Yes, so it wasn’t really a happy t’ing for me, really. Beca’ I was tellin’ him “yu know seh, if you do this tune live, you will get a good tune, but the computer isn’t gonna give you the vibes”. But he say “yes man, do it, do it, do it!”. So I jus’… you know?
But it didn’t come out good, in your ears at least?
No! You know, when you do a song you can know, yunno? In the studio. You can know, so I told him seh “yunno, we shouldn’t worry use a computer”, an’ he say “yes man, the computer a come in now an’…”. Me seh “nah man, mek me do it live an’ mek we do it the right way!”… “nah man!”, yunno.
Then you didn’t do anything further until a few 45s for Freedom Sounds appeared, mid nineties, like ‘It No Easy’, and a duet with yourself and Frankie Paul, ‘Follow Jah’. Both using digital backing. But you don’t look pleased with that?
No. That’s why I start doing some things for myself. Because in Jamaica now I have a good seven songs that I do for meself. When I go back I’d like to finish it, and finish a lp. Acousticwise. So I feel like it would be more… sound more like the original things all a know. Yes.
But there was one single on the Basement label, which came out in this period too, when you did ‘Born A Fighter’ again, for Clement Dodd Jr, the son of Coxsone, of which there was an album to follow – what happened to it?
Yes, computer… I was gonna make an album with him, start the album an’ t’ings, and all him a do… I don’t hear from him again! And a next thing I hear that he and his father was in some problem. And from that I don’t hear from him again, I don’t see him again. So I dunno…
Was it ever completed, the album?
No, no. We did about five tunes. But again, I was even tellin’ him about the acoustic things, but… him no want it, beca’ it’s cheaper. When you do the computer t’ing him say “bwoy, that me can manage”. So I sat for myself now, say…
Then there was this album for Jah Shaka, ‘Jah Children Gather Round’ on Greensleeves?
Well, no… what I did for Shaka, yunno, is… I gonna tell you a secret: What I did for Shaka, tell you the truth: Shaka had some riddim an’ I was down at Leggo (studio) but I mostly did them tune deh in a some dubplate style. But him put it on record, y’know? So I was sorry about that still because it wasn’t…
Could be a lot better?
Yes, my brethren. Him come on with some dubplate an’ man… people used to tell me that Shaka used to play my songs, and he come to Jamaica now and tell Johnny Clarke him must call me. And when I go a studio him start tell me him used to play my tune deh in a England an’ all dem t’ing deh. And ‘Stone’, ‘Bucket…’, and ‘Bozrock’ an’ all a dem tune deh, yunno? So a some likkle special like sound me a do. But him put it pon that, so…
You did something for Max Romeo too?
Yes, he said he want to have a likkle lp with, like, him and “friends”. So him say him would a like me do ‘Stone’ pon a riddim. So, I just did it for him, y’know. But a computer that again…
And there was a tune for Tristan Palma as well? Like a duet, I believe?
A true (laughs)! Yeah man (smiles)… That one time, yunno, Phillip Fraser and Tristan Palma had a company, they form a company, I don’t remember the name a it… but Tristan Palmer an’ Phillip Fraser, and Phillip Fraser… ca’ I know him from Greenwich Farm days, he came down the farm one day an’ say I must come a the studio. And when I come a the studio them play the riddim and seh “mek up some lyrics pon that nuh?”. So me just a mek up some likkle lyrics upon it, yunno. Yes. You remember that, man? Bwoy (laughs)! You big, man! You big…
What’s your definition of roots music? Maybe a bit difficult to answer straight?
No. My definition of roots music is like the bible. Beca’ you know when I read the bible I get a vibes. That’s why when I sing those songs I get that vibes, y’know? ‘Cause I see… it’s like the bible. Ca’ you have some people, them not read the bible but they would still listen to somebody singin’ about the bible. And in Jamaica dem time deh you had plenty people that couldn’t read. You know, from them… inna them 60s, 70s. Into the 80s, until Michael Manley come with a… a t’ing weh him call a… he used to mek up a likkle t’ing weh we used to call… “illiteracy”! That mean seh if you even a big man or a big woman or old people you can learn to read same way. Beca’ in them times deh a man him reach twenty year old an’ him cyaan read and him shamed an’ him hide it from people. And him would want… me know seh him a big man go a school an’ you know him would feel like… So Michael Manley come with that t’ing like ‘illiteracy’, no care what age you is, you must learn dem t’ings deh, yunno? So when I really sing dem t’ings deh now it’s because plenty people couldn’t even read in Jamaica. So I say plenty people… is because dem can’t read the bible weh dem don’t praise, they would be more… even better in themselves. But if you sing, or talk, dem know what it’s about. You know, because it’s words… you don’t have to read to understan’. They can’t read and still hear the word and know what mean “yes”, or what is “no”, y’know? Weh I really used to sing, I feel like roots music is the bible. And same way like how you have the bible, and you have lots of book come and goes, and the bible remain. That will be roots music. Music will come and go, but you see that roots it will always be there. It might come in different forms, but the roots will always be there. Yes, the roots music is like the bible. Yes. Like the foundation.
Who do you think is forward in the music today?
Well, man like Luciano. As a singer. Garnet Silk was doing it the other day but him pass it. But man like Luciano now, is the man that… as young artist that I see really come in with the vibes, y’know? Man like Luciano. And the deejays dem weh I see… I don’t want to state nutten bad about no singer or no deejay, but I feel like some a the deejays dem now, they would tell you that they talk about righteousness but they are too aggressive with it.