Dwisdom’s 1991 hit song gets its video

It was the summer of 1991 and a teenaged singer named Dorette “Dwisdom” Wisdom had the number one song in Jamaica with ‘My First Real Love’, a soul ballad many Jamaicans thought was done by an American artiste.

While riding the bus, she listened as passengers sang the song word for word, oblivious to her presence.

“The lady sitting beside me was all up in her feelings, singing and no one knew that the artiste was on the bus. That brought me to tears, to see the reaction the song had on the people,” she recalled recently.

One of the reasons no one knew Dwisdom may have been the absence of a video for ‘First Real Love’ which is produced by Willie Stewart, best known as former drummer of the Third World band.

Thirty-two years later, and a visual for the song is being released on July 21. Filmed in South Florida, it is produced by Steve HoSang and Digital 1 Media Service.

Stewart, who also lives in South Florida, is confident the video will revive interest in the song which remains popular on Jamaican radio. Dwisdom, who tours with Beres Hammond as a harmony singer, agrees.

“The significance of this release is to give the exposure that it didn’t receive when first released. And shooting the video will finally introduce the face behind the song,” she said.

Interestingly, Dwisdom was introduced to Stewart by his younger brother Pablo, who was a member of the reggae band, Kotch. He told him of the teen’s impressive vocals and encouraged his sibling to record her.

Once she entered the recording booth, Stewart knew there was something different about singer and song.

“When we recorded ‘My First Real Love’ at Peak Studios in Red Hills (Jamaica) there was an instant magic. The sincerity in which Dwisdom sang the song with her whole heart and soul, I knew it was very, very special and unique and that everyone could relate to it at some point in their life,” he recalled.

Dwisdom recorded other songs for different producers but none replicated the success of ‘My First Real Love’. She has been a member of Hammond’s recording and touring unit for over 20 years and is on his latest US tour which starts July 23 at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Third World and Steel Pulse.

Willie Stewart, who played on many of Third World’s classic songs including ‘Now That We Found Love’ and ‘Reggae Ambassador’, is conceptualiser of the popular Rhythms of Africa show in South Florida.

(Photo contributed by Dorette Wisdom)