Q: Sure. I would like to know more about your productions with others, such as the one on your Sun Bird imprint by the Blue Bells, called 'Freedom Fighter' around 1979. Who were they, they did some work with Lee Perry and Tommy Cowan too, I believe?

A: Yeah, it was a group you know an'... but they just drop out of the scene and I never see them again. But I (chuckles) - I nearly forgot 'bout them too, lickle t'ing you bring it up! Yeah! Ca' them just get missin', an' me do another production with another group deh. Um, me do a production - you remember Chenley Duffus? He died a while ago, two years ago.

Q: Yes, I know. The guy who did 'To Be A Lover', originally.

A: Yeah. Me produce a songs for 'im but me never released them, yunno, ca' 'Talk About Love' (sings): 'Everyday people talk about love, on the one thing they still do killin' one brother, they say love to another, that ain't no love...'. And I went to the studio one day, and lift me bag with some tape at the studio till the guy there pick it up the next day. And I go fe him the next day, and about a week later me go back there, ca' one time him say him have the bag, and me call him a couple of times - all the tape gone. And me do another one name - with Naggo Morris (originally with the Creations).

Q: 'Ethiopia Is The Land'?

A: Yeah!

Q: With Naggo and Dean Stone together.

A: Yeah! That's right.

Q: Naggo Morris joined the Heptones around this time.

A: Yeah, that's right.

Q: Who was Dean Stone?

A: Dean...? I don't even know wha' Dean deh, y'know, Dean was Naggo's spar, yunno, ca' Naggo an' Dean used to spar, ca' Naggo never deh inna de Heptones yet, yunno. You see me? So, it was just Naggo and Dean (sings): 'Ethiopia is the land whe dreadlocks come from, I man got to move out of Babylon...'. Bad tune too, yunno! Bad tune, man.

Q: You still have them on tape? Any others you can recall?

A: Yeah. I did a lickle group deh, wha' the guy name...? At the studio him used to sing like Ken Boothe...

Q: Barrington Spence?

A: No, another one, man. Sing like Ken Boothe, man. Gosh, bro', me haffe go search an' find him name. Him do some tune deh fe me too, when you hear him yu t'ink a Ken, beca' all them t'ing deh me have still.

Q: You mean Douglas Boothe?

A: No. Wha' the guy name...? Oh gosh, me nuh remember him name right now.

Q: Tyrone Taylor?

A: No. By the way, yu ever hear what happen to Tyrone Taylor?

Q: I think he's still in Jamaica, did some recordings for Wackie's new label last I heard.

A: Oh gosh, what happened to Mr Tyrone Taylor... If a Tyrone dead that a big news, a no true? Yeah, I no wish dead fe no man still, I jus' ask you an' see.

Q: No, he's not dead, but he's back in Jamaica now. What about 'Black Green And Gold' on the Orange label, sounds like a Festival song to me.

A: Oh! 'Black Green & Gold', me do for Hugh King (sings): 'Black, green and gold, I am proud to be a Jamaican...'. And me do 'One One Cocoa', you did know about that one?

Q: For Grub Cooper?

A: Yeah.

Q: Haven't heard it, no. And one for Dickie Wong of Tit For Tat fame, 'Wet Baggy'?

A: 'Wet Baggy' (chuckles). You see a lotta tune me do, nah true? Yeah. I do a few music, man.

Q: So how come you entered dentistry?

A: Oh, you see it's inna me family line, y'know, me have some uncle weh do it. Me jus' waan fe do somet'ing different fe do. What actually happened, I was here and I was thinkin' seh, bwoy, if things a get rough and me haffe go back a Jamaica, and the music not workin' for me, I would a need a skill, don't it? So I went to Magna school and I studied dentistry, graduate, an' when I finish, I worked in the field fe a little time. But I realised seh, it an' the music don't work, ca' the two a dem is demandin'. So me jus' put it on the backburn again and just deal with music (chuckles). It's your ball de you haffe play, Pete. Nah true?

Q: Right.

A: Me waan say (chuckles), a nuff time me try run an' left this ya music, yunno, and I have to come back to it, 'cause a me Father want it. So, right now, me nah too-too try fe fight it, y'know? Beca' everything else me a go try, me come right back inna de music. So me jus' gwaan a t'ing inna de music (chuckles).

Q: So, futurewise, what can we expect from you? I hope you will do a proper job in cleaning up the 'Greatest Hits' and 'Third World Children' LP's for a proper CD reissue, and what is uncollected from the Cash, Telegraph and Sun Bird labels, that this will come out again in some form.

A: Yes, actually, what I'm plannin' to do, is to release those songs down the road very soon, maybe sometime next year. But I'm also gonna release an LP now, and like I say I'm not sure if it's gonna be 'The Melody of Jackie Brown - 20 Super Hits', or 'The Melody of Jackie Brown - 14 Super Hits'. And this will have a lot of the collector items that people are lookin' for right now, like 'Send Me The Pillow', 'One Night of Sin', 'Sheep & Goat' and 'Love Galore', and all dem tune. Because people are asking for that album right now, and I know when that album come, I'm lookin' forward for success and that I won't - because people is definitely looking for it. In the meantime, I'm working on an album to be released, following the success of this one that is out now.

Q: What was the current one out?

A: 'I Still Love You'. That one is out right now and it's doing very, very good for me. And I'm very happy to see that the people has accept me with open arms, yunno. And I'm happy about that, I'm looking forward to be doing it for the rest of my life. Just bringin' love, spread joy and bringin' music to the people of the world.

Q: '20 Great Hits', or '20 Super Hits', which label is that, and was it only released in Brazil?

A: No, the official label now, because technology advance now an' t'ing like that, so the old stuff is gonna come back on Cash label, it's quite possible. The new stuff is gonna come on JMB... JBM - Jackie Brown Music, that is the mother label. So it's quite possible that everything might come on JBM right now. Because I'm more organised now, me understand more in the business, me know more what is going on, and so everything will come on Jackie Brown Music. So that is gonna come out shortly, very, very shortly.

Q: I almost forgot to ask you about the stuff you did for Ameri-Jam label, some twelve years back.

A: Yeahhh... Yes, the things that I sang was (sings): 'I am looking for a woman or somebody who can love me only, but the woman...' - I don't even remember the name a the song, I think it name 'Eyes For You Only'. Yeah, that was one song I did for Dougie Spear, I did that song for Douglas Spear. That was just one song, and that was it.

What I hope Jackie will put some effort in doing, is to re-release the said first two albums in its entirety, 'Greatest Hits' and the following LP 'Third World Children', this time doing a proper job in cleaning it up sonically for the rest of the world to hear - in digital clarity. These works deserves it. Don't mistreat vintage music, you're only doing a disservice to yourself and the music if that happen. The public will not accept anything less than quality, anything less than that will be harmful in the long run. Invest in your past work and you will reap the benefits off it. Some of Jackie's 'hits' albums have been badly criticised for being a rush job, with a noisy sound, not filtered through any program whatsoever to get rid of disturbing crackle and pops or hiss, that just won't do. Not today. Rumours get spread out like wildfire. If something is not up to standard people will know in seconds, because we have the world-wide-web to find out if products are worth purchasing - or not. Quality is the key as they say. Follow the demands of getting a decent standard on your product and the sales will follow. And Jackie have nuff great songs to compile in the future to come, tracks that have never been issued on CD, which would make a decent job even more crucial for the general appeal. His songs have a lasting feel about them. They're very good to begin with, they would be even better if cared for. Jackie need to see the value of his back catalog and accordingly press up a few of his own independent productions to vinyl, why not begin with the Blue Bells title, followed by things like 'Ethiopia Is the Land' by Naggo Morris & Dean Stone. These would be appreciated in a big way, especially when so much new music is nothing but plastic, monotonous and superficial. Jackie's music embodies the human spirit, flesh and blood, it heals and uplifts. It will take you through another day in moments when this seems unlikely. And by the way, I still believe he hasn't lost his position as the housewife's choice out there...

7" single information courtesy Roots Knotty Roots.

In memory of Treasure Isle discographer Ken Jones. RIP.