Q: Were you close to any other acts who were regulars at the Ark apart from Jr Murvin at this time? A: Yeah, I was close to everybody. I mean, you name it: Ken Boothe, the Heptones, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs - anyone you can think of. Everybody in music - I Roy, Uniques, Techniques. It was like everybody was my friend. And I used to leave from one house to the other house, that was like how everybody grow up. Everybody was friends. There was no animosity with the artists them. Everybody just... it's a time of love. And all we wanted to do in the morning when we wake up is: rehearse, go to the studio, play music and play soccer and eat fish an´ t´ ing like dat - we all grow like that. There was no pressure and I could say every artist that you can think of when you call my name to them they´d say "oh yeah" - I´m one of them, y´know. And I´m really proud of that. I go uptown, downtown.. anywhere you can think of. I were around there. And even lately I do some tracks with Jimmy Cliff which I didn´t get credit for. But it was a mistake. On his album ´Bongo Man A Come´.. I don´t know if you´re familiar with that track? Q: Yeah.. that was in ´78, wasn´t it? (with a nice remake of the old Beverleys single ´Bongo Man´, now featuring Ras Michael and his Sons of Negus, The Meditations and the Congos doing back up vocals and percussion, on the lp ´Give Thankx´) A: Yea, I did the baritone vocals on those tracks. Q: While doing the ´I Man Free´ and ´Babylon A Fall´ songs at the Ark, were you still based in Port Antonio at the time, or had you settled in Kingston by then? A: Ah no, I was living up a Half Way Tree in Kingston, at Morlands Road area and Red Hills Road, that's where I used to stay. Because it was closer to the studio so I could find myself there at any given time. Because the studio was more like my house. That's where I "lived". Q: You almost slept there? A: No, not almost - I slept there (laughs)! When I feel like go home I go home but.. I get a shower there, I eat there and I could go in the fridge and do anything I want in the kitchen. I mean, in Lee Perry's house, I could do anything I want there. I was part of the family. So, I didn´t have to go home.. I didn´t have to. Q: What kind of potential did he see in you, Watty? I guess that's not something you say to an individual directly, but you must have heard something he felt about your.. abilities? A: Lately after I realise what happened..When he used to mix all these tracks and everything he always want me in the studio early in the morning. And I didn´t know what it was for until late after. He said I have a "ear of a dove", something like that. I pick up sound very quickly, very natural. He couldn´t see how this little body have such a heavy voice. Yeh, he always say that. So he´s the one who percieved the name weh him say "Watty" afterwards now. Beca´ he say we gonna call you that then since he couldn´t see how this little person have such a big voice. And I didn´t even realise that I had a big voice until, y´know, in my older days. It was just normal for me. So I guess that's what he saw. Q: How old were you when those early songs were cut there at the Ark? A: I was in my twenties, early twenties. Q: But you sound like a 35 year old, or something? A very mature voice. A: I know (laughs)! But I were in my early twenties too. It's luck, it's just me. I don´t need anything on stage to boost the voice or.. If I crack on stage that's what you gonna hear. I´m just being me! And I´m really happy for that, yunno? No real changes.

Watty Burnett "live".

Q: Any memories in particular about those early sessions at the Ark, since the first experience usually get stuck in your mind when you´re new to it? A: I forgot to tell you about Ernest Ranglin. He was one of the guys.. For instance, all of the older musicians them like Jah Jerry (Haynes, ex Skatalites) and all those people I had the pleasure of hangin´ around with them, Boris Gardiner - all those great guys. Hux Brown, Winston Wright, Wya Lindo, Geoffrey Chung, "Dougie" Douglas and all those I had the pleasure of playing with, either in recording sessions or on stage. Ca´ even now when we´re touring or whatever I still use Dougie (Val Douglas) on my bass. I still use him beca´ him is still another daddy for me. I´m a little older than him but when you have people like that behind you, you can´t go wrong! Q: As you said in the liner notes for the new album you supplied backing for Jr Byles, the Wailers. A: OK. With Jr Byles I did a lot of vocal harmony with him, but a lot of my credit didn´t show up. And with Bob now, Bob used to come into the studio at night and work on our thing and we sat around with him. And we exchange ideas, that's why I respec´ him. You can say anything to him like seh, "Bob, you know, I think if you go this way it might be a little better", and he responded. That's the earlier days, y´know? And ´Natural Mystic´, all those tracks. I was there when Bob look at the idea and come into the studio and put down the track, the ideas he would be getting. Sometimes 2 o´clock at night he would come, wake us up. Work. Three o´clock at night Jr Byles, I and probably Jr Murvin would be there and he woke us up and we do our stuff. Q: I guess the Ark tracks that we hear now were done at night? A: Yeah, middle of the night.. and you know something? Most of them is at night - night tracks, (then)inspiration comes. Because when everybody start sleeping the ear get a lot cleaner and that's when your mind works better. Everybody is just sleeping.. and all a the noise and distortion or whatever it is, are sleeping. So you have a better mind, clearer mind to use for what you´re doing. Even for vocals, I prefer to do at night when everybody is sleeping. Q: What was Jr Byles like? There's so many stories you wonder how he really was, as a person? A: He was a genius. He was somebody.. all he needed was some guidance. But something went down and.. I don´t know what it is? He was a great guy. I mean, we hung out every day, for years. Never was a problem. We just laugh and.. but sometimes he would just stop, and be very quiet. Q: Sort of withdrawn? A: Yea, me and him would be talking and he just.. stop. Just stops! And he space out. But I didn´t see anything wrong with it because I think I was the same thing too. In my own way, yeah.. I mean, I am the same way now too. When I seh "space out" I mean I´m in my own little world. Outside of my circles.. some might call me selfish, but I´m my own type who want to be alone, even at this age. I do my thing. Q: Some people are like that.. A: All I see technically, there's nutten that interest me... nothing but music. Q: As an artist it's a constant, regular process of creativity, unlike any day-to-day job? You have to live it. A: Sometime I would be drivin´ down a street and I might get one word - or a bassline, and I just register it in me computer.. right in my head there. I mean, years ago I had to write it down. But now I need it no more - it just stays! I wake in the morning and the same idea I had last night - it stayed right there. When I wake up at night and I get an idea I have to write that one down, I have to. Or else I forget but otherwise.. I don´t have to. Q: You played instruments on certain early sessions at the Ark. Do you remember doing any special songs for anyone there? A: No, I did a couple with Jr Byles but I don´t remember which tracks it was. I played drums on certain tracks. And bass, but I wasn´t keeping account of that. I was mostly interested in my vocals. I played like congo drums on a lot of different tracks, different instruments. And sometimes Scratch would call us into the studio and seh "listen to this", and we´d overdub certain instruments. Q: I guess you had to fill in for people who didn´t show up a lot of the time?

A: Yeah, for instance if a drummer is not there.. I´m not a great drummer like certain guys. What I would do I would just go in and keep the timing with the bassie. And tomorrow the right drummer would come and take over my track and overdub on it. I wasn´t a great drummer but I could keep a good, clean timing and everything. So if a drummer is not available for a session, I would step in. When the drummer comes now, he would listen and seh "okay - good idea", and would put his signature on it. And even with the bass, the same thing happens. But I never think I´m good enough.. in anything. I never think that way. Q: But you have to realise your potential some day.. A: Yes, but I know my potential still. I think I´m gettin´ it the right way now, where I want to be now. And I can´t say how the next album will sound like, but it has started already. But I´m just trying to do what I can do, and I don´t wanna overcrowd myself to sound like anybody, which I can´t. I just wanna do my stuff, and I hope the audience react to it and love certain things weh going down. So thats all I´m hoping for, y´know. Beca´ I can´t go out and play what I think the people want! I´m not that "great". I haffe do what I want. And hopefully the public will accept it. Q: That's sincere, some artistic integrity there as I would say. A: Theres no other choice beca´ for instance I wouldn´t go out an´ play something which I heard on the radio.. its not me, man! Follow my mind, it just have to be me. I don´t categorise myself neither. I wouldn´t label my sound. I´m from a reggae background, everybody knows that. Each track (on the new album) speaks for itself. Some might say "he´s rock", or "he´s reggae".. that part I don´t care about that. Its up to each individual to say what they wanna say. But I do every track the best way of how I want it (to be). Q: Back to the Black Ark days - I suppose a recording session there was like nothing else? A: Theres nothing like it - never been the same thing. There is sometimes when we´re in the middle of the rhythm and Scratch will just stop and cut everything off and just laugh and go outside and come back "gentlemen, lets take a break!".. in the middle of the track! Right?! We think we´re going down on one cut now and think we´re gonna get it and Scratch will just settle, cut off and jus´ laugh seh "tek a break". And we just take a break and do what we wanna do, whatever.. And we will come back probably tonight, and jus´ finish it off. But sometime when the track gets so good Scratch will stop and seh "gentlemen - come, lets go!" (laughs). We jus´ stop recording! And you feel like your head is gonna blow up! But everything is fun. Theres never a dull day there. And I wish I had everything on video from those days, then I would be happy! But we never know that we would come this great. Theres nothing like this, my brother. Nothing! I tell you I´m glad to be a part of it. Q: Now, about Lee Perrys eccentric behaviours, he blew ganja smoke on the tapes - what else? A: Yeah, we had our rituals when we jus´ take a pipe an´ a good blow on the tape. He would do anything - crazy!! But good. For instance, he would take a good load and phffff.. get some good smoke on it then in those days the closest guy to you - you can´t see him beca´ he´s just smoke! Just smoke. In the studio there were no windows - no escape. One door you have to come out. Thats why you call it the Ark - no windows. There was no windows to look through or come out through. One way out, my brother. Q: The Ark must have been very small in comparison to other Kingston studios at the time? How did it look like if you could describe the scene there? A: It was very high! It's like a box! (laughs). It's like someone make up a box, there was no plan to the building. I mean, anyone could do that building! It's like a guy just put up some tinder-box and make something straight up in the air. Like a box, no windows, man. One door and that's it! When you came in there then you had the mixing board - a little Teac, on 4-tracks. And the keyboards was like a little toy, like a baby-play thing. Nothing looked real there, except the drum set. I remember one time Clancy Eccles came there and he said "what is this, man?? We cyaan record in somet´ing like dis!". He jus´ laugh an´ seh he don´t know what's going down, man! And when Heptones and everybody jus´ start to crowd the studio.. You know there was a time when Max Romeo and all about was there an´ the sound is coming from the studio, everybody - all of the artists in Jamaica want to record there. There was a time when Scratch wouldn´t rent it. There was no renting business. Only his artists would work there. Like close friends might be okay, and around there sometimes. No thing like "renting". He didn´t have to do that. Even Coxsone sometime come there to do some stuff, to overdub some stuff - an´ mix. I probably could name tracks which was overdubbed there. Mrs Pottinger - that was Gay Feet, did a lot of work there. Man like Brent Dowe (Melodians), all those came there. A lot of mostly Europeans wanted to come there to work. And sometimes when Scratch get mad he say "no, no! Nobody workin´ inside here but me artists". But it's a place.. you can´t really explain it. If you´re not there you can´t really explain it. That was.. history.

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

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