Q: Did you work with something else there at this time, like a part time job?

A: I did kinda stay away from everything for a while. ´Cos I did get married an´ t´ing. I got a job with a factory, I was a shipper like shippin´ in and receiving stuff. I was there for a while. Until I start go back into music. When I came to Canada it was a show, yunno? It's when the group came to Canada for a show, to do two shows here. And that's where I met someone an´.. you know, it goes like that. But it was really a show we come up here for. We do shows, an´ it was like six months after. So on the second return now I jus´ get married and stay (chuckles).

Q: What about this stint in Los Angeles in ´84?

A: Oh, that was one of my... I did a song here named ´Mr Postman´ on the Warm & Easy Journey label (chuckles). Yeah, that was my stuff.

Q: You did quite a few records for one A. Doeman, Tony Doeman at I & I Sound in LA, didn´t you?

A: A. Doeman.. it was a company in Los Angeles deh. I went to do the show, ´cause ´ Postman´ was a hit over there. Yes, was the ´84 Olympic and they put on a show with we and I went up and I met him. The guy who promote the show introduce me to him and right away he liked my song, so I start to do some work there. I do a lotta work with him too.

Q: One album came out called ´Natural Feeling´ from these sessions.

A: ´Natural Feeling´. But he.. they messed up with that album though. They fool around the master beca´ they have a studio, I think they play around ´ca I never liked the quality on that album. The quality was not what I give him. ´Cause I do some of that song with Jammys there and it was hard! But when the album come out I find it was sof ´, played with. Yeah, they tried to remix it ´ca they did put a studio together. But I don´t think they really did know what they´re doing. But he was a good guy. He used to pay me an´ he sell, he was sellin´ good too, y´know? I think I stayed there ´ bout two weeks after the show. I was around with him and t´ing like that. From Los Angeles I went back to Jamaica. I was in Jamaica for maybe about a year. Then I came back to Canada. Everything was kinda quiet for that period, y´know. I release a nex´ song there with Funky Hut, ´I´m In Love´. That was a 12". And then I kinda keep quiet for a while.

Q: Then nothing really happened until ´94 when you linked with Luddy Crooks again for the ´Madness 2´ album?

A: Yes, I went back to Jamaica. He use to call it ´Madness 2´ I guess because ´Madness´ is a hit so..

Q: Kinda cheap idea (chuckles)?

A: Yeah, I find it.. and I think if that album did have a name of its own, I think it would do even better. It's a good album. Yeah, I like that album. We take one day to do that album. I went in the studio about 1-2 o´clock in the afternoon, and the nex´ morning about 8. 30, the album was finished. We don´t sleep, nutten, we jus´ go straight. ´Ca the thing is I had to come back to Canada the other day. So we have to compulse it on the album that night. So we never sleep, we jus´ slip the album that night. I know that was something else (chuckles)! Yeah man..

Q: That album was again done with Gladstone behind you?

A: Yeah, that's it. That's correct. And Jet Star release it in England. They did have it on vinyl in Jamaica too. But with that.. I did get some money upfront with that, yeah man.

Q: What do you feel about all these pirates out there feeding off from your past work? Such as ´Lover Man´ on (UK) Rhino, ´Brown Girl In The Ring´ on Trojan? You have ´Funny Man´ on Jamaican Gold too.

A: Yeah, I´ve got copies of them. Yeh, I´m gonna take it to a lawyer. I´ve got a few and I´m gonna take a next step towards it. Yeah, you get ripped off once, not twice, y´know? Right now I´m trying to get everything out there from me, I´m just trying to make sure I have a copy. Then I´m gonna take it to a different level. It's gettin´ outta hand now, y´know.

Q: What about this late nineties ´Rocky Road´ album, that's without Gladstone? Just digital, or with live backing too?

A: Yeh, just me. It's live and digital. I have Lyn Taitt play on that album. He´s in Montreal too.

Q: There's so much Maytones singles that has appeared over the years, and there's a few I would like to ask you about. One for example is ´Unchangeable Love´ on the Rocking Time label credited to the ´Uprising Maytone´ circa ´75, plus ´I Want To Be Free´? Remember that one?

A: Yeah, Bill Hutchinson (laughs)! It was a friend of mine. He did live in Kingston. We do some trade, he give me a riddim an´ I voice a song for him. Them done the same time, ´ca it's only one time I have session for him. But this was like an exchange. Like, he give me riddims an´ I.. you know? There was a song I have on ´Rocky Road´ now, ´Who Can Hear Must Feel´, that was on his riddim. I get that riddim from him, and I think Horace Andy was on that riddim? So it was just like a riddim exchange, but we were friends still, yunno? ´Cause he did have a likkle store there on Chancery Lane. In the days we used to sit around an´.. y´know (chuckles)? Yes, so it's like it just a brethren. But that was a song he like, so..

Q: There's ´You Played A Fool´ on the Ruddys label? Can you recall that?

A: Okay (laughs)! Yeah, yeah! Ruddys, he did jus´ have a store in Spanish Town, like a record store.

Q: You had ´Judgement Day´ on the Commanda label, any memory left about that one?

A: That's my label (laughs)! Yeah, that's my personal label.

Q: Then there is ´Hard Rock Time´ by Little Roy & Maytones, and ´Promises´?

A: Yeah, all those songs are mine. My personal stuff. There was a little deejay I was promoting at the time, y´know (not to be confused with the singer of ´Prophecy´ fame.)?

Q: There was ´Rebel Goat´ with U Brown, and you did ´The Girl I Want´ on Doctor Bird?

A: Yeah, that (´The Girl I Want´) was produced in May Pen where I come from. Actually it was almost beside GGs (laughs). I jus´ voice the song. So we just stay beside there and voice the song.

Q: And ´I Am In Love´ on the Music Radics imprint? Plus ´I´m A Scientist´ on the NY Gee´s label and ´Jealousy´ on Black Zodiac? And ´Close The Door´ on Crown Lion?

A: That's (´Am In Love´) my personal work too, early eighties, yes. That one (´Jealousy´) was for a friend of mine, he had a sound system called Black Zodiac. So we just release the stuff under his sound name, but it's my stuff. I did release a song with Thriller U too, at the same time. On the same label, Black Zodiac label. ´Close The Door´, that's mine.. Got a few copies of that (laughs)! Crown Lion, that's my label too (laughs), yeah! That was done at Jammys, yeah.. with Bobby Digital.

Q: You had all those singles on mainly 12" and some 7" for I & I Sound in LA, like ´What A Situation´ on Jah Go International, ´Forget Your Troubles & Dance´, ´Move Up Move Up´ and ´Children of Today´, ´Want More Rub A Dub´, ´I´m In Love With You´. And of course ´Mr Postman´ on a 7". Lots of productivity while in LA, Vern?

A: Yeah, that's my stuff I give to I & I.

Q: How did this ´Their Greatest Hits´ project come about with Chris Wilson and Heartbeat in Boston? That was about time anyway! There's a long relationship at least between Ranglin and Heartbeat, like the 1990 ´Holy Ground´ anthology with GGs productions. Did you get involved with that, or even paid?

A: No! I no get no royalty or nuttin from that (´Holy Ground´). Is Chris call me, yunno? He is interested to put out a (compilation)..´Cause I should let you know that Maytones is one of his favourite. That's what I heard. So I think he approach GGs to release some stuff for us. So, he get my phonenumber from GG. Before the project started he called me and let me know everything, y´know wha´ I mean? At least that I know, I know everything about that. ´Ca I was informed before. They took care of everything. Actually he mentioned the songs to me and, like, I give my ´OK´. And I OK´d them, y´know? ´Ca it was pretty good songs. And he asked me a few things. We talked for a good while.

Q: How has the response been to this release, so far?

A: Yeah, the reaction (to it) look good. I really like the approach towards (it). ´Ca I get a copy, and the liner notes is good and I jus´ like how they market it. ´Cause even the radio station over here they got it before I get it! So I think they are serious with this album. With payment now, it gonna be a serious thing if I don´t (get that). ´Ca I won´t accept nothing less in this time (laughs)!

Q: What about this new solo album you mentioned yesterday, titled ´Raw´?

A: ´Raw´, yeah. That's my own production. I just release it recently. Its a nice album. We work with Lyn Taitt on it an´ t´ing like that.

Q: Seems like you´re collaborating a lot with Taitt these days?

A: Yeah. He is the closest right now to me (laughs)! He is a very good musician and he´s very versatile. Hopefully we´re gonna keep up the good work. But at this time now I´m just gonna watch and see what this ´Greatest Hits´ gonna produce, you know wha´ I mean?

Things are picking up for the Maytones. Since this interview plans are afoot to do a combination on ´Money Worries´ with Beenie Man, this has been done in conjunction with Bedouin Sound from Montreal. Gladstone flew up to Canada last year to join Vernon for a few shows and there is talk of a package tour of Europe with the likes of the Melodians. The ´Greatest Hits´ album has according to Vern sold steadily and probably made the group some good in terms of activity of late. Included are some deejay versions to ´Africa We Want To Go´ such as Trinity´s ´Natty Tired Fe Carry Load´ and a piece to ´Come Along´, wrongly credited to U Brown but is actually Lone Ranger. Heartbeat had proposed a tour of the US with Everton Blender and the Maytones that never came off the ground. Let´s cross fingers that the European adventure see the light of day though. Apart from the obvious pirate records of prime Maytones material that surface from time to time, I have also seen a Jamaican reissue (plain sleeve) of the 1980 ´One Way´ lp on GGs which must have been put out not too long ago. You can keep yourself updated with happenings in the Maytone camp by checking the Maytone website.