Q: How did you find recording for Perry? This was cut at the Ark or recorded somewhere else, like Randy's?

A: Yeah, at his house home in Washington Gardens, right. So, I were rehearsing with Time Unlimited at Duhaney Park, round at the hillfoot at Duhaney Park we were rehearsing every day. And then we seh 'Alright, we're heading off for Scratch', beca' they were the ones who got the connection for Scratch.

Q: So tell me about how you became a member of that group?

A: Alright, at the rehearsal, like the audition/rehearsal for Rupie Edwards, that is before Junior Delgado even joined the group. So we were rehearsing for Rupie Edwards, so it's like every Sunday he do recording... You know Rupie Edwards from the Success label, right?

Q: Right.

A: Yeah. And, at the rehearsal they were the top group and I were the top solo artist, and so we become brethrens, y'know, after that we keep in touch. Because of we keep in touch that is how I get to know them and them know me. And then Junior Delgado, he's now in the group.

Q: But they had done a tune on the 'Skanga' rhythm entitled 'Rasta Dreadlocks' (credited to the 'Heaven Singers' to avoid conflict with Perry) for Rupie, with Delgado in the line-up at this point?

A: Yeah, it was Junior Delgado, Orville Smith as the founding member, Hugh Marshall, and Porti.

Q: Right, Glasford Manning.

A: Yeah, Glasford Manning, but we call him 'Porti'. So they were the four members, 'cause Time Unlimited start out originally with four members. So, what I would do some of the time, where I were living at that time was, like, around six miles away to Duhaney Park, so some of the time I just walk the six miles, y'know, to get to them. While doing a lotta walking I get a lot of inspiration, a lot of inspiration with the music, y'know, lyrically, and that is how I go to rehearse, a one away. You know, while walking I jus' sing, sing out, every day. Actually every day we meet and rehearse, the whole day. We jus' cook, cook an' eat, rehearse, then smoke herb (laughs).

Q: (Laughs)

A: Then when evening come we jus' split up, yunno. When night come we just split up, and just seh 'Tomorrow, we meet again!' And it was just nice (laughs).

Q: Just music, music, it take up most of the day.

A: Music, music. And Porti is the one, Glasford Manning is the one that got like an acoustic guitar, so he's the one who plays the guitar.

Q: Tell me more about Porti, he's an obscure figure from this period but he surely deserves more attention from past work with the Jewels and some solo recordings as well. He was older than the rest of Time Unlimited, and he used to sing at Studio One in the sixties from what I know.

A: Yeah, I think so. Yeh, you know Jamaican music is so tough on certain musician, y'know, when you record you get more exploited. And then now, the producers, when them realise artists who got a little more knowledge in the business, they give them more exploitation because they know that 'Alright, yes, aha!' They want to record artists but don't give them anyt'ing, yunno. When you realise as I say when them songs end up in Europe, when you realise that them make a lot of money off your head, and you don't make one cent. That is really how the music industry in Jamaica is brought up, yunno.

Q: Rip-off.

A: Rip-off, strictly rip-off, y'know. Yeah man.

Q: How did you find Porti, would you say he was the creative force or leader for the group?

A: Yeah, well, he and Junior Delgado was the two lead singers for Time Unlimited at that time. So, Junior Delgado left the group.

Q: Why did he leave, because Scratch talked him into it, to go solo?

A: As I say they do an album for Scratch, but he was so forceful, yunno, pertaining to the business, right, and eager to make his name. And Scratch didn't like his attitude because he was too forceful.

Q: So Scratch shelved the album?

A: Yeah.

Q: And would you say Scratch had any part of this, that he broke up from the group and branched off on his own?

A: I think so, he start to hook up with Dennis Brown. So is like he say for himself that is a way for him now to get a break, instead of being with the group, hookin' up with Dennis Brown - that is the adventure for him to get that break, so him jus' split. Then now, we as Hugh Marshall, Glasford, Jah Youth... is Orville Smith, right, but we call him 'Jah Youth', and as I say that's how we start to rehearse together as Time Unlimited. I hook up with them and them say alright, we're gonna work as Time Unlimited. At the same time I'm working as a solo artist, but still keep it as a member. That is how we went to Scratch, '74. Right. That is how we did that song called 'Hound Dog', it don't release in Jamaica but it could be that he release that in England. So we did that song as Time Unlimited, 'Hound Dog', and I did the solo song called 'Raindrops'. That day when I record that song and sang the vocal to that solo song 'Raindrops', Scratch was so impressed that he said, "You know what? Go back in the studio, and deejay!" Right? So, I do a singin' vocal and a deejay vocal on the same riddim, my riddim, it's an original riddim, right, and I don't know what happened to those songs.

Q: Who played on that riddim?

A: You know what? I think - I forget the musician them but I know that, I think... Nah, I don't really remember the musicians name, y'know.

Q: Could Watty Burnett have played on it, he stepped in quite a few times in those days to replace on various instruments, that's what he told me at least.

A: From the Congos? Yeah, but he wasn't playing instrument. Because the Congos were jus' Watty, Shanti Roy and Cedric, so they were doing their own t'ing. Shanti Roy were mostly the one who play guitar, yunno, when they're rehearsing, when them sing is Shanti the one who play the acoustic guitar. But they don't really rehearse at Scratch, they mostly rehearse over at Shanti house, y'know.

Q: Where was that?

A: We call that 'Rebel Park', in St. Catherine, and Cedric (Myton) were living in Duhaney Park. They mostly do rehearsal at Shanti house. So, after that I take a break again because the attitude was so (laughs).. you know? Like, they start to get so... upset and peeny-weeny like - too much. Hugh Marshall say he's splittin', he can't take no more of the tribulation and exploitation, what's going on. Alright, after that we get back to rehearsing since Hugh Marshall split. In '77 I head back to Scratch, y'know.

Q: Did you have a regular job around this time to...

A: No, no. No job. Our minds were just concentrating on singin'. I was just - one of my favorite things I do, like a hobby, do fishening. Not just fresh water fishening, river, not the ocean. Just catch fish, and some of the time we catch so many fish we sell some of it. Make some money, buy some herb, buy some food, an' just cook some food and have herbs to smoke, and jus' live. In '77 as I say I head back to Scratch.

Q: So there was a couple of years gap before you decided to try again at the Ark. How did that come about, had you left Time Unlimited at this point?

A: I was out of the group at that time.

Q: What about some Time Unlimited songs like 'Give Me Love' with Delgado, 'Unfaithful', '2000 Years', that one was on Chinna's High Times label anyway.

A: '2000 Years'? Yeah, that is me, Donovan Joseph, and Orville. That song was written by Donovan Joseph, that come as a Time Unlimited song. But the first song that come back as Time Unlimited is 'Nature In Love', is actually Frankie Paul do the whistling in the beginning of that song. Back in 1980 we go to Sly (Dunbar) and take audition, and we record a song for Sly. That song is written by I, it's called 'Living In A Jamdown'. And that song, I don't know if he release it in England or Europe, but he didn't release it in Jamaica. I wrote it and I lead-sing that song. After we record that song Sly said, "This is a number one song", only to hear from Sly later on that the song was protesting. And at that time he didn't like what was going on in Jamaica pertaining to the politically... you know? So he say he was afraid to release that song. And I don't see where that song was protesting and it is no gains that is pertaining to his music career as a producer. Is only a part of exploiting again.

Q: What about a Time Unlimited tune for Scratch called 'African Sound' - or alternatively titled 'Rastaman Going Back Home', that was on the Upsetter label.

A: Well, that is a... oh, I don't know, I don't know anyt'ing about that song. So maybe it's the Junior Delgado time.

Q: Probably. Another single was 'One Road' on the Africa label.

A: Yeah, that is our song, we produce that song. That is in the eighties we produce that song.

Q: Plus there's 'Win My Love' for Joe Gibbs.

A: 'Win My Love'! That, we record that song before we go to High Times, right. Because, how we get to Joe Gibbs you see, I brethren, that is the one who influence me pertaining to recording business, and Ronald Williams that is my closest brethren who influence me to the music business, as an artist. He is the one who do that for me, him say, "Hugo, yunno, you have the talent to go into the recording business". But he was working with Joe Gibbs, right, he was like a bodyguard for Joe Gibbs, alright, but somet'ing happened and he was charged for murder. He go to prison and he was sentenced to hang, but he appeal with the appeal, right. So when he appeal with the appeal is like he did nine years and Joe Gibbs do some paperwork for him and he come out. So when he comes out he is the one now, because Joe Gibbs make a studio now - he did have a studio in Duhaney Park before, but he move his studio to Retirement Crescent. And my brethren now is the one who take us to Joe Gibbs as Time Unlimited and we record that song even though he didn't release it in Jamaica. That's another part of exploitation.

Q: But someone told you that he had it pressed...?

A: In Europe. We only got a slight idea that he release it in Europe. Never really know strong about it, just a slight idea. So you people in Europe (chuckles) get more information more time than us.

Q: How did you find Errol T and Joe Gibbs to work with?

A: Well, as I say my brethren Ronald Williams - I call him 'Biggie', and he just take us and Errol say, "Record these guys", that is what he tell Errol, just to record them, and Errol jus' record us. It was an original riddim.

Q: Who backed you on that song, Lloyd Parks and the rest of the Professionals?

A: Yeah, Lloyd Parks and those, because at that time Culture was the top act, at that time.

Q: But while recording for Rupie's Success label, were you a part of the group when 'Run Baldhead' was recorded?

A: No, that was Glasford Manning, Junior Delgado, Orville Smith and Hugh Marshall.

Q: So what made you split from the group in the mid seventies, was there any fight about musical direction or leadership, or what was the cause for it?

A: No fight, no fight, it's just because of tribulation. Nutten about fight, just tribulation and exploitation. I figure I better do somet'ing, some solo t'ing (chuckles) to see if I can make a break. Because if we have to get back together again, then it so happened, yunno.

Q: Even if you were out of the picture, did the Time Unlimited continue?

A: Yeah, but not rehearsing that much. So we haffe get together as Time Unlimited with Orville Smith and Donovan Joseph, and the group already have a name out there. And we were rehearsing the tunes every day because Chinna (Smith) was tellin' us that it have to be real tight when recording, so we rehearse every day, rehearse every morning in Trench Town before Chinna go on tour. And Chinna say, "Alright, you know what? Orville Smith as the founding member and three a you as brethren is going solo, so jus' organise and get back together as Time Unlimited". So we come back together as Time Unlimited.