Q: What's the difference in style, pattern, between say you and Boris and Jackie? What would you say is identifiable? A: Well mine is if a one knows the music, y'know, because I came with a new style. Beca' everybody was playing the regular t'ing, y'know. Like the new style was after the one - after the first beat, I would start my line. Like 'Satta'? 'One, two, three, four, one, boo doo bo do, one, boo doo bo do, one'. You see? If you understand. Yeah. Q: OK, yours is the slight delay. A: Yeah. Let the beat start before I start playing. And I created a lot of great lines like that, man. A lot of that. Q: Did you work out at Randy's for any extensive period? A: Not a lot, no. I played a couple of song for a couple of people. Its usually the people that hire the studios, and hires the band, and we would go do that. Q: So you didn't do much work for the Chins? A: No, no.

Q: One Randy's favourite is 'Ain't No Woman' on their Roots From The Yard label, the Four Tops tune, must've been cut circa '75 or so, you remember that one? A: Yeah. Yeah man, I wonder if it's we who played that, I don't think I played on that though. Yeah man, we did that. Q: I love when the group trades vocals on it, shifting verses. A: We did about two or three different version of that. Yeah man. Q: When you left Studio One, you more or less focused on songwriting and singin', leaving the bass and session work behind? A: No sir, I did whatever I had to do, y'know. In the sense of who it is that hire me to play bass I played bass. But after a while the bass playing like you said died, because people don't see me any more as a bassman, I don't know why. Beca' when I appeared I appear as a singer I guess, for the group thing. Q: What was basically the cause of the split with Earl and Barry? A: For me I can't take the weight no more. Q: That's how you felt, constantly arguing, disagreements one after the other. A: It's the weight too, man. Its too hard to carry. Q: More like a burden than anything else. A: Yeah man, because it's all a burden, man. And it's easier when you're young, man. Me old brain, I can't take it at all. Strain. After teachin' them and they just... and they're indisciplined too. Because some people drink a lot, I mean the heavy stuff. That and singin' no work, 'cause when they (inaudible) it out, pure shit come out your mouth. Q: So you called it quits in '77 and went solo now? A: Bwoy, I tried too. Because a lot of people crying I tried to put it together about two times after that but it couldn't work, like vibes.

The Heptones

Q: After the 'Party Time' album? A: Yeah. One guy did all the operation, the guy - because of alcoholism - and I told him him mustn't drink anymore, him drink same way. I said to him, "OK, we gonna try this one more time. You have to promise me that you're gonna stop, you cannot drink while you are workin' with me. When we're going onstage, doing shows, you can't drink. You've got to stop that." I cannot control the situation when they've got nothing to do, but I tried to bring it up to both that 'don't drink when you come around me'. When you come around me its work-time. That's all I'm asking, if they could promise that they would give it a chance... "oh yeah, oh yeah". First couple of times you see no drinkin', but when you see the first beer start appear, and the one Guiness, but you know when you see its two its gone "auh auh"... Oh, fuck that, man! They come on stage all you pants zip down, and you're so high you can't sing, until you zip up. You're way off key, ca' you juice is tellin' you to mock me. It must be (sighs). Q: Embarrassment for all in the end. A: Yeah man! I don't want to think of any mockery, man. Yeah. I don't want that, I don't need that. But me alone out there now, all I have to depend on is meself, man. If I do a bad t'ing its because of me, I can't blame no-one else. And when I go out there on me own more time and ninety-nine percent of the time I get top reviews. Q: You're in charge. A: Exactly. Q: What was some your first solo recordings while still in the Heptones, like 'Love Won't Come Easy' for (Augustus) Pablo? A: And even while in the group at Studio One I did solo songs, like 'Sea of Love', like 'Sweet Talkin''. I can't remember - I do a few other songs, man. Even on 'Night Food' album, the song about 'Mama Say' - a solo song, all those voices there, apart from the girls, are mine. Yeah man. 'Cool Rasta Cool' - that's all me, all a dem voices deh. Q: Where were the others at that time? A: I (laughs)... somewhere, y'know. Yeah.

Leroy Sibbles, London 1984

Leroy Sibbles, London 1984

Q: Who actually wrote that track of tracks by the way, the mighty 'Book of Rules'? A: Now, that's a good one. When I left Canada, went down and meet these guys, right, we used to smoke up in Half Way Tree there, by a place called Ambrook Lane, yeah man, at a guy called Statius. When I went round there another guy, another Rastaman round there, came to Barry with this idea: 'Isn't it strange how princesses and...'? Q: '... and kings'. A:'... and kings', yeah. 'In clown ragged capers in sawdust rings'. Just how he gave him the whole of that part, right, and then Barry put the melody that he had to that part there now and even keep singin' that and couldn't find nutten else. When I came I heard him with just that, y'know, meet all the guy who gave him the idea and all of that, I knew the man who he went to. So he was stuck on it, and I realise he liked it, so I got my guitar and sit down with him and we worked out chord structures to the whole thing, harmonies, y'know. It's from some old folklore, it's coming from some... yeah. So I helped with the arrangements and we all worked out the harmony stuff, the "baa ba baa ba" - Barry him came up with that too, the "baa ba baa ba baa", so I just worked out the harmonies out with him, worked the chord structures, put the right chords. I chose these chords that lay there on the song, and I did it all structured out and got two verses and rey rey rey, y'know, put it all together. Went to the studio, I arranged the harmonies how we had it. Each man had his part, and went to the studio there, I played the bass on it again. And that's one of the most unusual basslines in reggae music, you don't think that? Q: I think the whole song itself is unusual, not just the bassline. A: It's unusual, it's true. Everything about it, for real. It's such a great song. Q: Yeah, it is a masterpiece in every true sense of the word. A: Yeah. It is. Q: A true classic. A: Yeah man.

Q: That one came on the 'Rockers' soundtrack too. A: Yeah, more than one. I think it came on more than one movie, I think so. Q: I'm pretty sure you didn't get much in terms of compensation for that? A: Not much. I wonder why too because all that... well, maybe it's not been selling out (laughs)! Q: Do you recall an early solo track you did after leaving the Heptones back in '78, called 'Ain't No Love (Like My Baby's Love)'? A: Yeah I did that for meself, yunno. Q: I think that one came out as a 12" on DEB, Castro and Dennis Brown's label. A: Yeah? I don't know that. I must've given him a cut of it or so. Q: What was the Jamaican release for it? A: Clappers I think. Q: Clappers? A: Yeah I think so. Q: What was the reason for your move to Canada? That was in '75? A: '74. Well, we went to England and I remember we just did a tour. After we did the tour, the Island tour for the album ('Night Food'), I had a girlfriend and we were going back to Jamaica, so she went to Toronto, she came there. We were corresponding while I was in England, so I decided to stop, check her out before I go back home. And while I was here I decided... the stay extended, y'know. So I got the Heptones here by a big show, a major show, a producer want it, so I got the other guys here. And we were all here for a while till they left back to Jamaica. I stayed on, got married and all of that, and was going back and forth, y'know. Q: So you were settled in Toronto while those Island albums were made, staying in Jamaica for a while and then back to Canada and back again? A: Yeah. I was still here. Q: Even though you had internal problems within the group, being separated like that with you off the island and they residing there, it must've been harder to maintain it all and keep the group together during that time? Or perhaps the opposite? A: Yeah man, and I was frustrated, tired and all that. So this rest here was doing me good, I was losing my mind. Q: Right, if you had stayed in Jamaica. A: Yeah. If I had stayed with them too any longer, cho man, I needed some space, man!

Q: How did you find Canada at first? A: I was tiring like hell. If I would've been in the States I would have done much better, in one way or the other I think... yeah! It's nothing happening here but snow. I made reggae known in Canada, I built that shit here. Yup. Q: Who did you start to work with? I think people like Jackie Mittoo, Jo Jo Bennett, Willie Williams and Johnny Osbourne had settled in Canada at that point? A: They were all here, but I didn't work with them, really. Q: You didn't? A: Occasionally we would do things, y'know, but we weren't really workin' together. They all had their thing together, Jackie had his unit up and going. Q: And Johnny was there, playing out with the Ishan People I think. A: Who that? Johnny Osbourne? Q: Yeah. A: Yeah, all of these were here, and when I came it's like they left. Yeah, all was closing down, breaking up. Q: What was going on for reggae in Toronto at that time, a small scene was there to work on? A: Just like I said, nutten. Not a goddamn thing. Music was slow, that time was young. All the immigrants were like pure country people here, it was like way back in time. But it was quiet, clean and fresh. And new to me, y'know. I was approved that I was a survivor and I survived. Q: What did you work with for a living? There was something regular you had to do for the household. A: Yeah man, when I just started here I got a job driving letters, dropping letters, like stationaries. Yeah, it's a company they called the Printing House.

Q: So the first major work you did there was the 'Strictly Roots' album for Micron? I know very little about what was previous to this album though. A: Yeah man, I did that here. Well, Pete Weston was from Jamaica, I knew the man from then, right. And while we both was living here we hooked up again and the guy was a printer and I decide to do some stuff with him, so we worked together. And we recorded three albums over a period of time up in Canada. So we have those three albums right now, we have just re-released them on CD. They were only album releases until now. Q: About time. A: Yeah. Q: But these albums were more or less just Canadian affairs, never took off outside of its borders, did they? A: Yeah, the Micron thing? No, we sold a bit of it in the States too, I guess some were sold in England too, yunno. It must've been in Europe too, man, them t'ing, 'Strictly Roots' now, yeah man, right through Europe. If they go to England they must get out in Europe too, like 'On Top' and 'Now'. Q: What about this crossover project you did with A&M? I think the majority who has heard that LP, they aren't too enthusiastic about how it turned out. A: Not me either, I dunno. It was some people's idea and I went along with it to see what happened, 'cause you see with music, you just never know, y'know. I figured I might've to give it a chance, 'cause a thing could happen. But it wasn't Micron or my idea, it was my doing. I mean, I was there doing it (chuckles). You know, being a part of the happening. But if I was in control, it wouldn't be like that. Q: What was the line-up again? A: It was a guy from Canada named Bruce Colburn and his band. Q: Never heard of him before, must be some internal Canadian business (laughs)? A: You've never heard about him? Q: No. A: Well, it's a Canadian name anyway, a Canadian household name.

Q: Was the work for Wackies done around the same period, or even earlier? A: Wackies was a friend. Yeah man, Wackies was up in the Bronx, I saw him couple of years ago, just like Wackie. You know him? Q: No, just spoken to him once. A: You've never seen him in person? Q: No, no. A: He look like Coxson (chuckles). Q: Have you heard any of the Wackies tracks in some time? I'll drop one for you (playing 'This World' off the Basic Channel 'Wackies Sampler'). A: Ahh. Q: You recall that one? A: Yeah, oh yeah. Yeah man, that was a song whe we just, y'know, smoke some herb and put on headphones and just singin'. Q: (Laughter) A: (Chuckles) You bout to gotta! 'You gotta this, gotta that, gotta' - it's full of 'gotta', man! A million 'got to', oh boy... Q: I dunno, this track pretty much sums up what classic reggae is about. Do you still feel the same how the music should be? The basic ingredients. A: It's true, yes. Right, yeah man (chuckles).

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