Babylon Burning... Interview with Sylford Walker.

Q: But even before you did some work with Glen Brown, there was a tune for Clive Hunt, remember 'Bad Bad Bad' (aka 'I Can't Understand')?

A: Oh! OK, yes that was a next man, yunno, wherepart he is a next man who draw a card 'pon me that 'til I don't even t'ink about him, and because I do one song for him in the earlies before Glen Brown, 'im go away with it 'til I don't quite remember it, y'know wha' I mean. If I don't untruth I t'ink I do it back fe Joe Gibbs now with the sneak preview that coming out.

Q: And that song was basically about the tribal war during that time.

A: Yeah, I t'ink somet'ing like that.

Q: Too much killing over nothing.

A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he didn't, y'know wha' I mean, he told me that that song, nutten 'appen.

Q: I suppose you don't know that Trojan released it back in the seventies, and they still put it out. It appeared on a compilation titled 'Babylon A Fall Down' circa '91, and I believe it was included on a box set a few years back.

A: Yeah, OK. You see, you see, all those song I have no... Since I've been here now I learn 'bout all copyright, y'know.

Q: That's it, you have to register the songs in order to get some compensation.

A: Yeah. Because what they do, they told me they register it in my name an' t'ing like that, but it don't goes like that.

Q: Who? Who said that?

A: Clive Hunt.

Q: Ahh, of course he said that!

A: Even Joe Gibbs told me the same t'ing, because there's no royalty I was gettin' from 'Jah Golden Pen' or 'Burn Babylon'. So right now I'm plannin' that when I get back to Jamaica, I've got to take out some sheet an' jus' fill them up an' send them off straight to England.

Q: Right, you have to.

A: Yeah.

Q: To get some dunny at least.

A: Yeah. But you see sometime what they do to me, the name I gave my song, they put it out on a different name! You see me?

Q: Like?

A: Like how Glen Brown would put out 'Lamb's Bread' there now an' I think there's a song on it by the name of 'Roots Rock Reggae', and yesterday I see it in a radio station there's a different name them call it.

Q: OK.

A: Yeah, you know so he calling it from that name, from what he call it, y'know wha' I mean.

Q: Sneeking behind your back.

A: Yeah, yeah. Those way they get around. You see, to me, there was a one-foot man in the first time when I went to 'im up by King Jammy's, was to do some recording an' it never work. The one-foot man said to me, say "Mr. Walker, every artist don't get this, you have to have a lawyer, but out there you has to pay the lawyer before the work" (laughs)!

Q: (Chuckles)

A: (Laughs) And I don't have those money!

Q: You should be aware that Joe Gibbs has 'Burn Babylon' included on several collections over the years, he's still doing that.

A: OK, yeah. Yeah man.

Q: And there's not a penny in your hand for it.

A: I don't get nutten from Joe Gibbs away from what he's done just lately.

Q: So after Clive Hunt now you went to Glen Brown, Glen lived in the same neighbourhood there, didn't he? Close to Gold Street.

A: Yeah. No, well, Clive Hunt you see, how I really met Clive Hunt is in the studio, but he did end up married to a girl round in my community, and that's where I finish get to talk to him an' deal with him, and then reach to his studio an' do a t'ing. But Glen Brown, he was living below just where I am, I and him and Dennis Brown and Freddie McKay, we used to be around there every day, jus' smoke an' cook food an' eat, until he's still - he never have no riddim wherepart he do all those riddim that he use, is some old-time long King Tubby's an' Channel One an' all 'bout riddims, y'know. And him jus' told me that bwoy, he feel that I can voice them. And him book some lickle times an' get around an' I just put me time together and find somet'ing put on them. And from there him go make me a promise that he will be back. When the car hit me, he send me $ 80 US dollars with a tape with some music, riddim on it, and tell me that I must take that money an' go voice some music and send back to him, after me done bruk me foot a'ready, you see sah? You know how I got a dollar off that album? And is eight song him put from them, tek it all 'round a Joe Gibbs song, which is 'Golden Pen', and put on his album, yunno. And you know how I get a dollar from that? The man sell out the rights an' everyt'ing to a brethren, a company whe he told me was a group in England, but I t'ink they get wealthy now, y'know. And then they send me a £ 1000 pound, which I set a use fe start the house. And what lickle they give me, I buy lickle material an' couldn't get no further. You know, so I have to make up me mind and jus' - not one a dem don't even know I'm in foreign, that mus' be somebody tell them.

Q: You mean the Blood & Fire label in England, what you were talking about regarding compensation?

A: Eh? Yeah, I mean Joe Gibbs an' GG, nobody know that I'm here. Because you know, they didn't give me that vibes to even go an' tell them that I gone an' get help, I told them before an' then they tek it like joke. All they want to do every day I mus' come a studio an' sing an' bus' me chest, sometime hunger kill me, y'know what I mean. That cyaan work again, brethren. If me go stay alive to next year I'm 50 year old now, man. So I mean, I've got to do me best from now, that mean at the end of the day I can know where I stop.

Sylford Walker.

Q: What was your first impressions of Glen Brown? You became pretty close from what I understand, you used to come over and eat at his mother's place, right?

A: Yeah, yeah. We almost live together like brothers, any lickle problems me an' him on the road an' t'ing. I mean, you know sometime him prove, some man prove very good brethren, but in another way around. I mean, they're not conscious in helping or doing things right. You know, once they buck a deal, they deal you out the deal. Then, it's when t'ings get down back weak with him now, him want me now to put back some of my voice on the tape to help him. Well I say, bwoy, better then Joe Gibbs bruk me foot again, because I still can see him, see the place where him have out here every day out in Jamaica, that weekend time I do as nutten for me children fe eat, I a go there an' all I get is a thousand dollar, y'know (chuckles). But it still, y'know wha' I mean. But doing t'ing for Glen there now, I not seeing Glen. From Glen gone to foreign, if him don't want somet'ing, I don't hear. The man send me some clothes now as a big singer you know brethren, some clothes whe like them wear them a'ready. Is a second me burn them, y'know what I mean. Man no work dem way deh, you see me? Ca' me no waan dem fe keep me back in life brethren, an' waan me do certain t'ing fe him now, but me jus' rest it. Him cyaan no bother tell me once seh bwoy, me going come fe him again, because they is no help fe people you hear sah, they try to do the same t'ing what people do to dem.

Q: You made a living from selling juices, health drinks, or 'wood roots' as you call it.

A: Yes man, I used to sell roots.

Q: What's the ingredients for such a drink?

A: Those t'ings was like in the country where I go, and then I look an' I know some a dem. I did have a lickle book that show me the rest of roots dem, like I use young banana, coconut root, sasparilla, manback, blood wisp, poorman friend, ganja-stick, higher weed, strongback, womanback an' t'ing, and chop up everyt'ing, then have it there to cure. But eventually the bottle them bus', so I have finally have to walk an' trust dem out. And some pay while some don't, because some don't have it but dem would like the drink. But anyway, I still go through with it and mind these kids that I get, and finish them in school now. So I think it's time now, because I never even would have dream that I would reach France brethren, or Europe. Believe it. You see, it's by the help of the Father and the dread, it's like the man dem a look out and see seh bwoy, 'Sylford Walker, nutten a gwaan for him and he's a talented youth'. So they break me away, so I have to give thanks fe the I them - nuff!

Sylford Walker
Paleo Festival 2005.

Q: Sometimes good comes your way.

A: Yes I, yes I.

Q: When you least expect it.

A: Yes I, and then it kinda see, shows me that the more good you do, good will always come. 'Cause all those pressure that reachin' me now, it's like no one hear me cry, no one hear me feel. Sometime I jus' sit by meself an' just seh bwoy, is just Rasta. Because is only a Rastaman can bear these vibes, an' it come like nutten. 'Cause if I man faith never strong I gone a Bellevue, or dead (chuckles). Yeah man.

Q: You mean the mental hospital there.

A: Yes I, because lotta artists out there even only do one song an' gone a Bellevue, because him think him gone rich (laughs)! Yes, it don't work. Not even the producer call back to them. So it kinda difficult fe deal with them. You only have to give thanks that when they break you they give you a start, like put you on a plastic and say 'yes, is you that'. But don't bother look seh dem gone tek up anyt'ing an' lift you up from deh so. All they do is jus' spend their money an' looking for their self, you see.

Q: A rat race.

A: Yeah, as Bob say - reality. Yeah.

Q: The first tune Glen Brown released was upon Tapper Zukie's Stars label for some reason, 'Chant Down Babylon'.

A: Yeah. On a 45, yeah, and then now he leave. Yeah, he leave to America with the rest and that's where him put them together, single, single, and put them back together and get 'round eight, and then the other one that make nine, that's 'Golden' - that's Joe Gibbs' song. So I don't know how Joe Gibbs and him work out that part.

Q: You started to work with Glen around '78, what happened for you down in Jamaica at that time?

A: Yes. Yeah man, nutten at all me brethren! Nutten, nutten. There's a God-man, I tell you if somet'ing 'appen, it's just like more, y'know wha' I mean, more stress. Because at the time I started to sing, a lotta people feel like how I would've achieved somet'ing great, so more people more look upon me an' say 'zed' (?). At the same time my girlfriend, they was like - their people would send me a pair of shoes or a piece of pants, I really try to keep myself in tune, lookin' as an artist. But it was lovely, it was lovely. Even my first youth, when I get it, I has to send it back home, send home the mother an' everybody back to where they're from, 'cause I couldn't control the life. So after that now I jus' seh all right, I have to let off the music because is pure ginalship.

Q: There was never a split between you and Glen, he simply left to New York ('79). No such thing as conflict behind it?

A: No Iyah, he just left me and make me a promise that he will be going to America, and when he used to put out those music an' t'ing, in certain times he would send for me. And when I see time gone, time gone, I don't even hear from him. So I just say bwoy, me give up, and leave it an' gone boil the roots deh now.

Sylford Walker

Asher Selector & Sylford Walker

Sylford Walker

Q: Most of your tracks were voiced at Tubby's studio in Waterhouse.

A: Yeah. Yes, yes.

Q: How did you find Tubby's?

A: Well, yeah, I mean the studio was very good, because I think you're supposed to know some good music come out there. So, they voice there, 'cause that's all I do there - voice. I don't think none a the riddim dem did build there. The riddim that's built there is earlier in dem days, 'cause 'Merry Up' 'pa pam pam pam panaaana', Glen Brown - all that one is Glen Brown did voice it first and then I go voice it too. Yeah.

Q: What about Tubby himself, did he assist you in some way?

A: Well, he was a very nice man, yunno. He was a very nice one, because even doubt in myself, the days doing those music for Glen, is he who encourage me and mek me know that bwoy, from me can do a t'ing jus' do a t'ing. So me jus' do a t'ing an' dem jus' go 'round deh an' dem mix it an' it was... I still don't enjoy some of the riddim dem, like even the one that name 'Lamb's Bread'. It wasn't a riddim that I love, none at all! And I just sing that song like a joke, because like you wake up in the community an' every morning you burn a spliff. But people now, it used to be 'collie weed' 'til it become 'lamb's bread'. And then now, each time I see somebody with one, hear them 'what, the dread a burn the ganja now'. You know, people mek dem do t'ings, so finally me seh (sings): 'This ya one ya it mek me do no one no wrooong...'. And trust me, it go! It go! I don't only wanna achieve the greatness out of it, but I know that it go. Because even here in Europe there's a lot of people told me that 'bwoy, those song very good'.

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Article: Peter I
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