Q: What led up to the first session with ´A Little Bit of This´ and ´Land of Music´?

A: That's the firs´ (recording) experience. That's the songs we rehearse for Mr Ranglin. We did that song at Studio One, yunno? Yeh, with the Studio One group and everything.

Q: And those two were original songs?

A: Yes, original songs - ´A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That´.

Q: I think you´ve said that this wasn´t cut as reggae - yet. It's still the rock steady era for those songs?

A: Nah, that was rock steady. With the Soul Vendors.

Q: Can you remember the line up for the band then?

A: I don´t remember. I know Sylvan Morris was the engineer at that time. I know it was the Soul Vendors but I don´t remember the players. Sibbles play (bass) on that session ´ca sometime he play with the Studio One guys deh. The drummer was... Malcolm?

Q: Hugh Malcolm?

A: I think it was Malcolm, Hugh Malcolm, yeah. I know that. I think it was Malcolm on the drum. I don´t remember the other guys them.

Q: What happened to Trevor Lloyd and what he recorded there?

A: No, nothing never really happened for him. He did a few songs. Not much. I don´t think he write much, y´know? I did two songs with him an´ that's it. Ranglin put out that song. It was like a pre-release. Like a two-side record. I don´t think it go far anyway.

Q: Can you remember the titles?

A: One was ´Have Your Time´. Yes, that was a nice song too, yunno? The other side was ´Christmas Time´. It's like what him seh "everyday should be like Christmas time". The same t´ing, yeah.

Q: So back to the rumours that Alvin Ranglin was ever a part of the Maytones - confirm or deny?

A: That's propaganda man (laughs)! I dunno he could do somet´ing like that!? I did one song with him. There was a session an´ the guy that come to do the song - I don´t know if him scared or what - but he couldn´t do the song. So he (Ranglin) aks me if I could do the song with him. The song named ´Old Man Say´. Yeh, that song was when a guy come to do it but he couldn´t. And same place, the studio there, he say "if I can do the song"? And that's it. From that you hear all kinds of rumours, you know wha´ I mean? Yeah, right now I even hear rumours that he write songs. He never write a song with me. He take some credits there sometimes. But I still see that one day I´m gonna get that clear, y´know? Beca´ he is getting credit for all those songs. There's a few songs there that I don´t get no publishing for it. But in the early days when they put ´A. Ranglin´, he just put it in a form like he´s producer. He never really put it under the song, like he´s writer. But in those time I never pay no attention to that. In the later days now we say "oh!", y´know wha´ I mean? And then we start to look at that.

Q: Which was the debut 45 as the Maytones - ´Billy Goat´ or ´Loving Reggay´?

A: ´Loving Reggay´. That was a pre-release for us.

Q: And it came out in the UK too. It took off pretty quick?

A: Oh! That sell a lot! Yeah, that sell a lot, man. We were selling it as a Jamaican pre-release until it release. And there's a.. I don´t know if you´ve heard about KG´s Records? They were in Half Way Tree there. They sell tons of that, man. They used to get order every other day.

Q: Feedback for a first record is a crucial thing, isn´t it? How did the people respond to those first records?

A: Always get feedback. ´Cause the song used to play a lot. On the radio, y´know. At that point with ´Loving Reggay´.. there was a point when I used to work in (Ranglins) record store - the one in May Pen? I used to work there. That's where I get trap. ´Cause I was working in the record store.. you know one salary even like.. I don´t even get pay for records, y´know wha´ I mean? So in that sense he kinda trick me there. At that time I never even realise it. So, those early songs there now it's like I no really see no payment for them.

Q: That song must´ve been one of the very first using the word reggae, or "reggay" as spelled in the beginning. How did you come up with the name?

A: ´Loving Reggay´ that was the firs´ song (laughs)!

Q: The Maytals was arguably the first group using that name in a song title, at the time, with ´Do The Reggay´ - so the story goes?

A: Yeah, but I think our song was the first song name "reggay", yunno?

Q: How many doesn´t claim that (laughs)!?

A: Yeeaah.. but really! Really, at least.. yeah. It was ´Loving Reggay´ beca´ I remember at that time we don´t even know how to spell reggae. We used to spell it with a ´y´, or something like that? But that was the firs´ song with "reggay" really. I think Ranglin have somet´ing to do with that. We all decided to give that song the name ´Loving Reggay´. The musicians - I think it was a whole group decide that.

Q: What's your recollection of circumstances for the very change of style and tempo, the whole structure of the beat, that caused rock steady to get into what we know as the reggae, the early reggae beat?

A: The reggae is really just a step up from rock steady, yunno? It's a little quicker. That's why really.. our song is really a part of I would say the first reggae song, yunno? ´Ca the way it was played I think it's Ronnie Bop (Williams) that invent the guitar style ´chicka-chicka-chicka-chicka´. It was like everywhere you go it was just this that even the dancers at the time used to have fe that a shaking of the head (laughs). You know, it was all different.

Q: I thought for a while that this change came about from a musical trend from the States, which someone like maybe Ronnie Bop.. that he picked up and transformed the rock steady beat into the new (reggae) beat or just some form of studio accident?

A: Well, you could say that. But I think it was just a time for a change. Yeah, rock steady wasn´t so old but maybe it was for a good too? Because it's like a different t´ing. Everything is part of a trend and.. you know? But I think the musician have a lot to do with that. ´Cause I can recall the day when they were doing the reggae there - ´Loving Reggay´- they were talking of how to play it, like the drum, and it sets all around there.

Q: Was that Ranglin who insisted on something new or was it down to the musicians to come up with something fresh, free to try whatever..?

A: I think it was the musician. ´Cause after they heard the song, I sang the song without, and it's like right there and now something just build up. Ronnie Bop he just start play this ´chicka-chicka´ and you know everybody jus´ start play something different.

Q: Like they had some kind of idea toying with at home and bringing it to the studio "hey, why not try this while recording?", it's either that or an "accident" while recording that is being snapped up.

A: Yeah (laughs)! That's it. And the tempo weh I went inna the studio with, ´ca from my box guitar it was straight inna the studio, and hum it and I wasn´t playin´ that ´chacka-chacka´. I don´t remember if I was playin´ that ´chacka-chacka´. The tempo that I carried into the studio, they just develop on it, you know wha´ I mean? But I won´t try to take credit for that still (laughs)! I think it was something that happened that day in the studio. Because jus´ after that I hear "reggay" flow-flow all over the place and.. you know (laughs)?!

Q: Which studio did you and Ranglin use for it?

A: I think it was West Indies (WIRL). I think it was on Bell Road there. I think that's where Dynamic is still? I try to remember the musicians.. I know it was Ronnie Bop (guitar) and the drummer was Winston. Grennan play that drum too, yunno? And I know Winston Wright (organ) was on that song. I think (Theofilius) Beckford (piano) - ´Snappin´, yeah. I think it was Jackie (Jackson) playin´ the bass, yunno? I´m not a hundred per cent sure.

Q: Suppose Ranglin held back sales figures but have you any idea how much that could´ve sold at the time?

A: Well, I have a lotta experience of all that beca´ I used to do some distributing too, yunno? I used to distribute to the stores in town. You know, so I have a good idea how it go in the country an´ t´ing like that. Actually I start on the bus, taking the boxes.. oh boy (laughs). Me and my partner (Gladstone) used to do that too. He would jus´ do the distribution and I used to work at the store and distribute sometimes. He used to do the city and distribute from store to store. We sell hundred, hundred. We used to sell hundreds. Those songs used to order in hundred, in those days. Like KGs, Randys, you know an´ it's just hundred, hundreds.. That sell a lot.

Q: What's ´Billy Goat´ about, that's from the same time as ´Loving Reggay´?

A: Yeah, well ´Billy Goat´ now is jus´ a song coming down from ´Nanny Goat´ (Larry Marshall, a Studio One classic), yunno? My own was really different. But it was the same "goat t´ing". But I did mine different, y´know? It's "I´ve got to tell you leggo mi goat, leggo mi goat man off a Billy Goat, I bought it from I was 60 and now that I´m 18, with all my two year search I can´t afford to lose it now, so leggo mi goat man, leggo mi goat.." (laughs)!!

Q: Great (laughs)! With all that sudden success with the first recordings.. it's a ridiculous term but you more or less became "overnight stars" then?

A: Yeah, well.. (laughs)! You could say that. ´Ca everything change. You know, everyt´ing change.

Q: Did your heads "swell" at that time with all this attention (laughs)?

A: No, I feel good, but no.. I wasn´t that kind of person. I was wearin´ barefoot with my friends. Y´know, the same way. I used to play soccer within the same way. An´ we never bringin´ up any music or nutten out a the way, everything was jus´.. say I was just a "don´t adore"-person. The fame an´ everyt´ing never really get in the way. Beca´ the man I used to move around with, he was so "tight". You know, that mean no matter what you have or.. you don´t really mean nutten at that time. But it was a good feeling. ´Ca we never pass people an´ seh bwoy "we are..", y´know wha´ I mean (laughs)? ´Ca we a pass up the street an´ we hear the radio - this radio a flag your tune an´ down the road again an´.. it's jus´ a nice feeling.

Q: But still a lack of payment for those hits?

A: No, ´ca I was tricked at that time. We used to get a weekly salary. But, it's like you no gettin´ pay for everything. I don´t even remember the amount but it was just to get you by. I don´t know but I never really fe get that. It's later on now that I start get real royalties from songs. But in the early days it was lies. You know, like ´if you work here I put you on a salary´, an´ that. But at the same time it was kinda good beca´ you know every week there's a salary. But at the same time you record a seller an´ it should be a different income fe that.