Q: Can you recall the first sessions for High Note, if tracks like 'That's Life' was among the first you cut, was it?

A: Yeah. That was the first recording for High Note. That's what I recall, the first recording I think.

Q: What inspired you for that song?

A: I heard the Frank Sinatra, 'That's Life'. You know what I mean? It spun from the Frank Sinatra song.

Q: Adjusting the lyrics to your own situation.

A: Exactly, I just put it in my own way of what's happening then, make it as near reality as I could, what was happening then, y'know. The things that I say, that my mother always say is like things that I did mention in it, it's always similar with the song (inaudible) also, so I just put that little bit in it, also.

Q: It was mainly Lyn Taitt & The Jets who Mrs Pottinger employed for the High Note sessions, correct? And people like the late Aubrey Adams on piano?

A: Maybe, maybe. Through I can't recall them, I can't... The only person I could remember is the bass player, and I still don't know, I can't remember his name (laughs)! It's a big guy.

Q: It's Jackie Jackson, wasn't it (Jackie tends to be a shadow over these interviews, 'the big dark guy with the bass'...)?

A: Yeah, yeah. That's it. Yeah, that big one (laughs)! All I could do was hiding when he was spotting me (laughs)! And Lyn Taitt, yeah.

Q: On guitar, yes.

A: Yeah.

Q: A true master of rock steady guitar. What was Lyn like to work with in those days?

A: Quite a smooth guy and he make all the arrangements, it was very smooth, very relaxed. You know what I mean (laughs)? Yeah, I always admired that he was a smooth guy in his arrangements. Everything coming out of that era, the rock steady, y'know, was him. And Gladstone Anderson, he was on the keyboards, he was quite a player.

Q: Where was this recorded, what studio did Mrs Pottinger use?

A: I think it was in West Indies. I'm not... Wow! You take me back (laughs)! I think it was West Indies (which later became Dynamic). It was... oh gosh! Yes, this was in West Indies, I'm trying to remember the engineer, it was quite an engineer. He work now at the consulate, he went.

Q: Would that be Graeme Goodall? A white guy, Australian.

A: No, no. It wasn't that man. It was - he used to work with JBC, Jamaican Broadcasting when he went with West Indies.

Q: It could be this guy 'Andy Capp'?

A: Yeah (laughs)! I think it's that guy, yeah. I think that's the guy.

Q: I believe his real name is Lynford Anderson.

A: Yeah, but he's here in New York. I haven't seen him for quite a while now but I've met him like every so often, quite a while back.

Q: So what did 'That's Life' do for you, it took off and hit the charts pretty fast for you and Mrs Pottinger, didn't it?

A: Yeah, but I didn't get nothing or much from it, through then I left the island somewhere around there, Mrs Pottinger would give my mother money from the royalties, but they never get much, or nutten. But whenever I visit the island she's always saying like 'Oh, yeah, we find the blues, I know' (laughs)! Like, I'm not aware of what's happening, I just let it go, let it go. But she received all of whatever I'd get, nothing much.

Q: What was Mrs Pottinger like to work with, what did she throw into the production, she was quite active in shaping the sound of your songs?

A: No. Nothing more than the financial part of it. That's how they do it, they finance it. She had a gentleman from RJR, her 'buddy' (chuckles), and he was always there and I don't know what he did, but he just stand there (laughs)! Other than the musicians to my stuff, she don't contribute to that part of it, other than the finance.

Q: So you laid tracks sporadically over, say, a one-year period between '68/69 before you left for the States? Then there was this album 'Stay A Little Bit Longer', she issued that when you had left I guess.

A: Yeah, she made it with the songs I did for her, she tried to compile it for an album, which I wasn't aware of for the longest time.

Q: It wasn't that many albums released in Jamaica by singers at this time, still, but she never suggested 'let's do an album' while you worked with her, it was never any concrete plans to do such a thing?

A: No, no. The only time she spoke about it was when I went back on the island, which was like after ten years. And I went to her place on business and I saw the album, like a room stuck with album covers, and I mean it's (laughs) - all my album covers that I'm seeing, like 'Wow! Hey!' (laughs)! Then she had the studio at the back, she never really take me up to the studio but there was the studio in the back, and all that, through somebody else told me all this. But she was always pretending, like 'Ohh, we still don't find the blues'. I tell her 'look!' (chuckles). She was saying like there was no money up in there for me, but she have a whole room full of the album covers. But I was trying. I try, and that's it (laughs)!

Q: A shame that you couldn't get what you were supposed to get, for such great work.

A: Yeah. That's just life, but I guess that's how it went. Maybe that got me kinda reluctant, I guess that kinda pull me away from it all.

Q: Your lyrics, the 'events' in them, what was rooted in real life and what was fictional? Like, for instance the superb 'Don't Believe In Him', that one sounds pretty desperate to me (laughs)!

A: (Laughs) Yeah! It's just stories like, y'know, you just try to be a good storyteller. That was just a fiction. There is somewhat I'd say, y'know, by percentage that some of it, maybe ten per cent.

Q: That was like from your own family situation?

A: Yeah. But the songs - my songwriting was basically on like story-book telling, y'know what I mean. I was just trying to put it together.

Q: What other songwriters did you look to for inspiration in those days?

A: Well, in the beginning when I met Boris, Boris' brother, he was a writer for the group.

Q: What's his name?

A: 'Taze', but they just call him 'Taze', or something like that. But I guess that was just a nickname, that was from his father, what they used to call him, and Boris. But then, writing, one of the early guys that I look upon was Stranger - Stranger Cole, he was quite a writer. He write songs (laughs), and what I admired with him is what he makes a song of - whatever he sees out there, man (laughs)! He makes it (into) a song, I mean through we tried a little bit together, Stranger. But he's always making songs, man! Always writing songs, quite a writer.

Q: You wrote together?

A: Well, y'know, if I did I don't recall but I'm sure I did, like put some input there. But is like I said we trod along for a while. But he is quite a writer, he make songs out of just about anything.

Q: If someone like Alton Ellis had some problems with his babymother at the time, it was said Coxson could be assured of a couple of hits out of the situation (laughs), but perhaps it wasn't the same type of friction how you had things familywise. Anyway, this can bring out some strong moments in music, that's for sure, stormy relationships.

A: Well, it was just like story-book telling. I was kinda happy-go-lucky like I say in my teenage, until my son came about. But then I still didn't know how to handle it, just like that I get out, I leave the island and gotta come to the US.

Q: When recording for Tip Top/High Note, and getting the first hits, were you approached by other producers? Can you recall any independents who wanted a piece of the action?

A: When I did it for Mrs Pottinger? I don't remember. To date I'm sure that guys like Bunny Lee, like he. But the only thing I did for him was like the recording with Slim Smith, I can't remember if that happened. Through I wasn't really that much for going out, like say well, OK, like I said I just keep to myself. Like most of the time I try to get from the east to the west, take the bus - I don't recall any other promoters as such.

Q: Well, if you kept being for yourself then they had a hard time finding you, so it sounds like you were a bit of a recluse in those days?

A: Well, yes, you could say something like that. True, I wasn't really an outgoing person as such, like with things that's happening (laughs), y'know what I mean.

Q: Right. I thought it was a bit strange that you never recorded for Duke Reid, did that ever cross your mind? 'Delano Stewart at Treasure Isle', nice thought somehow.

A: Well, even Stranger, me and Stranger was recording for Duke Reid, he tried to introduce me but I just wasn't interested. Somehow the area Duke Reid was in, it turned me off somewhat, and I just never go into that place, y'know what I mean. Even though I go to school right about in that area, but the recording spot - the atmosphere just wasn't right, as far as I'm concerned.

Q: I suppose you were aware of his reputation, with his guns and all that.

A: I heard, I heard. But he lives right there in Vineyard Town. But like I say I didn't deal with that man (laughs)!

Q: Scared?

A: No, through I was from a... when I leave school I was mostly inclined with the Rasta-ism, so that was how the whole thing was, y'know. I was trying to be with Rasta. Rastafari?

Q: Yes, I know about it. I never thought or expected that you were deeply involved with Rastafari though.

A: Yeah, even though I never did dread or so - but I was, back then. Through I met, when with the Rhythm Aces, I met these two man that went to Ethiopia to meet the Emperor.

Q: Right, one of them was Mortimer Planno.

A: And the other guy - Dougie, I met Dougie on the east and that's where I wind up at his place, and get a lot of tutoring, y'know what I mean? Just listening to what's happening and all that. So my upbringin', when I left school and started with the Rhythm Aces, I went right into the Rastaman camp.

Q: Where was that - in Bull Bay, or around Back O Wall?

A: On the east, on the east side, we were on Winward Road, actually. That's where Dougie lived, he had a house there. Dennis (Moss) and his brothers, Dennis is from Ethiopia, the guy that was with the Rhythm Aces, and his bigger brother he had - he's a piano player, so his piano was at Dougie's house. So that's how all of that ties in, I met Dougie and listened to what they had to say about Rasta-ism, and so on. So that was rooted. They had an early age, somewhat.

Q: What about the Rasta influence on BB and Maurice? Were they getting into this as well at the same time?

A: No. No, not really. Like, BB just coming out of college. Maurice had an accident of some sort, and he fell off a bike, it disfigures a part of his face out. But he survived all that, y'know. But other than that, no. They wasn't into the Rasta-ism, y'know.

Q: At least among the producers, and perhaps the public too, Rasta sentiments wasn't widely accepted, but were all this something that you wanted to express in the lyrics at the time, but couldn't?

A: Yeah, then I was in a developing stage of my life, y'know. But it's like I wouldn't even think in expressing that part of it, even though it comes naturally, like in 'Joy In The Morning'. You ever hear that song?

Q: Yeah, superb song it is too. Classic.

A: Yeah, yeah. It just comes and expresses, goes back into what I feel, learn, hear. You know? I didn't express outwardly toward OK, 'this is Rasta about'. Within, it has an expression on what I am thinking about. But then I usually write songs, it's like more than one to mention (laughs)! You could reflect from the same sound, y'know.

Q: Perhaps not the right word for it, but your message pertaining to Rasta is kinda hidden within some of those songs then, sort of camouflaged. You had to, in those days.

A: Yeah, yeah! But it's not directly rooted as that, but it comes from that. Certain songs, y'know. Then I heard sometime later on someone was mentioning - joining me once, that someone sang 'Jah Bring I Joy (In The Morning)'.

Q: You mean Bobby Melody? He had a hit with that in the mid seventies, for Joe Gibbs (issued on Trojan in the UK).

A: Yeah, he sang it over. But then, I wouldn't have expressed it like that. I did it (laughs) my way, y'know.

Q: How did you react when you heard that version?

A: Yeah, it bring a joy for me to know that somebody get that inspiration from it, y'know. It's a good feeling, someone express the thing that I didn't.

Q: Or couldn't do at that time, at least not to be so direct.

A: No, to be so direct, yeah, that's it. It's just that (laughs) I went around it somewhat.

Q: Why migrate to the US at the height of your popularity? What was the reason why you left at that point? By the way, did you do any solo performances in Jamaica, after leaving the Gaylads (where BB continued for a few years with Maurice and Ricardo 'Ricky' Grant as The Gaylads, then left to pursue a successful solo career and Maurice reformed with the Thaxter brothers, once singing as Righteous Foundation in the mid seventies for Jack Ruby, then switching back to the Gaylads, then The Psalms, and so on)?

A: No, somehow I didn't work in live performance, it was only for recording I did that. But when I came here I did one show, that was with the Diamonds. The Diamonds was in New York at the time and I did that show at the Hunter's College, and some other places.

Q: Recognition locally was from being played on the sound, and through airplay. What was that like, if you did, to walk into a dance locally and hear 'That's Life' blasting out loud from the speakers, circa '68?

A: It was quite a popular song but I didn't travel much, more than from point A to point B (laughs)! So other than people are telling me about the sound, but on the radio I hear it so I'd listen to the radio. By this time I was getting very reluctant of the whole business. I couldn't grasp my hands on to 'how is it about...?', y'know. And there's nobody to lecture you as you'd like say, well, give you a run down. Through one guy, he became the Prime Minister in Jamaica and he was a thief of the whole thing, took all the money (laughs), y'know what I mean. Yeah, he introduced us to the Performing Rights at first, and I didn't see any of that money. I mean, if everybody came and dipped their hand in that thing, only a few guys like Prince Buster, and so on, would get something together at the start of this thing, then it started to get... We ban that whole thing, and we reject it because 'what am I doing this for?' You know? People bowed. Even though BB was like he would see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I can't see that light (laughs)! You know what I mean? So, it's a frustration. And, I mean, we talk about it, when I was with the Gaylads we do x amount of recordings but don't get that money from Downbeat, then... we could do our own production. We talked about it and then people go on doing different things, that's what's causing the break-up and all this of the group, and all that. Through, we talk about one thing and you do another. So, these was some of the things that contribute to the breaking up of the group, and the frustration overall. It break you down (laughs), y'know what I mean? So when I came here (to America) I had a breakdown, a nervous breakdown. And it all attribute to whatever was going on in my head, what I had been through. But, y'know, like I tell my younger son now how glad I am I survived all that, and the thing is like I could reflect and look at it in a different light, not getting angry and so on but say, well, OK, I'm a survivor - whatever it is, y'know (laughs)! And so I just go on and taking it a day at a time.