yourself at some point.

A : Yea, I saw it a couple of times. I think U Roy is on it as well.

Q : Yes, that's right, live on stage with a band. To you, what does it take and what makes a solid deejay?

A : Well, first and foremost you have to have a musical instinct. Yeah, you have to have a feel for it. Well, in todays world you haffe be born with it, you can't just 'develop' the feel, 'cos a lot of things is machinery an' you a record with computer and they can take out certain part of the song, an' things like that, so...

Q : The theme of lyrics in the deejay world always go with a trend, they all belong to the 'selling themes' of the time.

A : Yeah, yeah! It was part of the trend but what really happen is that - tell you the truth, y'know, original things (will) always be there. Once from it you see things that done properly and have a certain thing about it, it will always be there.

Q : Some switch theme according to the times, but some don't.

A : Yeah. You see what really happen, you see the system is made up in such a way that you see the thing named money, money becomes like the main factor, the key to open almost everything on the face of this earth. Because if you have money most naturally you can go on live anywhere, you can buy almost anything, y'know what I mean, whether it's real or false one or whatever, and then it becomes so powerful that people change. Because what really happen, the system stick you up for money and sometimes some people can't hold their own because them responsibility is so high, people like Burning Spear, those guys used to the long suffering, so they will never change what they believe in. Burning Spear been singin' about Rasta fi years an' never change, no matter how much them try fe change the music in... I love girls, yunno, and when you love someone you need to tell them that you love them, in the most way an' the best way you can, but at the same time you can't just keep singin' about one thing without certain things, beca' without certain t'ings love cyaan feel the way it supposed to feel, even amongst people. So that Burning Spear always a sing the same song an' when him try fe change the business to 'girl I love you' and hip-hop songs an' drum machine music, Burning Spear still own his authentic t'ing same way, because of what him believe in. And he never would let anyone change him beca' if Burning Spear have ten loafs of bread - great! And if him have one, it still great same way because him know how fe satisfy, and him never try fe hang one above whe him cyaan reach it.

And you have a lot of people who do that, which sometimes might even include myself and I don't realise. And then what happens because of the responsibility now you try you haffe change beca' you have to make some money back to the t'ing how whe me a tell you - money! So people change and do anything, sing anything, make any kind of music and feget whe dem coming from just to achieve. Which is good in one sense but it bad in the other! Because you have to try to achieve but at the same time is the way of how you achieve, is just like drugs. Because people can make more money out of crime an' becomes more financially powerful, them do anything and everything and more bad things to achieve than the good thing. The good t'ing might take longer, but at the end of the day it more genuine, it lasts longer. 'Cos if you go out and get a proper job and if you get a proper salary and you put your money to use, you don't have to worry that the police a go arrest you an' come and confiscate your house. But when you go out deh and sell drugs or you rob someone some money and buy a big house and a big car and people look fe you, as soon as they get you - if they don't kill you an' you lose it, the police hold you an' (you) go to jail and once they have the evidence that the stuff that you bought with what you have stolen, then they can confiscate it an' you end up lose it same way.

Q : True. Concerning lyrical content at the time, the mid seventies was so violent in general - in JA, did the producers have any objections on what you're gonna talk about? I mean, regardless how they feel about things politically, no one wants to end up in trouble for a record. Like if you say something negative about the current policy or something.

A : Who? Oh, the producers? Yeah, well, not in most cases but very rare. And maybe they might ask you to change the song a lickle way different or something, but... I never have any problem with them, is that because before I ask them what you want me to record, what type of song you're looking for - from me. I have to ask you for an idea of what you want so I can try to put that together, and present it to you and if it is satisfactory enough, if so then there's no problem.

Q : What was the procedure like for those who don't know the whole recording process for deejays in JA, it's not like you got a tape of the rhythms a producer offered you, then you went home and wrote and practiced over them (chuckles).

A : No, no, nothing so. I tell you, them tell you to come down to studio tomorrow and 'we have two tracks an' we'd like you to do something on it', an' they play it and you have to try to work something out of it there and then.

Q : It went that fast, you had to be really alert and loaded with lyrics to make it.

A : Yes! Yes, and sometimes you just - it's the things that you feel. You see, that's why the music, reggae music, have such feeling. Because sometimes you go to the studio and you never plan nutten for the track an' you hear something just come to your head and you try it and it works! And sometimes you have to sit down and pen something, and in today's deejay (scene), the business becomes so competitive that you need to do is sit down and concentrate a lickle bit more. That's what the more writing come from but at the same time you have to feel some inspiration to start write and know what to write.

Q : In the later part of the seventies, you had a whole heap of Bunny Lee albums out in the UK, like 'Revelation Time', 'London Rock' - which I believe was the first, and 'Starsky & Hutch'. Some of these were recorded while on visit to London, or voiced in Jamaica?

A : No, we record in Tubby's studio, most of the tracks was recorded in Tubby's studio.

Q : Should these be considered good enough for a reissue? I have only heard 'Revelation Time' and that is certainly strong enough, you sound on form there.

A : Oh well, all things are good enough for reissue, beca' when I look out deh there are some things that are reissuing today that are not worthwhile to human race! You know wha' I mean? So I don't see no reason why, see no reason why it shouldn't reissue. And it still happen because Virgin is reissuing even another album that is titled 'Weather Balloon'.

Q : Oh yeah, 'You Can't Keep A Good Man Down' - the same album.

A : 'You Can't Keep A Good Man Down', yeah.

Q : Did you get any compensation for the CD reissue of that album?

A : No, I didn't get any proper compensation beca' they're trying to put me through a lot of shit! You know, beca' once on the first time they're giving you a lickle money an' you sign a contrac' which in any way - a lot of us don't understand certain t'ing in the contract, to be honest with you. But because when we come we come with the intention of trying to make some money, see where we can get some money, and you sign a paper but you didn't know that you were signing away your rights an' giving away your things and have people trying to buy your things from you, in that diplomatic way. Like it's a contrac' between you and them over a period of time an' at the end of the day they're trying to tell you that they own the product - for life! And they only give you a certain amount of money, no matter how much you don't have no sense over the business, you can never sell it for that! And if you get royalty from them, they're trying to tell you that they don't recoup that money yet, and they don't even give you a 3000 pound for over twenty years! So how come you can't recoup 3000 pounds over twenty years? Why!? And you still come again and you reissue the stuff an' still can't pay me no royalty, so... I don't know what's going on.