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Q: You had to keep on recording for others while heading into self-production, and one of my personal favourites from that mid seventies period is a track for Blackbeard, Zukie's brother, titled 'River Jordan' (issued 1976), that is a remarkably strong track.
A: I don't think I did it for Blackbeard, maybe he have it that way. Q: It's pressed on a Randy's label, Roots From The Yard, but it credits Blackbeard with the production. A: It's produced by Linval Thompson and given to Blackbeard to release it, that's what the problem may be. I try to help people in that way, like how I help 'Junjo' Lawes and put his name on my record just to help him to make it, as they have him as the producer. But many people don't know what's happening. But 'River Jordan' is my tune. Q: OK. A: Yes. Q: And strong it is too. A: Very strong tune. I make it in New York, it wasn't made in Jamaica neither. Q: Laid the vocals there, or the whole thing? A: Make the riddim track, voice it, everything. |
 Linval Thompson |
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Q: Can you recall the band who laid the riddim for this tune?
A: (Laughs) No! No, no. It's some musician I see and I say well, I think they have a sound, I will have to try them and work with them. That's why I say I try to do things my way, I don't care who it is, as long as I can do it my way. It can work. There was no big musician, but it worked. And if I don't tell you whe it make, you don't know. So it make right in New York in a lickle studio, it wasn't a big studio neither. Q: Still it has a very authentic 'yard' feel to it. A: A'right brother, I'm telling you now, I voiced it right in New York and I take it to Jamaica and get it released in Jamaica, ca' the style was - if you really see in America, it wouldn't go nowhere. So it's released in Jamaica, and then now it automatically it's everywhere. That was the style what's going on. I think it stay the same way too now. Q: It's a pretty obscure record by now, but to my surprise I found it reissued a couple of years ago in Canada. A: Yes! You know what? Somebody take it (chuckles). A guy that I know come to see me in Jamaica and press it, and I say, 'What, do wha' yu a do'. It's not his tune, we don't do a business neither. But I know him long time, and he used to be around us in Jamaica. I've forgot how he get the tune though, but I allowed him to press it. Yes, it reissued fe true. I see with it, I even have a copy of it. Q: 'Blood gonna roll like...' A: 'Roooll...' - it's two version of it, yunno. One for Bunny Lee and one for myself. The one that you have, it start (sings): 'Roooll river Jordan...'. |
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Q: Some hard-hitting lyrics too.
A: Right! Q: 'If the rich man don't try to help the poor man, blood gonna roll like river Jordan...' A: Yeah, right. I sing that first for Bunny Lee, yunno. And then I go back and sing my own. Q: With lyrical contents like that you could be assured to be banned from airplay in that era. A: Don't play. Right, those tune never play on the radio. Q: Some of the most militant songs you've done so far come from that period, with that one as a standout. A: And I think that tune ready to make over again, we can make it back right over again. Yeah man. Q: You hung out at Tubby's and Channel One, mainly, in those days? A: That's where we do all the songs them, really. No really hang out, but we go there to make songs. Q: I guess that's where you got the links to the 'cream of the crop' among the musicians, to pick for your sessions. A: Meet up with artists and musicians, right. Q: I would like to know more about your business relationship to this Indian guy, Mr Rana, who ran the Burning Sounds imprint in the late seventies, in London. A: Yes (chuckles)! |
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Q: He had something big going on back then, he had quite a big share of the British and European market, but then he vanished. What was he like to work with, as you had several albums on his label, three or four at least?
A: Well yes, he was a new man coming in the business, right, so we kinda glad that somebody new come in the business, spendin' some money with us. But it was no big money still, y'know. But he was giving like Trojan competition, ca' he was there come up with some money in the business. He and my friend going, and he kinda ready to the business. He wasn't kickin' the songs them, anything we give him to put out, he's interested, he's ready to do it, ca' he want to get into the reggae business. But after we hear he got bankrupt. When the taxman come in on him, he have to leave London. Everything go down like that, y'know, everything just go down, for us. He owe us money, everything. Q: You've heard what became of him later on? A: I think he went back to Ireland, something like that. He wasn't an Englishman, yunno. Q: What was he like to deal with, in general? A: Well, we was trying to like... Q; Did he put any effort behind the promotion of his albums, the catalog in general? A: No really promote, no, I wouldn't say that. But he try to get them released. You know, he no really hold them up, he try to get them out. Beca' he always pay out a lickle advance, yunno. But we never really accept no royalty in that time, for real. Q: So there was no benefit in bigger terms for the albums you had for him? A: No, we no make no money. No, no. Q: But because he had them originally issued, and you didn't put them out elsewhere at the time. A: No, we never really put them out back yet. |
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Q: Nowadays these are pretty hard to obtain, even in the second hand racks. You had LP's like 'Love Is The Question, 'Follow My Heart', 'I Love Jah' and 'Rocking Vibration' - which one was the first you did for him?
A: Ahh! I think it's 'Love Is The Question', yea, it all that. Q: And then it was... A: 'I Love Jah', 'If I Follow My Heart' and... Q: 'Rocking Vibration', now it's out again, the only one of these records. Productive days for you. It seems you struck up a good deal with Burning Sounds judging from your productive schedule. A: (Chuckles) Yes, well, you know we get advance, we can turn it back over in our business, that's what kinda help turn over back the money in the business, to do more business. I may be small, but we try to turn it back over, y'know. So we keep the business going. That's really the main part a it, have something to keep going. Q: Apart from your solo albums, what was the other productions you did for his label? You had the Mystic Eyes LP for example? A: Yes. Q: Anthony Johnson was in that group. A: Yes, Anthony Johnson was the main singer, 'cause he kinda make the headline after. Ca' we put him out as a solo artist. I is the first man who produce him. Q: With 'Africa'? A: Yeah. No, we do the whole LP and we take off that track to release, through he had that sound as a lead artist also, by himself. So we try to make him be a solo artist also. We tried that and it work. I have many tracks with him that never release before still. Q: What about putting out that Mystic Eyes LP again, 'Mysterious'? A: Yes, I have to do that too, also. Yeah. |
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Q: I noticed you did a reissue of the 'African Princess' LP by Big Joe.
A: I did press it myself from Jamaica, yeah. Q: Tell me a bit more about Big Joe, as he was pretty hot in the dancehalls back then, with 'Dignity & Principle', 'In the Ghetto', and all those tunes. A: Big Joe is the first man I produce, when I was producing. He is one of the first artists. Q: Yeah? A: Yeah. Q: Good deejay back then, he's not getting the right credit nowadays. A: Good deejay with a style deh, cultural style. Q: He is hardly mentioned when speaking of foundation deejays, but he is better than the average deejays during those times as I see it. A: Nobody know him really. Q: You know what happened to him? A: Ahh! (Chuckles) I no really sure what... I no really sure what happened to him, trust me. I would like to see him too, ca' I want to give him some money. I don't know how to contact him, he's never tried to contact me or nutten. I think maybe he die, I don't know for sure for myself. Q: Hiding in the countryside, perhaps. A: Yes. But he was a cool man, man. Cool, yunno. I dunno, I never tried to get a link to him but I'm trying to find him also, y'know. Ca' I would like to do some more work with him, and maybe he need some money too, y'know. Yeah man, ca' that time we never really get no money. We just voice the album, I never forgot. Yeah man, yeah man. |
 Big Joe |
 Ranking Dread |
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Q: What can you remember about someone like Ranking Dread, you did some tracks with him.
A: Yes, we did that in America... in England. Well, he did want to record too, y'know, beca' he see a lotta t'ing was going on with Thompson Sound, so he want to come on a Thompson Sound riddim track. So we did make him come and try the sound, in that time. Q: Exceptional voice, and so on. A: Good style! Yes. Q: But personally speaking, you had a headache there? A: Like a problem, man. Everybody have him that way from he pass, yunno. So that kinda mess him up too. Q: Would you confirm what happened to him, that he died from poisoning? A: Yes well, he die in prison, Jamaica. Yeah. Q: Many years ago. A: Yeah, yeah. Q: What was he like? A: Well, no problem. No, he was glad to record for us. I know him long time from Jamaica still, through my friend Tapper Zukie. |
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Q: And Freddie McKay was another one you did some work with?
A: Yea, Freddie McKay! Q: Kinda overlooked, unfortunately. A: Yeah. Underrated, good artist! I say that too. Underrated and a good artist, I don't know why. All over! Beca' if it hit some place, it never hit nowhere, y'know what I mean, as an artist. I've got some good songs with him, man. Roots, good songs. You ever hear any of my songs with him? Q: There is one selection on your Easy Star compilation, 'Guide Us Jah'. A: OK. You have one song deh, yes. Q: He's one of those names that tried and tried and tried, won the song festival a few times I think, but never really got the break he deserved. A: Ah, you know. Tried, try hard. Hard! I remember, I remember, man. He done some songs for me, a lotta songs. Q: You have enough tracks for an album with him? A: Yeah man. Q: Would love to hear that one of these days. A: (Chuckles) Q: Yeah. A: Maybe I think more about a artist compilation, y'know, make it stronger. But I'm thinkin' about doing a lotta t'ings now, like doing some reissues in France here. Yeah, I think France is a good market right now. I think so. |
 Linval Thompson, Bologna Italy, Spring 2000 (Photo: Pier Tosi) |
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