Q: But, what did Mrs Pottinger do with this album, did you have any control of it? It was issued in England on the Trojan/Attack imprint at the time. A: Yeah, I didn't have any control over that, it was Sonia Pottinger who licensed it to Trojan. Q: Sounds like a familiar thing again... A: (Chuckles) You bet! Q: (Chuckles) But did you find out about it later or the news came quickly down to your quarters? A: Years after (laughs)! When I went to London I get to realise that, that this company released it. They were only paying her and she wasn't paying me. Q: Someone got pretty pissed off for some reason... A: You bet. Q: Who did you employ for the sessions for most of the album? A: Same musicians I use all the time, Family Man, his brother, Touter (Bernard Harvey) on keyboard, I would use like Hux Brown on guitar.

Hux Brown

Q: Where was the sessions, what studio? A: Well, we used like Dynamic Sounds, which is called... Yeah, Dynamic Sounds, that's what it was called from those times. That's in the seventies, in the sixties it was like West Indies Studio. In the seventies Byron Lee buy it out, he would claim Dynamic. So I did some recordings at Dynamic and I did some recording at Randy's studio, Randy's had a studio at the time. That's what people call 'VP'. Q: Today, yes. A: Yeah, ca' they're the one who used to have that store in Downtown Kingston, the record store was one of the main record stores in the business. It was one of the biggest t'ing I'd tell you (chuckles). That was a shop that used to be ever so packed with people buying records. I migrated since then. I went to work for Bunny Lee, I did some songs, and I had a contrac' with a company - Shelly Recording Company in London, after I went to London. And I did an album called 'Sit & Cry'. Q: So that was the second album project. A: Yeah. Well, 'Sit & Cry' album I did in England. Q: Why migrating at a time when you had success with your music in Jamaica, why leave it at that point? A: You see, the reason I migrated... it was all this political warfare, political war between rival parties.

Q: JLP against PNP. A: Yeah, 'cause I born and grow where all this is happening, I just couldn't stand it, y'know. Q: It was like a 'pressure cooker'. A: You bet. (Chuckles) So I migrated to England. But I keep going home and going back to England, I keep in and out. 'Cause I did a few songs in England, a lot of songs. I had a song called 'A Lickle Way Different', that was my first big song in England. Q: But that album for Count Shelly, 'Sit Down & Cry', was that something you produced yourself or was that his production? A: No, that was produced by Shelly. They sent for musicians from Jamaica, like Gladstone Anderson (piano), Jackie Jackson (bass), Hux Brown, just sent for the whole outfit. And we did that album in England, with strings and all of that (chuckles). Q: Wow, poshy. A: (Chuckles)

Q: Did you like the strings at the time? A: Yeah, 'cause it was a new thing. 'Cause John Holt had just had 'One Thousand Volts of Holt' with some strings, so it was like a new thing, reggae with strings. Q: More suitable for BBC airplay. A: Yeah, something new, adding more things to the music. Q: But in that way you kinda undermine the rawness, the 'grassroots' approach, the roughness of the dancehall music, watering it down to a pretty anonymous level, even if it's 'new'. A: The music? Yeah, I understan'. But we were trying to get to a wider audience, a wider set of fans. Q: It was a good relationship with Shelly, production-wise and otherwise? A: (Chuckles) Q: Same thing again. A: Yeah, but it wasn't big and successful, it's just that it's been selling same way over the years, even now. Q: So it's still in print, didn't know that. A: Still printing.

Errol Dunkley

Q: Who's putting it out, Shelly or someone else? A: Shelly. Q: Haven't seen it. I would assume he changed the cover art and stuff. A: World Enterprise. Q: Yes, yes, his eighties label. A: Yes. Q: Before we go further, tell me more about Radway, the one legged man. He's such a highly regarded producer these days, but he didn't stay in business for too long, did he? A: No (chuckles). Well, I did two songs for him and he recorded Leroy Smart too, and he did another song with Hortense Ellis, 'Hell & Sorrow'. 'Mother Liza' with Leroy Smart too, 'Hell & Sorrow' with Hortense. But those songs was originally for me to sing, but because I didn't get treated good on the 'Black Cinderella', I decided I wasn't gonna sing those songs. So he bring in Leroy Smart and give him one, Hortense get one (chuckles). Then after that as I told you, we went to England and I did this album for Shelly. And it wasn't a big thing but Shelly and I fall out, because we had an agreement. But he would have the album for England and Europe, and I would have the album for the United States. At that moment I was workin' with Brad's Record, Brad die now in New York.

Q: Brad Osbourne. A: Brad's Record... Yeah, yeah, that's it. Osbourne, that's his surname. Tad work with him, Tad's Record? Q: Tad Dawkins, yes. A: Tad used to be the man with Brad. Now Tad's doing his own thing. Yes, so after I had the album, when I did that album for Shelly, I went to the States to give it to Brad to release it. And when I get there, there was (chuckles)... a lot of foolishness, Brad tellin' me that. Shelly send the album, a lot of it, press it in England and send a lot of it over to the States to this guy called Winston Jones. So I was really upset. So when I went back to England I asked him "Wha' kinda t'ing is dat?!" Me and him have a deal, and he go against it, y'know wha' I mean. Q: Typical reggae runnings. A: So I stopped workin' with Shelly, we fall out. So I did a song with this group called Matumbi, Dennis Bovell? Q: Yes, yes, 'Blackbeard'... not so bearded anymore though. A: They liked the first album I did, that same Sonia Pottinger, and I had a song on it called 'Every Man Do His T'ing A Lickle Way Different' (the classic 'A Little Way Different'), and they made over the riddim and asked me if I would sing it. So I said, well, then I would listen it... 'Sound up to date, I'll voice it'. 'Cause I never really like to work on the riddim tracks them in England, y'know (chuckles).

Errol Dunkley

Q: How come? A: There was... You see, the riddim dem that make in Jamaica, they have a different kinda blend to it. Probably it is the sunshine, y'know (laughs)! Q: (Laughs) A: Ca' they use the same musicians them they use in Jamaica, same engineer, same type a studio, but you can't get the sound. Q: And maybe the herb is stronger too... A: That's right (laughs)! So I was very choosy with the riddims them that I sing on. Q: So you felt a bit 'uneasy' with what they accomplished in the studios of London. A: Yeah, true, true. Well, this riddim was exceptional, that's why I sung the song again. Q: I believe he put it out again recently on an Arawak twelve-inch. A: (Chuckles)

Q: Not sure if it's available anymore. A: Yes. So we did the song with the same kinda deal that I had with Shelly, so I gave it to Channel One, Jo Jo (Hookim) at the time. And he released it in New York. Dennis Bovell gave it to Arawak in England, and it was a successful song. Then I went home and I did... I went back to Jamaica and I did an album, and I had a song on it called 'OK Fred'. Q: That album, 'Profile of Errol Dunkley'. A: Yeah, so I licensed it to Shelly. And Warner Brothers... After Shelly and I fall out I still (laughs)... you know what I mean? Q: Why did you go back there again? A: Well, he was the one who heard the song and offered me a good thing. Q: It wasn't the Shelly imprint any longer, now he ran Third World, the shop and label. A: Yeah, he told me that I must give the song to nobody, at the time he was in America. So I told him that "Listen, I jus' spend a lotta money making this album, and I need certain things". So he say I mustn't give the song to nobody, so I wait till he came and - ca' the song was released in Jamaica, and it came to England on import. And it was just going like that. Q: And 'OK Fred' was originally a John Holt tune for Studio One. A: Ah, yeah. John did it, but it was an album track. And I did it as an album track too. But Dennis Bovell saw the power in the song, do the riddim again and I voiced it, and it was a big song - went number one in England in the reggae charts. And it did good in Africa too, and Europe. So I went home and I did this album, and I found a hit on it, 'OK Fred'.

Q: A pretty fantastic album too, very consistent productionwise, the 'OK Fred/Profile of Errol Dunkley'. A: Think so, yeah. 'OK Fred' album. That album is still selling unto today. Q: It ended up in France on the Celluloid label as well. A: Yes, I licensed the album to Celluloid Musical Communication. I did license it to them, like. Q: But are you still... A: They put it out but they haven't sent me no statement, no royalty statement for years. For years I haven't received a penny from these people. Yeah. But anyhow, I gave it to Shelly, then Warner Brothers phone Shelly up and said they can put it in the British chart. So I licensed it. I told Shelly to go ahead, because he couldn't do it without my consent, so he did. And the song... Q: ... took off. A: Yeah, just like that.

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