Q: What do you enjoy about stage work the most? A: I enjoy it, man. I think a part of my life was gone. Q: Like? A: Well, I just love being on stage. Q: The electricity, the connection between the stage and patrons, that's something else. A: Yeah, it still bring me joy. Q: You appeared in dances, worked on the sound system circuit as a youth, but did you do a lot of stage shows in those days as well? A: No, no, no. Not in that time. Q: What about reissues of your past work. There's several albums and individual tracks which still hasn't been repressed, like your own 'Man From Bosrah' to name one. A: Yeah? Q: Never been put out again to my knowledge. A: Yeh, it's put out on the Blood & Fire label. It name Prince Alla album, they reissue it with Junior Ross. Q: No, actually I... A: If that's the one you mean?

Q: No, I meant your own LP. A: 'Man From Bosrah'...? OK, OK! Q: It came out on Stars in that time. A: You know, Trojan have that album too to put out, but I guess they don't know what they have. They don't know (chuckles)... they jus' put out what they want. Q: True. A: Yeh, ca' they have that album to put out. I thought that album would come out after 'Man A Warrior', but they didn't. They jus' do what they want to do. Q: That album contains some of the same tracks as the one called 'International', or simply 'Tappa Zukie International'. A: 'Tappa Zukie International'? Well, 'Tappa Zukie International' is a Jamaica album, y'know. That was the album that come out in Jamaica, so most of the original songs are on that album. That's my firs' Jamaican release. So most - a couple of the albums, dem build off that album.

Q: Haven't seen it, perhaps it was originally a UK release and intended to showcase some of those recordings at the time. A: With some of the tracks dem. And I give them 'MPLA' with some of the tracks, and you have some tracks off 'Man From Bosrah', from it also. Q: Was checking some of your Front Line releases the other day, like 'Tapper Roots', and that record, compared to 'MPLA' for instance, was a switch from culture to more slack material. A: (Laughs) Q: Maybe it was a fine balance between slacker stuff to just a lighter delivery of lyrics, but it lacks the consistency anyhow, in comparison. A: Yeah, well, my God... I dunno how to explain it. You see that album, it never really finish, yunno? 'Tapper Roots', y'know. 'Tapper Roots' is when I got shot, and that album wasn't finished. So I had to just... it wasn't finished, but at the time I jus' compile it and put it together. Because I had to bring in an album... Q: For the contract. A: Yeh, and I jus' came out of hospital. That's the time I got shot. So, to me, that album...

Q: Was a rush somewhat. A: It was a rush then, to put it that way. Yeah. Q: Yes. A: So I had to just compile some songs that I was workin' on and... Q: I understand. A: Beca', even '(She Want A) Phensic', I didn't want to put it out at the time, but because of my... Q: The deal? A: No, because of my lyrics I used to do.

Q: True, it was cultural material you were known for. A: Cultural lyrics. But then - it was a good tune, people loved it and I love it too. But I didn't really think that's the direction I was going. But after it come out and it do well, because even '(People, Are You Ready) Oh Lord', in Jamaica it was a big hit at the time. Because that was the song that started to lift my career and give me recognition in Jamaica. So it's like, you see the two, the different side - 'cause at that time it's those kinda lyrics that was in Jamaica and I wanted to build myself, build back my name in Jamaica from where I started. You understan'? Q: Yep. A: So those record was made for Jamaica and they blew up in Europe also, because when 'Phensic' came here it was one of the biggest song for me. Q: You got your break there. A: So it is... you know? Beca' the music that happen inside of the worl', sometime it's not the one that happen on that side. Q: You have to adjust the music to the times. A: Unfortunately, sometimes it's like... So when going back to Jamaica now, ca' that was when I got back to Jamaica after signing with Virgin an' t'ing, and deciding to seckle down in Jamaica and build back my name. You know, ca' my name wasn't up in Jamaica. So, that's how that come along. But I don't regret it, I enjoy it, ca' it's a reality (chuckles). Slackness is a reality.

Dr. Alimantado, Tapper Zukie & Dennis Alcapone (Photo: David Corio | www.davidcorio.com)

Q: It surely is. Still not the kind of lyrics you are mostly associated with? A: Right. Q: It was happening at that period. Was it after that you turned up with the 'Living In the Ghetto' LP to show that you still made hard-hitting cultural music, so to speak? A: It was a part of 'Living In the Ghetto', 'cause that's the second album. So that's how it release down there, to show that I was living in the ghetto at that time. Q: I see. A: 'Cause, as I said before, I started to record in Englan', and Jamaica was my home, so I wanted to go back down there an' settle. You know, build the concrete, build myself concrete down there. Which I did, y'know wha' I'm saying?

Tapper Zukie, Dr. Alimantado, Bunny Lee & Clive Chin (Photo: David Corio | www.davidcorio.com)

Q: Absolutely. A: (Chuckles) I don't regret it. If I didn't do it at the time, man, I would be like an English act. Q: I know what you mean. A: So I had to go back down to the foundation, get involved in the foundation. Q: That's when you recorded for Yabby You, 'Natty Dread On the Mountain Top'? A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's one of my first recordings after... that record before 'MPLA', and record before all of the Virgin stuff. Q: It was that early? A: Yes.

Yabby You (Photo: Dennis Morris)

Tapper Zukie (Photo: Tom Oldham)

Q: But you had that connection to Yabby before, because that Prince Alla track, 'Bozrach', it was first seen printed on Yabby's label, Prophets. A: Yeh. Well, that was one of my firs' production, yunno. It have 'Babylon Fall', and I didn't have a label at the time, so I give it to Yabby You to put out. Q: That rhythm was recorded at Perry's place. A: Yeah, at Lee Perry's place, and mixed at King Tubby's. Q: Was this the sole rhythm you recorded at the Black Ark studio? A: No, no, no. I recorded some of Knowledge, some of Knowledge's songs recorded there too. Q: Right, right. A pity you didn't make use of that studio more than that. A: Yeah (chuckles).

Q: He had that distinct, smoke-filled sound. Unique at the time. A: Yeh, I know. Definitely. Couple of Knowledge songs recorded there, 'Make Faith' and 'What's Yours', yunno, a couple more. Q: What about Errol Dunkley, because you had a few tracks released with him, but did you finish like an album with him? A: I just - around two years ago I put out an Errol album name 'Selective Songs of Errol Dunkley'. Q: But that was like new recordings, wasn't it? A: Yes, almost. On old riddims. Q: But in the seventies you cut tracks with him like 'Enoch Power', 'Stop Your Gun Shooting', 'Midnight Cowboy' (Fred Neil's 'Everybody's Talkin'')... A: I did a couple of dem, but I didn't really put out an album. But I still have those songs on tape. Those songs load on tape (chuckles).

Q: Loads, eh? A: Yeh, loads on tape, because I 'ave loads of music, man. Loads of music that don't release yet from way back. But through I keep on travelling tape get mislaid, yunno. Q: So you lost a lot? A: I lost a lot of tapes, all over. Q: Sorry to hear that. I hope you take good care of them, what's remaining? A: I'm trying to do that now. Q: They gotta be preserved somehow, it's your history on tape along with all those people you recorded, so you don't lose them forever. A: I still dunno the way how I'm gonna preserve the legacy. But you see, in those times I was so young and all over the place, ca' I was here, there and everywhere, y'know. I was a young bwoy who becomes a star, seventeen years old.

Q: Have you thought of where you got that special 'ear' for music? Was your parents or relatives musically inclined? A: Well, it's a inborn concep', yunno. My father said the music used to fix me up too, so maybe it's someone with the talent. Q: Your father was a musician? A: He was musical, he was a deacon in a church. Q: Perhaps it's from there. Your friendship with the bad boy of the music, Ranking Dread, one of the most talented of deejays, I think you recorded him as well at some point? He's gone now anyhow. A: Ranking Dread (laughs)? Well, he passed away. It's a long story, don't really wanna go into that. Q: Sure, no problem. Pity about the lifestyle though, when the musical part tended to be so good. A: It was a different time, another time, y'know. That's his life. Maybe that's the life he loved more. Q: So it's on stage we can expect more from you now. But regarding new releases, it was 'Cork & Tar' which was the latest in terms of recorded material, wasn't it? A: Yeah, that's the latest release. But mainly now, I'm here waiting to give my fans a lickle more on the stage, and I can't wait to get back on the road. So all the fans out there, they will be seeing me soon. They can look forward, beca' they're gonna get more than before.

One of the most talented and respected of producers in Jamaican music, perhaps his deejay career got overlooked because of all the involvement in production of reggae music. As I see it, he was one of the more original deejays with a fresh and energetic style and a lot of the material on album and 45s still stand the test of time. Listen to his approach on 'Jah Is I Guiding Star' (available on the 'If Deejay Is Your Trade' compilation) for example, and that's just to name one. For a longer time his best period during the mid to late seventies was long unavailable. This has now changed and many of his productions has seen the light of day again. Music from his own Stars, Mobilizer and New Star imprints as well as his Virgin albums can be obtained quite easily now. It was a pretty decent idea to re-release his Front Line/Virgin albums - 'Tapper Roots', 'Peace In the Ghetto' and especially 'MPLA' - to CD, they deserved a second printing, but questionable to avoid the artist when it came to compensation for that work. It seems as if the majority of the artists of the Front Line period hasn't been dealt with in a just way since the CD reissue campaign began several years ago. What a shame. But what's new. The fact is that much of that music got tricked and 'signed away' and today many artists cannot get hold of their work, or get what they're due from it. The Front Line releases are one of those examples where a big western company has, once again, exploited the less protected Third World artist. Perhaps the only comfort is that they get the work widely available again, and that they reach out with new music to ride on that 'wave'. Which is mainly artistically speaking, but it doesn't put much if any food on the table. Zukie should know, he and several others. It's a well known story. I would assume the deal with Trojan bore more fruit, for albums like the anthologies 'Musical Intimidator', 'Proud To Be Black' and the extended version of his Bushay debut 'Man A Warrior' as well as the dub classic 'Escape From Hell' and Horace Andy's 'Natty Dread A Weh She Want' has graced the market over the past couple of years like few others. Hopefully it's just the tip of the Zukie iceberg to come from the prolific Trojan crew. Now Trojan, how about the 'Man From Bosrah' album in its original form... 7" single information courtesy Roots Knotty Roots. Tapper Zukie's Website : www.myspace.com/tapperzukie

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

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