SOUND SYSTEM CULTURE

There has long been a fascination with singers at a child stage in worldwide popular music, Jamaica is no different. Delroy Wilson springs to mind first and foremost, no doubt the biggest child star the island has ever seen. Errol Dunkley was another teen sensation back in the mid-sixties. Dunkley was to become one of the most prolific hit-machines on the island with recordings for the late Joe Gibbs and Bunny Lee, before teaming up with Gregory Isaacs to form the African Museum label. Later he was to score a huge pop hit with a cover of John Holt’s ‘OK Fred’ in 1979.

No one embodied the 1970s reggae scene in its pomp quite like Big Youth. The dreadlocked deejay's music and persona contained the decade’s gritty DIY street toughness, its Rastafari social conscience and its flamboyant ghetto fabulousness all at once. As the microphone speaker who popularised Rasta lyrics on Jamaican sound system, whose rough-edged mystical chants made him a favourite of Britain’s punk rockers, Big Youth's place in history is secure. But when you talk to Manley Augustus Buchanan, he still sounds like a man with something to prove.

Addis Pablo, scion of the beloved Augustus Pablo, is a man in the mold of what is known about his mystical, legendary father: He’s extremely humble, creative, reflective, intelligent, and, passionately focused on using the melodica to make some of the most spiritual, special music in the world.

Franklyn “Ben Up” Irving and Stanley “Barnabas” Bryan are two of the last surviving team members of the legendary Channel One studio and entertainment empire. Owned by the Hookim brothers and based at 29 Maxfield Avenue, Channel One’s productions dominated Kingston's reggae scene from the mid-to-late 70s. Driven by a crystalline studio sound and the radical drumming of Sly Dunbar, Channel One became as in demand as Studio 1 the decade before.

It was during my recent trip to Jamaica that I had the unique opportunity to sit down with Barrington Levy and talk with him about his life, career, and his new Grammy-nominated album Acousticalevy.

Red Lion (King Shiloh) “The album I played the most is ‘King Selassie I Calling’. One of the last Augustus Pablo albums that came out actually. ‘King Selassie I Calling’ is an impressive album”.

Let’s do this" says Norman Grant, lead singer and more visible half of Jamaican duo Twinkle Brothers, striding towards his interview, seconds after stepping off the stage. Burly and grey around the beard, he still has a youthful look about his face – especially when he smiles. Norman and Ralston hail from in Falmouth in the parish of Trelawny on Jamaica’s north coast.

Dub Judah, born Christopher George, emerged as a prominent figure in the reggae music scene, renowned for his distinctive sound and unwavering commitment to the roots reggae tradition. His journey from humble beginnings to international acclaim, marked by his perseverance, is a testament to his talent and dedication to his craft, inspiring many along the way.

Dubbed "The Gentle Giant", Prince Alla (born Keith Blake, St Elizabeth Jamaica) is one of roots reggae's most irrepressible and warm-hearted characters. His demeanour is something of a contrast from the anguished dread-serious biblical tones of his records, which take Old Testament Stories and place them in the context of societal injustice in Jamaica and the world.

Everything is stories, but the truth lies in the real story. You understand? Because the way mi come up as a likkle youth – you know what my greatest story was? Christ story. As a likkle youth, I hear about this man that is oh so perfect. The Bible say mark the perfect and hold the upright. So I hear about this man that would die for our sins