Q: What about 'Youth Man' for Glen Brown, where does that one fit in here? Must have been around this time. A: Yeah, 'Youth Man' - I did 'Youth Man' for Glen Brown and 'Anyone Who Had A Heart', a song named 'Anyone Who Had A Heart'. Him didn't push that one that much, but that was a Dionne Warwick song I did over. Other people liked it, on a local level. But him didn't push that. I don't know if him released that, 'cause he gave it to me. He was the only producer that really give me some form of respect, some attention (chuckles). When I did them two songs for him, him give it to me at the time and said gwaan - "Gwaan with it an' a hustle", you understan' me? Q: (Chuckles) Yes. A: Seen. So I did 'Youth Man' at the time when the Peace Treaty t'ing did a gwaan in Jamaica, with the politics, y'know. And I heard the riddim an' know what fe do on it, then I start that about a whole heap a war an' t'ing a gwaan down in Jamaica an' a whole other - that was nutten that I write, siddung an' write. So him gwaan start a t'ing, an' when you go to studio you have a lickle-lickle money fe work with, so studio booking is not even fe no whole heap a hour, you understan' me. So you have no time fe write out nutten, them just going on, go in there an' seh 'Just go sing, make up somet'ing', y'know. And me start think 'pon the politics t'ing an' like me seh, a brethren of mine did a sing on it, Glen... Glen (sighs), wha' him name, Glen somet'ing...? Wasn't really a brethren, a friend of mine - another friend of mine's in America brother...

Glen Brown

Q: Glenroy Richards? A: Right, and he got killed. Q: What happened? A: In the Green Bay - some place whe them call named Green Bay whe the soldier them used to practice, train, practice, or somet'ing like that. And them promise them job an' carry them out there an' them got to kill them, was a politics t'ing. Q: He cut the 'Wicked Can't Run Away' for Glen Brown at that time. A: Right, the same riddim, same riddim whe the 'Youth Man' is on. So I did that song when the Peace Treaty time a Jamaica with the politics t'ing. For Glen Brown, I tend to forget some a them names sometimes - so much a them, so much hustlers. But Glen Brown is a alright brethren though, I have nutten bad fe say 'bout him, him alright. Q: Where was it recorded? A: Well, yeah, he had the riddim, he had the riddim and I voice it at Tubbys. And like I tell you, I used to love voice at Tubbys, ca' his is just a lickle room locked up by yourself, like your own lickle world. Q: How did you find Tubby? A: Tubbys was a guy that... you just do business with him, an' is a business t'ing him deal with, yunno. (Chuckles) Him na talk too much as I can recall. You know, words to words an' that's it. A quiet person, y'know. If him know you is all about business an' whatever you're doing an' you're serious with it, you an' him get along. That's where I met Scientist also, at Tubbys (laughs). Q: He was an apprentice then, right? A: Right, young, young, young guy, man. He's there in the shop, 'cause you know Tubbys is not just mixing music an' voicing music, him was a - him also used to build amps, tube amps. You know, tube amps fe the sound guys in Jamaica in them days, them used the tubes in it (chuckles). Tubbys build his sound, y'know, there was a sound named 'Tubbys' (King Tubby's Home Town Hi Fi), and that's like I said the sound 'Tubbys', that's how I met U Roy. Ca' I used to sneak out and listen to the sound them, as a lickle youth meeting U Roy, go there and talk to him. One t'ing lead to another as years go by an' you grow big. Q: You recorded infrequently, partly because of living overseas. So you had a break somewhat and came back with a tune for Junjo (Lawes) in 1980, 'Saturday Night Jamboree' on the Dub Irator label, that's the tune that made your name? A: No, you know what... right, that was later down the years. I knew Jah Life - me a go tell you how I get linked to Junjo now. Through Jah Life, I can't leave out Jah Life - Jah Life is my brethren fe years! I don't know if you're familiar with Jah Life Records in New York? Q: Jah Life, yes - Hyman Wright. A: Jah Life (chuckles), and him also have a record shop down in Miami, Florida too. But that's two brethren I used to record with, I did my lickle recording with first. I was trying to see if I even could find that album, as I have it here somewhere.

Q: You mean 'What's Wrong With The Youths'? A: Yea, I did an album for Jah Life, he produced it also, late eighties. From I did that album for him, there was a tune I did which, y'know, was on an album named 'Saturday Night Jamboree'. Q: Not 'Chip In'? A: No, no, no, no - that album came before 'Chip In'. Maybe I'm tellin' you somet'ing that you don't know about (laughs)! Q: (Laughs) A: That album came before 'Chip In', was 'Chip In' on the Jah Life label. I did 'Saturday Night Jamboree' and I also record an album, and what happened is, Jah Life and Junjo them was brethrens, and Junjo give Jah Life, y'know, riddims back and forth, and Jah Life would do him lickle t'ing in America with artists such as I. 'Cause I was easy to reach, drive from Connecticut to New York (chuckles) and do a session, y'know what I'm saying, in them days, instead of fly out to Jamaica because it's more expensive to go to Jamaica. So, I did 'Saturday Night Jamboree' for Jah Life, and Jah Life give it to Junjo - ca' Junjo was more like from Jamaica to New York and England, ca' him had a link with Greensleeves Records. He leave it to Junjo, and then Junjo bring up a couple of copies, and I guess him give it to Greensleeves and them just had it under the counter. And from what I heard, Shelly - remember Shelly at the time? Q: Count Shelly? A: Yeah, yeah, Count Shelly I guess gave a copy to Rodigan, and Rodigan start play it on the air and big it up. So while them hear it playing now on the air and start give it some exposure, Greensleeve them now decided fe get the stamper and start press it. (Chuckles) Them never have enough copy to keep up with the sales, y'know, that's what I heard. And that's how I end up doing 'Chip In' album for Junjo, 'cause him never really pay me too much... give me too much attention when I first met him, y'know, in New York. 'Cause I actually met him in New York through Jah Life, Jah Life introduce us, and him never really pay me no mind. See, this is the album I just roll up into it here, that I did for Jah Life, before I did the 'Chip In' album... Q: That's 'What's Wrong With The Youths'. A: Right, 'What's Wrong With The Youths'. And that had 'Saturday Night Jamboree' on it, but it's Jah Life I did that song for and he gave it to Junjo, and put it on a - in them days it was Disco 45, right (laughs)! Q: Right. A: A big Disco 45, and them give it to Greensleeves and like I said, it had been pushed and I heard it did pretty good over there. Q: What about New York? A: Ahh, it was alright yunno in New York, I wouldn't say it was a big big hit, but it did pretty good in England I heard. You know, in them days everybody just eat them food outa England (chuckles). You do a lickle tune an' run go a England an' release it firs', you know the market, the market was bigger there for us. Q: How about Jamaica, did it hit down there too? A: Jamaica? You know, to tell you the truth, it played in Jamaica but I don't think it was a hit down there, 'cause it didn't get enough promotion. And if the tune na get no promotion, if it don't get any airplay, them don't know about it. 'Cause, especially when it's a tune I did in foreign, when you do them tune in Jamaica, record in Jamaica, you have a better chance to get more exposure and promotion and all them t'ing deh. Because the soundman them start hear it up at the dance, you understan' me, soundman them start playing it inna the dance an' the people hear it - everybody want it, like every sound want fe play it. So if it kinda get popular inna the dance, when you release it everybody want a copy. So, when you see a tune in Jamaica that's how most artists like fe record out of Jamaica, 'cause I mean is Jamaica reggae music did originate from, so you waan your tune a play in Jamaica. But the t'ing is, when you do your tune in America, it's not all the time - well, at least me as an artist, you don't have a producer at that time taking care of no promotion, really promote it, like knew yourself as an artist, y'know. So, that's how that went. Well, like I said, 'Chip In' the album...

Q: That one hit pretty big. A: Well, yeah, that was from Greensleeves them, like, since 'Saturday Night Jamboree' did well, they want to follow it up, y'know. So that's when Junjo came to me, like I told you we met in New York and him didn't pay me much attention (laughs). And when they tell him to get some follow-ups, that's when I end up going to Jamaica. Him call me and seh, well, then him would like to do an album, and we negotiate a lickle t'ing an' him agreed on it. First him kinda studder, and then him agreed on it. And then me and Jah Life went to Jamaica, so we did 'Chip In'. And 'Chip In' was basically another - nutten that I write, y'know, 'cause I end up leaving the lickle lyric book 'gain (chuckles), I didn't pack it with my suitcase or my clothes, with the lickle lyrics them that I had write out. So when I get to Jamaica I realised that I didn't have the book with me, so it's like I basically trying to remember certain t'ings. 'Chip In' was basically kind of created out of Jamaica still, yunno. 'Cause them days deh you had 'Rope In', 'Rock & Come In' and all them lickle talk deh, you remember them used to talk that? Cornell Campbell did a song deh (sings): 'Rope right in, let me tell you...', something like that? Q: Yes. A: (Chuckles) So it was basically I did create a lickle style and 'rope in me brethren', y'know what I'm saying. I did - somebody eat some chips inna the studio, and it so happened that I beg him some chips, I end up saying: "Brethren, chip in nuh" (laughs). 'Chip in', so he give me some chips and we say "Yeah", y'know. And we go inna the studio and me never have nothing to sing so me just sing that, 'Chip in, tune right in...', yunno, and that was it. That was a big hit - in England, it didn't get any push in America. Later on I think Channel One (coughs)... I think it was Channel One released a couple, Channel One release 'Chip In' on a Disco 45 here in America, ca' that's where I recorded it. Was Channel One in them days record it, and voice it at Tubby's. Q: Where did Jah Life record his stuff, where in New York did he work most of the time? A: We used to record at... Q: Not Wackies? A: No, we used to go up at Phillip's studio. Phillip, I don't know if you heard of Phillip, Phillip Smart? Q: Yes, yes, Prince Phillip. A: Yeah, Phillip Smart, he was one of Tubby's engineers in the seventies, that's when I met him (chuckles). Yep, him take a couple of my songs and voice them, yunno. So we went there, I was comfortable with Phillip, and that's where I actually did 'Saturday Night Jamboree'. Both of them, as a matter of fact, a couple of tracks was laid inside Phillip's studio, some of the tracks them was from Junjo. That was laid with I think Roots Radics band did most of them tracks. There was also this other guy in Brooklyn, he had a sound - what's the name of this guy...? I haven't seen this guy for so many years I can't even remember them name. Q: Wasn't Brad Osbourne, or more likely Don One? A: No, no, no, not Don One, like a guy even from earlier time... oh, my God! He will be mad at me for not remembering him - he had a sound in them days, man, cyaan remember him name. This was a foreign, foreign, foreign producer, there was lickle-lickle studios in Brooklyn that wasn't big at the time, y'know. Lickle studios that certain guys, people had in them basement and you go there an' you do a lickle t'ing, but if you go to the popular studios them will charge you for speech only, y'know (chuckles). You know the budget, but there was a budget that them guys had to keep in them days, yunno. But me and Jah Life, the main place we record at was Phillip Smart's, Phillip Smart studio in Long Island, go there and voice. Then further on after the 'Saturday Night Jamboree', then the 'Chip In' came in. There was also another album.

Q: 'Bubble Up' for Wackies? A: Mmm, no - 'Bubble Up' was actually before, 'Bubble Up' was in-between, after the first time I went to Bullwackie and did my t'ing. 'Bubble Up' come after I did 'Saturday Night...' - I mean 'Satta Dread', I kinda link up back with Wackies, I end up doing that 'Bubble Up'. It was about six or eight tracks that I did for him, y'know. Q: Six tracks, yes - a 'showcase'. A: So that was like a in-between thing, y'know, but sometime you tend to do songs for producers, but them hold on to it, kinda confuse the market. You would think that you did it for them reason, but you did it for long long time. But them siddung 'pon the songs an' hold it until them hear it's somet'ing out for you that doing well, then them release it, kinda tends to flood the market. But you know, like I said I was living here in America, back and forth to Jamaica, spending my own money going back and forth trying to get myself situated in the music t'ing, and it was like it was tough in them days, man. I had a family here, but I end up doing another album - as a matter of fact, I did a song named 'Nice & Easy', it's an American song. Horace Andy did it earlier, earlier down in the years, and I end up singin' it over for Jah Life on the 'Stormy Weather' riddim, you know that riddim: 'pram prah pram'. The 'Stormy Weather' riddim, is a riddim that go way back, y'know, and I did 'Nice & Easy' on it. And I end up giving it to this guy named - well, at the time it was Ashantites...

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