Q: I mean, ever since songs like 'Equal Rights' on the Studio One 'On Top' album you have maintained social awareness, it's still the platform for what you do today. A: It's about a certain amount of consciousness, yunno, that I have felt from a youth lookin' around me, things that I have lived. Like even the song that I made 'Lord Oh Lord Give Me Power To Set My People Free'? Yeah, it was like one night I was out in me yard in Trench Town and see my great grandmother, and steppin' up to her in my slippers, y'know, crankin' up the dirt there comin' up, and pure dust and all a that, that song just came out. I sung it right then and there, right there, yunno. And most of my hit songs, they just flow, I just sing it right without stopping, right out one time. And if you ask me I sing it back for you like how I keep singin' it, it was never written on paper. Yeah man. Q: Well it's good to see that the awareness has been stuck in your generation of songwriters, you haven't changed much in that regard at least. A: That's why I stomped right now, 'cause what the kids are doing right now, what I'm used to is two different t'ing. Q: How do you feel about what is being done today? A: What is happening today? Well, I guess it's just trendy, yunno, it's kids and youth killing dem time, y'know. Yeah man, it's a lot of wasted time, because there is no consciousness really, and that is necessary for the continuation of the true living - livity, y'know. To maintain your natural and true guideline, you need conscious lyrics. Q: But over the past ten years, this has been changing, consciousness in the music has picked up a lot, like Luciano for example? How do you feel about what they are doing, that part of the business? A: When one conscious singer come up, man, you have twenty... negativity (laughs)! It's like a WAR (laughs)! Q: So they don't make much difference anyhow, too overshadowed by the negativity? A: Well you see, the people nowadays right now they have their eyes on the buck, y'know. Yeah man, they are really too keen on consciousness is the buck, the fast buck. And they wanna find out the lyrics, the gal lyrics a sell (laughs)! If you see what I'm saying? Q: You feel it's mostly a rush job too, not spending enough time to put good lyrics together? A: Hey, if you're talkin' about spending enough time on lyrics, there's a new chick... what's her name...? It's like she used to deejay and she's singin' now - Tanya! Q: Ah, Tanya Stephens. A: Stephens, Stephens! She have like a dozen songs whe I tell you run strooong! She's singin' some great thing, man. She's writin' like crazy, y'know? Yeah man, she's writin' stuff that when you hear it you have to just give her a listen. She have a whole story, and it's so strong too. She's gonna be big next year. Real big, yunno. Yeah man, and I'd love her to be big too, because then she would be setting that standard whe other kids... you know? They would really have to try to follow, y'know what I mean. It would be really setting the thing on a level. And I'd love she to make it, y'know. Yeah man, check out some of her stuff, man, for me, you hear wha' me a seh? Yeah man, check out some Tanya Stephens, she's singin' some stuff, man.

Tanya Stephens

Leroy Sibbles

Q: What about you in the producer's role? A: Well that's what I'm trying to set myself right now, y'know. But I'm having a problem with play... Q: You were trying to set up a studio, right? A: Yeah man, I set up everything, man. And I'm coming on with a new single, whe it's such a good song, man. I'm having problems getting it played, y'know. Beca' it's played but it's not being played with the 'paid' play, if you understand what I'm saying? Q: Payola. A: Yeah! That is killing Jamaica right now, you have guys now who control these people with money, yunno. Control everyone. Yeah man, I have a video fe the single, nice single. A love song, real good song. Everybody love it, video great too. It's being distributed on Main Street Records, in Jamaica. Q: What about those nineties albums you did for Record Factory and Penthouse? A: Me never do one for Penthouse but for Record Factory. Q: OK, only a few 45's for Penthouse then. A: Yes, yes. The one for Record Factory, bwoy, if that guy wasn't such a stupid guy, you'd have a great album. Ca' it's such a good album. But I think he gave it to more than one people and rechange it, change the name and do all kinda bullshit and messed it up. Have you ever heard it? Q: Only like a single from it. A: How you think that was? Q: From memory, that was a nice song. A: I laid the whole album, y'know. Q: What happened to him, Record Factory? A: That guy don't know what he's doing, man. He's runnin' all over the place. I heard that he was in Germany for a while. Heard that now he's in Miami. I don't know how true that is. Oh man... He had a great t'ing going, he had a good studio, he had some apartment buildings here. And he messed up everything, lost everything and... ouhh. Q: He was doing good in the mid nineties from what I can remember. A: Yes! I think it was his buildings was some really nice and... messed it up. Q: So what became of your work for Fatis? I really liked those tracks for Xterminator when they came out. What happened to it? A: I don't know what Fatis did with the whole t'ing. I don't know, it just stopped.

Q: You had like one or two tunes out, 'Oh Jah' and 'Jah Please Help' (also 'It Must Be Good' on the Xterminator anthology 'Herbalist'). A: Yeah. But I dunno, these people they don't promote their stuff, y'know. They just put it out and hope that it does well on its own. Q: That seldom happen. A: No, it never happen. And I really worked my head hard on his project, yunno. Q: So it was almost an album completed? A: Yeah! It's not almost, I did over sixteen songs! Q: Ouch! A: Wasted days, man. Q: If everything sounds just as good as those two tracks, then we're in for a treat. Should be a great album. A: That's what I think too. Q: Did you play bass on it? A: On one song I think I played bass, I didn't play much. Q: Such a shame, should've been an album here. A: I'm telling you, man.

Leroy Sibbles

Leroy Sibbles

Q: How did you feel about the Heptones output after you left? You knew Naggo (Morris) before? A: I don't know Naggo. I don't know nutten, I feel nutten fe Naggo. 'Naggo nah-go'... I don't know where he's been, I don't know where he's gone to neither. Nobody's been hearing anything about him or nothing. Q: Heptones now come and go every time, very inconsistent to say the least. But on the other hand it's difficult not only to maintain a group, but to stay in business as well. A: I want to come with a band called The Heptones now though, y'know. 'Leroy Sibbles & The Heptones'. A band, y'know what I mean, so we can go tour around. Q: You want to have a band called the Heptones (chuckles)? A: I want a band to put together, a band called the Heptones. Q: Universal put out 'Party Time' on CD again this spring, did you get any money for that? Universal owns Island now. A: Universal put out 'Party Time' again? Yeah, we collect from them, yunno, we have been getting royalties, they started back over a period of time. Yes, so like they're in the squared or declared, y'know what I mean? Yeah man. Every lickle t'ing every time, we get a lickle t'ing. It's more than Coxson did. Q: That's good to hear. I would like to know more about a few singles you did on the Rock-Jam label, is that Weston again? A: Rock-Jam? Must've been Pete Weston t'ing that too. Q: Like 'New Song', 'Lying Girl', 'Love & Happiness'. A: Yeah.

P.J. Patterson & Leroy Sibbles (photo: Rudolph Brown)

Q: You had some solo tracks for Perry too, like 'Jah Far I On A Pinnacle' aka 'Rasta Far I'? A: I no remember that. Q: Plus 'Garden of Life'? A: Yeah. Q: Where he put in a drum machine (laughs)... along with the real drumming, that's pretty weird but typical Perry. A: Yeah, I know. Q: There's 'I Don't Know', I think it was for Ranking Joe's label. A: Oh yeah, right. I know, yeah. That's a good song. Q: 'Gypsy Woman' for Lloyd Parks, obviously an Impressions cover. A: It have to be. Q: You did 'Eyes Like Fire' too, but wasn't that an album for Sonic Sounds? A: No sah, 'Eyes Like Fire' was just a single.

Leroy Sibbles

Q: 'Only Sixteen' for Lloyd Campbell as well. A: Album? Q: No, just a single. A: Yeah, could be. Q: So who is this person, you did a duet at Studio One with somebody called 'Jack Anglin'? A: I don't know about that. Somebody ask me about that and I don't remember, yunno, I have to hear the song maybe. You have it? Q: No, no, it's just on the Roots Knotty Roots list. Another one you did for yourself on the Joseph label, titled 'Whip Babylon'? A: 'Whip Babylon'? Don't know about that one, don't remember. Q: There's another duet on Studio One with Joy Roberts, called 'I Swept For You Baby'? Who's Joy? A: Yeah. Joy Roberts was Barry Llewellyn babymother. Q: A combination with Nicodemus too, 'Love In the Morning'. A: Oh! Yeah, yeah. Q: 'Skyjacking' on Half Moon. This was a studio in Toronto too, you remember Ossie Creary? 'Why Did You Leave' with Prince Junior too. A: Yeah, yeah. Q: You did some tracks with Leggo Beast as well, in the mid eighties or so? A: Yeah him have an album, yunno, a one away ('Selections'). Yeah, it's somewhere out there. Q: Was 'Love Won't Come Easy' the only song you did for (Augustus) Pablo? A: The only...? Um, I did it for Studio One and I did it for somebody else.

Fred Neil

Q: You're aware of the Freedom Singers tracks at Studio One, like 'Everybody's Talking', the Fred Neil song? A: Coxson have a way of robbin' the revenue, robbin' the people, robbin' the studio, robbin' the singers and the musicians. So things he does, he knows for what reason. I couldn't tell you, ca' I don't know why him do it. But he knows, wherever he is, getting the publishing and all these things, yunno. With the Freedom Singers now, none a we can claim fe that (laughs)! Q: Hiding it. A: Yeah man, just hiding stuff. Q: I know Earl is still in Jamaica, Barry is there too? A: Barry is in New York. While I was there recently, I was on stage there and accidentally it was the 'Book of Rules' and I heard just out of the blue right behind me... Barry Llewellyn burstin' out singin' (laughs)! Q: (Laughs) You don't have a bad vibe with Barry though, it seems like Earl is the problem? A: Yeah, me and Barry have cleared up our t'ing there now, he's OK. Yeah man.

Mr Bassie has spoken, and he's not holding back. The Heptones even reunited for some gigs in Europe earlier this year, with Barry and Leroy shifting lead between them, and the concerts went well according to reports. Apparently even Earl performed in London a while back, as 'the Heptones'. What hasn't been said about the Heptones already over the years, it's of no use to big them up here because then I just preach for the converted. There are several good compilations out there already, 'Sea of Love' on Heartbeat covers their Studio One output in a most satisfactory way, the Trojan album 'Cool Rasta' has seen reissue and even 'Party Time' came out by Universal not too long ago. Listen to them if you haven't and get refreshed, Jamaican music doesn't get much better than that. Perhaps it's of bigger interest to take a look at Leroy's overlooked solo output, and these albums are, for the most part, a revelation of soulful vocals in the typical Sibbles mould, thoughtful lyrics and rhythms executed by a bunch of musicians who knew a thing or two how to get things kicking in the studio. No wonder with such material to use as found on these records.

'Now' was originally put out in 1980 and was Leroy's first solo album after the split with the Heptones in 1977. It is this album I have returned to the most, and features players of the highest calibre like drummer Horsemouth, Leroy taking duties on his beloved bass, percussion by the vet of vets, Scully, and keyboards handled by the late Winston Wright. To my joy the former 12" single version of 'Ain't No Love' is included as a bonus. Leroy's second LP 'Strictly Roots' was released in conjunction with Micron man Pete Weston in 1981 and seems to be the one most of the converts rank as his best work. It sure is a solid album, but doesn't carry the same spark and energy as the previous album did. 'On Top' was his fourth solo project after a less-than-successful crossover album for a major label, and it was a return to form. Employing Sly & Robbie and the Roots Radics for the rhythms, he could hardly go wrong with this one and it still stands as one of the better dancehall albums of the early 1980's. After this it has been a bit uneven but the work with Fatis showed promise in the late 1990's, such a shame it couldn't reach further. We shouldn't forget his album reunion with Barry and Earl in 1996, 'Pressure' had its moments and Tapper Zukie did a great job producing, but soon thereafter they went their separate ways again. Lets hope Leroy and Barry can tie the bonds again and give us another Heptones classic, I'm pretty sure they still have one strong album to offer the world. If that doesn't happen, then we can at least look back on what has been one of the most fruitful careers ever in this music. Leroy is truly one who belongs in reggae's Hall of Fame. Nuff said. 7" single information courtesy Roots Knotty Roots. Leroy Sibbles' website: www.leroysibbles.com

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