By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE RHYTHMS were played from hiss to silence and the deejays and singers rode them into pothole land at the Mas Camp Village, Oxford Road, New Kingston, on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
It was Leroy Sibbles' birthday party, appropriately called 'Party Time', but when Josey Wales reeled out the names of some on-stage lyrically a bit after 2:00 a.m., it was a virtual roll call of the days when deejays worked live on sound systems.
There was the Brigadier Jerry; the sweetest singer Sugar Minott, the original Banton, Burro Banton; the foundation singers Little John, Echo Minott, Tristan Palmer and Pad Anthony and even the original 'wickedest gateman', Gilly Priest.
And true to the days of stamina in the dancehall, where the live performer was the feature attraction and not a few minutes interruption , they went at it long and hard, in front of a packed house which gradually dwindled. Although there were some recorded hits that were flashed, by and large the emphasis was on lyrics - as opposed to punchlines.
BRILLIANT DISPLAY
Those who left before General Trees hit a series of 'sneaks' heading up to 4:00 a.m. missed a brilliant display of timing, storytelling mastery, excellent delivery and sheer deejay ability, as the man who used to run Black Scorpio sound system sparkled before dawn. And in the run-up to Trees' display, the 'Pickney Demus' was a hit with the audience.
Some left disgruntled, though, voicing displeasure at the organisation of the show as well as the fact that they had been expecting a band to be on the stand.
Just before the birthday singing it was the Colonel Josey Wales who was in his element, as Scorpio played Junior Byles' Fade Away and then turned it over for the version. Wales deejayed the hit It Haffi Bun, the lawn erupted and he handed over to Sibbles, who encouraged the crowd to sing happy birthday to him, a request with which some complied.
Throughout the night there was a hush when Brigadier Jerry took the microphone and though for most part he stood to one side and listened to the lyrics, then approached and took his turn, there were times when he staked his claim. "One more time, me again. General a general," Briggy said and the audience agreed.
"Wha Jah do to Sodom and Gomorrah/Him can do to Babylon tomorrow," Briggy deejayed in Forward To Zion and the audience rocked along with him.
Burru Banton declared "Phenomenon one mi par wid pure ganja man/phenomenon two pure ganja lady inna we crew", the grit of his voice raking over the receptive audience.
Sugar Minott was cool and effective, as he tailored Rub A Dub A Go Hol Yuh to fit the occasion and the venue, Pad Anthony delivered the Title and at one point the singers took over and Little John, Tristan Palmer, Echo Minott and Sugar Minott passed the microphone among themselves, as hits flowed in original Youthman Promotion style.
The audience responded to hits such as All Over Me and What The Hell The Police Can Do as expected.
Sugar Minott gave young artistes such as Terro Blacks a chance, this segment seeing quite a few people leaving the venue, then it was star time into the wee hours of the morning, with Demus and Trees taking charge.
And as Josey Wales said in the early going, referring to the cluster of dancehall luminaries on-stage, "People like these you can never see in your lifetime, so love them to your utmost."
