Q: You did an album for Bunny Lee in '76 I think? On Joe Sinclair's Klik label. A: 'Tears On My Pillow'? Q: Yeah. A: Is over here I see it, and when I try to contact him, he say he knows nothing about it. But it's his name on it. Two of them, it's this other guy's name on it too. You know, 'cause I found the CD over here and I tried to contact him, I called Jamaica, I talked to him in Jamaica, because I searched. I couldn't get him in England, so I found him in Jamaica. I talked to him on the phone, and he said man, I must give him my phone number, I must give him my address, and I did. And Bunny Lee never called me, up to this day. It's about three years ago, he never called me. Q: You mean the CD reissue of this album, I think it must've come out in '99, on the Kings Of Kings label. I thought that was a new album upon seeing it. A: That's old, all the old songs. The Kings Of Kings, right. It's like a compilation of some old songs. Even Tony, I keep calling Tony all the while. Like the 'Speak Softly', those are the two missions so then I could really get paperwork on 'Jah Jah Train', have them signed and authorised.

Q: I believe you've done this tune more than once, I mean 'Don't Touch I Dread' for Yabby You. You recall this one? A: 'Don't touch my dread...'. Yeah, I did for Yabby You. Bwoy, I forget all them man, man (chuckles). Yabby You, I forget about those kinda people, man. It's a long time. Yabby You was a Rastaman with a sore foot, I remember him now. Q: Crippled? A: I think he had a big sore on his foot, man. On his pants, he always walked... Yeah, he's not crippled, but... Q: Walked with crutch. A: He had a stick, yeah. He had a one crutch, he had that one crutch. He was not crippled, but that foot would not get better for nutten, man. He used to ride a bike too, used to ride that bike. I think he got burned, I think he got burned with a muscle on the bike, if that is what happened. I think so. But that foot become a big sore, man. He would not get better for years. Yabby You, I remember him well. Q: Yabby was not the 'ordinary' producer, you know what I mean. Highly regarded. A: No, he was a mediocre guy, y'know. Yeah, mediocre, he's not top of the line. But he has principles, y'know, and he dealt fair, he dealt fair. He's a Rastaman, that a fair person. Very fair. Q: Any memories of working for Rupie Edwards' label too, Success? A: No. Q: You did 'I'm Writing Again' for him. A: 'I'm Writing Again'? Rupie Edwards? No.

Q: 'For The Rest Of My Life' for Carlton Patterson's Black & White label. A: Oh, I remember that one (sings): 'For the rest of my life, I will always love you...'. Yeah, I remember that one. I forget the person's name though, Carlton Patterson. But I remember that song. Yeah. Q: What about 'Love Jah & Live' for Randy's? Who among the Chin's? A: 'Love God & Live'? Q: Almost, 'Love Jah & Live' for Randy's label. Who produced it? A: Oh, that was for Miss Pat, she's the owner of Randy's Records. They're in New York where they got VP, they're in Queens. Yeah, Miss Pat did that one. She just pay me off on the top, like one time payment. Never get no royalties from she. Q: Then you had something with Roman Stewart for the Micron imprint, 'Mr. Business Man'. A: Yeah... No, that's for a friend of mine named Trevor, Trevor Burroughs. He's right here in the States too, I did a song for him, 'Mr. Business Man'. He wrote the song I think (sings): 'Things are changing... dadadah'. Yeah, I remember that song, 'Mr. Business Man'. But Roman Stewart was a guy who... he died, yunno. Bwoy, I tell you, everybody is dying around here, everybody is falling apart. Oh Goood (sighs)... I love that guy so much, man. We grow together, man. Oh, he was my best friend, Roman Stewart. When I heard the news he died, man, I heard he dropped down on the stage, yunno. He's performing and just dropped down, a heart attack. He was big, he was very big. He put on a weigh round, y'know. And he smokes and them t'ing, but he's not the first person I see do that thing and stay big like that, but he just get big. I loved that kid, I loved him dearly. It's true. He was the one who brought us to Micron and do that song for Trevor, Trevor Burroughs. He did that song, 'Mr. Business Man'. I do that in combination with Roman Stewart. But Trevor Burroughs was the producer for that song.

Roman Stewart

Q: There was the World Wide label who produced 'Hard Times' in '75. A: I don't remember that. Errol Hylton? Q: Errol and Hylton, yes, I think it's two but you could be right. Somebody who used to work for Joe Gibbs, according to Keith Poppin from what I can remember. A: Oh, he was the engineer. I don't remember doing that thing for him though, he was the engineer. Errol he got a fine voice, a lickle... he was an engineer for Joe Gibbs. But I can't recall that song. Q: Different Errol this, y'know. I think you're mixing it up with Errol T at Joe Gibbs, the more famous engineer. But this was another Errol, I think he is in New York now. A: No, it's two Errol, Errol Thompson was the one at the radio station, but the other one Errol with the light-complexion fellow, he was the engineer for Joe Gibbs. Not Errol Thompson, Errol Thompson is the radio station man. How old are you, Peter? You know these things? Oh man (laughs)! Q: I have another 45 titled 'Serious Joint' on Wildflower. That is a good shot. A: Yeah. Oh! Gooood! That was a bomb! But you know what? It didn't sell much because the producer didn't promote it, man. It was a dread named Kojak, in Queens.

Q: So that's Norman Little? He is the one credited on the label anyway. A: That's him, Kojak, Norman Little. Yeah, he's my buddy from back home, yunno. We did a song for him. Well, what happened, why it went down with that song, he had a record store in Jamaica, Queens, it got burnt out. It got burnt out, lost everything, tapes, money - everything. Everything was gone. We were going to a dance in Brooklyn, one night when we came back, man, the place was gone! Gutted completely out. And I think he lost his mind, man, I'm telling the truth. But my daddy was living in Brooklyn, so I go see my father. So, I used to hang with him, I was hanging out with him a lot, 'cause that's where the flow is at. But when it got burnt out, man, I got to go to my daddy in Brooklyn. I think he didn't lose his mind, but he divert to Manhattan, in Harlem, where he get bigger in vegetation and (inaudible), so it's like he didn't bother with no more record t'ing. Is only one record business, like, only one record he produces, 'Serious Joint'. 'Cause that was his business, y'know, you hear the name of the song - was his business, y'know what I mean (chuckles)? It was a tough song, man. A good song. You ever heard it before? Q: Great funky riddim on that one, yes. A: Yeah (laughs)! Q: A lot of wah-wah guitar stuff, typical of its time. A: Yes, the lyrics was really smoky, yunno. (Sings) 'Here comes the deal my man, he can work off a plan, we want the joint ah ah-a ah a a, give us the joint eh heh a ha, we want the joiiinnnt, we're gonna tear down the floor if we can't get no more...'. Bad, that tune's a good tune. Q: Who played on it? A: Oh, it was Santa, drummer Santa, Chinna - Earl Chinna, who was the guy again, man...? The star who played the keyboards, I forget his name... Q: Keith Sterling? A: Santa played the drum, Chinna played the guitar, the keyboard player, man... Wya! Earl 'Wya' Lindo, you know who I'm talkin' about? You know his name, right? Q: Yep. A: Yeah, he plays keyboard. I forget the rest, it was a long time ago.

Barrington Spence

Q: Speaking about backing musicians, those who played behind you on the Prince Tony recordings was the Skin Flesh & Bones band. A: Skin Flesh & Bones, yeah. Q: With Sly and Lloyd Parks. A: Sly and Lloyd Parks, yea. Sometimes Robbie, Earl 'Wya'... Q: There was another non-album track for Tony called 'Use Chiney Brush', what's that about (chuckles)? A: Oh, 'Chiney Brush'? He had me to version some of the slur again, talk about 'You mus' use chiney brush...'. I forget the lyrics of that song, 'cause it's a kind of weird song. I reckon it's sex business. 'Chiney Brush', I forget that song. Man, I forget I even did a song like that. Q: And 'Getti Getti' for Tony's T/R Groovemaster too. A: Oh yeah, 'Getti Getti No Wanti' is a song that go like... Yeah, I remember that one, that's on the album too, 'Speak Softly'. (Sings) 'Gimme lickle soul oh Lord, gimme gimme gimme lickle soul oh Lord, wanti wanti cyaan getti, getti getti no wanti...'. Yes bwoy, so it stays. Q: So what happened after this mid seventies period and up to the early eighties, your father worked in the US, you migrated to... A: To the States? Yeah.

Q: How come you moved? A: My father want me to come to go to school for a special trade. You see, my father's name is Spencer, not Spence. But I take the 'r' off because it's so long, 'cause "ladies and gentlemen, Mr Barrington Spencer!" He died before the name was completed, so I'm saying 'Mr. Barrington Spence', y'know what I'm saying, is more sharp and more quick. My father didn't like that, he said it disown him. So he didn't care about my music career too much. So he want me to go to school up here to learn a trade called 'Slip covers and (inaudible) prints'. That's like we do couches and all them t'ing. So when I came... Q: What year did you come there? A: It would be... Q: '78? A: Yeah, around there. Q: To New York City. A: Yeah, New York. Straight up to Jamaica, Queens. And to Brooklyn, them places. And then I spend a little time there. I didn't go to that school, I didn't learn that trade. I don't want to do that t'ing no more. I was in the music business, so he didn't realise that and he want I to do it. So I stayed, I tend to come and to go, to please his... make him feel good. I didn't do it anyway. I start do some shows now, 'cause I met Ken Boothe when I came, and me and Ken Boothe start move around the group name... (claps to catch the memory), 'Rivers of Babylon' - the guy who sing that, what him name again...? Q: Ah, the Melodians. A: Melodians. I met the Melodians, I met with Ken Boothe, I met back with Roman Stewart, met back with Horace Andy, and we start do gigs all over, all over the States. All over the place, we keep show, shows in Brooklyn, New Jersey, Connecticut. We used to come to Houston long before I even live in Houston to the college name You're of Age. And with Dennis Brown, we used to do gigs at colleges down here about two-three times. And we go to a place Austin too, I forget the name of the place in Austin, but we did shows down there. We did a lickle show at that place... ("Liberty Lounge?" is mentioned in the background). Liberty Lounge, yeah (chuckles). Right. My mommy, my wife, she is born in Austin so she knows the place, Liberty Lounge, right. So that's what I've been doing, and then... Q: Then you recorded for this guy who got shot and killed back in '79, Everton DaSilva. A: Everton DaSilva. Yeah! With Roman Stewart. Oh my God, that was a good guy, it was a good...

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Article: Peter I (Please do not reproduce without permission)