Q: You just had to go along with it?

A: Right. Not that I didn´t know anything ´cos I knew ska, but I got into the business when it was slower, y´know.

Q: But reactions to the changes in the music at the time? Ska was suddenly "yesterday", now we have rock steady, and all of a sudden here's a beat or a style called "reggae"?

A: Yeah, but you see if you´re going through the process yourself, as an insider, then it's a different look. As opposed to someone, you know, looking into it from the outside who´s got at all times the whole picture. What it was, what it is, and what it could be, you know what I mean? So while you are on the going, while you are a part of whatever the change is, I don´t think you look at it with such a magnifier. You go with what feels natural, during that time.

Q: Simply put: progress?

A: Yeah! So that was me. I never looked at it as transition music. I never looked at it as "well, this is, you know, the baby to reggae". I was just a part of the rock steady era. From that time period that it lasted I was in it and I had no sense of, you know, "place and history" - if you will - of where the music was. I never had any sense of that ´cos as I said I am a part of it. I didn´t look at it, you know, with perspective.

Q: So, how come Keith & Tex never recorded for anyone else than Derrick Harriott, exclusively? Other producers approached you but you turned them down after the breakthrough, or what happened around that time? You stayed with and were pretty much loyal to Harriott all this time?

A: That's correct. Well, no, I never went. I liked the stable of guys that we were with, y´know? We all became friends and, in fact, friends for life. I mean, Rudy (Mills) and I spoke last year. I see Bunny Brown every time I go to Atlanta. Dennis Brown and I were always friends.

Q: Where's Rudy now?

A: Rudy is in Canada. Tex and I we speak every so often. Jr Soul, Junior Murvin.. when I went to Jamaica the other day, a few years ago, I..

Q: He´s still in Port Antonio, yeah?

A: I am not sure. We were on a show together, in Kingston, so I´m not sure where he lives. You made those kind of friendships during that time, that will never die. You know, a friend for life. So, that's what I take away from it. I got nothing, but..

Q: But it's kind of sad what happened to Jackie Bernard (of The Kingstonians; reports speak of heavy drug problems/P)?

A: Yeah, I´ve never met him over the years, our paths never crossed, y´know. Although the rest of the guys did. I saw Dennis (Brown) in Germany. I saw Dennis in different parts of the States, and you run into other guys in different places. But Jackie, we never did..

Q: Of all the recordings for Harriott, can you recall if there was a lot that never saw the light of day? If there was a lot more than what came out - if there's many unreleased songs by Keith & Tex?

A: No. Actually, I think he´s released them over the years, released everything of what we had. Don´t forget now that it was only three years that I recorded for him, ´67 to ´70. Because I left April 1970 for the States. And soon thereafter Tex went to Canada, so.. It was only a three-year bat or span, and the thing is you didn´t go to the studio every other month. There wasn't that many opportunities to record a bunch of stuff.

Q: So, what was Harriott's approach to production like, what did he ask for, musically and stylistically? A strong r&b feel in the backing, basically?

A: No, I don´t think so. See, at that time I don´t think Harriott was too much musically inclined. In other words, at that time, I probably played more music than he did (laughs)! But he was a good singer. But I think in terms of putting the music together, he went to Boris Gardiner or he went to someone in whom he trusted.

Q: Someone to rely on.

A: Yeah, and typically the people that he went to were the guys who thought the same way as he! In terms of what the music should sound like, you know what I mean? So what you hear on vinyl is typically what those guys were into. Not necessarily what Keith & Tex, outside of the voices, outside of the vocals, not necessarily what we brought. I mean, I would bring the chords, the basic chords.. "these are the chords that the song is in", and then these guys, you know, Boris or whoever else he had, they would put it together. A lot of other groups that were recording, did everything in the studio. They would come in, and typically the guitarist or the pianist would get the chords structured down, run the verse and then run the bridge, and then the recording process starts. We went into the studio basically knowing what the musicians, you know, what they´re gonna be playing. All what they would do now would be just ad-lib and make it more.. sweeten it, or whatever. But typically they went in knowing.. So, our sessions were pretty much straight-forward. We weren´t time-consuming. We didn´t spend hours upon hours in the studio. No, we never did. Because the rehearsal was done before we went in.

Q: Where was that done? Any particular rehearsal studio that Harriott used for his stable of artists?

A: No, Harriott would take us to, like, Boris Gardiner at his house and he would lay down the structure of the music, y´know.

Q: He (Gardiner) had like a big back-room or something for this?

A: He had a room, I know.. and he had a bass hooked up and a keyboard. And he was musically inclined! I mean (laughs), you know.. naturally, he´s good! And so.. he did all that. So, when we went to the session now you just had the ad-libbing, and Lyn Taitt he would just lay all over the music and make it all feel so good, y´know.

Q: Impressive guy.

A: Oh, Taitt? Absolutely, man. He did a whole lot for rock steady music!

Q: So moving up to 1970 now, the break-up of Keith & Tex wasn´t a "break-up" as such, was it? Like a dispute over money, artistic direction.. a big argument, and that's it? Like "we´re not gonna sing together any longer, because of.."?

A: Oh, no! Nah, we´re still kids. The break-up was done by..

Q: Were you both just fed-up with Harriott for whatever reason?

A: No. None of the above. The break-up was done because my parents were moving to the States. I followed my family, y´know. Same thing with Tex. I mean, we broke up because we were still teenagers and, you know, you go with your family. If I was getting paid, then it's a totally different game. Then I would have to think about this thing. Why am I staying, what would cause me to wanna stay?? I mean, nah! If I was getting paid I would certainly think about it, but there was nothing to think about.

Q: Moving up to the States, where did you and the family settle down now?

A: In Brooklyn.

Q: And did.. what?

A: Start getting a job. Gotta earn some money right away! I worked at different jobs. In those times you go to an agency. And they find you a job and then you´d be workin´, then they´d take money from your pay - as their payment, or you´d pay them. And then typically what happens, you move from job to job until you find yourself in a position where you think you can start ink/irk (?) out a living. Because when you first come to this country, no knowledge of work-opportunities, you gotta get something going. Whatever you can for the income of the family. In the first stages of your upheaval in life. So, that's what I did. I did get a better job at a Cinecorp (?). I worked for them for a while. During that time too, I started meeting people in music, y´know.

Q: How was the music scene in Brooklyn at that time, in the early 70s?

A: Yeah, it was slammin´! But it took me a while to get back into it.

Q: Disillusioned and fed-up with the music business?

A: No, I never was! Nah, never got fed-up. I just had to do something else. I mean, I had to make a living. The first priority was to make a living, so we did that. When you start making a living, you get a little more relaxed. Then you can start turnin´ your head left and right and lookin´ around you to see what's going on. So it took me a while to do that. Soon thereafter I started going to places and I used to do shows. This was even before I did anything formal. But some would hear about me, that I´m in town, I´m living here now. "Wha´app´n, man - you waan come do a show?". And what you would basically do is take your record, and play the B-side..

Q: The instrumental version.

A: The instrumental, you know what I mean. And sing that way.

Q: And this is at local dances in Brooklyn at the time. Was there any sound systems playing there around this time, we´re talking ´71-72?

A: Yeah, dances. Yep, yep. It wasn´t much sound system business. It was more.. not even clubs. There were dances, special nights. A gig that was put on by either an organisation or a guy. They´d hire you and you come up and do your thing. In some cases there was bands there. And maybe I´d rehearse with the band and do it that way, or I´d do tracks.

Q: Can you remember any visiting acts coming up from JA at that time? It is said then that Perry sent Jr Byles to do one or two shows in NYC, whether thats true or not?

A: Nah, during that time.. there weren´t many. It wasn´t like it is now, in the early 70s, y´know. At least in my experience it wasn´t like that. So, did some of that. Then I started getting connected with people now, who were either in bands.. Don´t know if you know about Rick Frater? Plays guitar.

Q: Yes, yes. He used to play sessions at Studio One?

A: Yeah, I knew him from Jamaica. Guys like that you would hook up with. You´d run into those on the train or you´d see at the dance, or something. Sooner or later you´d become connected again. Into the music. And then I started working with bands and you would get connected with a studio, you´d start do singles again. Gettin´ back in the groove.

Q: There's actually one solo release bearing your name from 1971 on the (Randys) Impact label, called ´Down By The Riverside´..?

A: That wasn´t me.

Q: Are you sure?

A: Positive. You are the second person who ask me that! Anyway, that was not me. Never recorded for Randys.

Q: So, what were some of your records at the time? Released in New York only?

A: Yes, released in New York. ´Best Time of My Life´..

Q: What was the label for that one?

A: "FAR".

Q: There's another song on that label called ´Out of Many, We Are One´.

A: Yep. That was the "New York Reggae Festival Song" for 1975.

Q: Produced by one "F. Adams"?

A: No, "Franno" - Francis. "Franno" we called him, and he had a studio. He had a studio at Millwood Lane, or Millwood Street, in Brooklyn. That was my stable. I never ran around to different studios, never did that. Always found a home and messed it there. And I´d bring people in. But I never was one to run all over the place.

Q: There's another one.. Did you have your own label at that time?

A: I had my own label, yeah. "KEBAR" - which is my name: Keith - Barrington - Rowe. Shortened to KEBAR. I did a few songs on that label.

Q: So, you had ´Best Time of My Life´, and ´Cheating´ on DM for Denroy Morgan?

A: Uhm (laughs).. thats a story! Yeah, I actually arranged that song for him. Took him to studio, and recorded it with some of the guys that I played with.

Q: Is that you singin´ it?

A: Yeah, I had to sing it. I was forced into singin´ it! This is still early 70s.. It was Denroy's song but we had difficulty with him singing it. To not waste the entire session I laid the tracks down and then we released it. But, it was a tough recording session. Difficulty singin´ it, so.. Without going into a lot of details, so we´ll leave it at that.

Q: Then you had two titles like ´Dearest Mother´, and ´Quitting Is Tragic´ on the Turtle label?

A: I don´t remember ´Dearest Mother´. ´Quitting Is Tragic´, yeah. I remember that. But that label, no.

Q: And there's ´I Nah Born Ya´, on KEBAR?

A: Right, right (laughs)! Yeah. That's on the KEBAR label. That was in response to Ernie Smith's.. or was it Pluto Shervington's ´I Man On Ya´? Yeah, that was the answer to it - from a New York perspective (laughs)! I mean.. "I man on ya, I´ve got to deal with what I´ve got here". So that was my answer to his song.