HERBERT MCKENIS/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Burning Spear performs at Tru-Juice Rebel Salute 2006, held at the Port Kaiser Sports Club, St. Elizabeth, on January 14. His 'Our Music' is a contender in this year's Grammy Awards, Reggae Category.
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Winston 'Burning Spear' Rodney has done the record label rounds, from Studio One to Island to Heartbeat. Now in his "pre-retirement" stage, as he puts it, his second album on his own Burning Music imprint, Our Music, has earned a nomination for the 2005 Reggae Grammy.
Of course, Grammy ground is not new territory for the man from the hills of St. Ann, birthplace of the man whose teachings he has been promoting for more than 30 years. And yes, Marcus Garvey does make an appearance among the 11 songs on Our Music two, in fact, there is one song between 'One Marcus' and the album closing 'Little Garvey'.
With a whopping eight other nominations to his credit, Spear took the 1999 Reggae Grammy with Calling Rastafari, that album beginning with the autobiographical As It Is, which begins "start singing in the late 60s/told about Studio One by Bob Marley/the music went up, down and around/did someone remember Burning Spear?"
The current album begins with the title track, followed by Try Again, the song with which he opened his performance at Tru-Juice Rebel Salute 2006 in mid-January. Down In Jamaica, Together, Friends, Rastaman, Fix Me, Walk and My Duty also made the cut for the album, in which Spear sticks to the authentic roots sound that has served him well since 1969's Door Peep.
In fact, in presenting their 2004 Grammy nominated album African Holocaust at the Liguanea Club, New Kingston, last year, David Hinds of Steel Pulse said that in the 1980s, when dancehall got going, and into the 1990s when it hit full throttle, Burning Spear was the only major roots reggae act who did not change his sound to accommodate mechanical times.
regular rotation
He has kept up to date with how to present his music, though, a video for Walk, with a quick glimpse of deejay Tony Rebel, getting regular rotation on local cable stations. The video was shot in St. Ann's Bay, St. Ann.
Our Music can be seen and heard, as a limited edition issue has not only the album but more than an hour of bonus DVD footage.
On his website, www.burningspear.net, in a message posted on December 12, 2005, Burning Spear expresses gratitude for and surprise at the nomination. "First I would like to say thanks to all the people in the record industry that nominated Our Music. I am very surprised that I am a nominee for this Grammy since there is so much hype music going around. I am truly humbled by this nomination. Give thanks," Spear writes.
He also addresses two specific songs, beginning with the title track.
"Our music they think I and I lose it. So many artiste today are afraid to sing certain lyric because it's not what society say is marketable to young people. They want us to leave it up to them. When we leave it up to them we will no longer be able to perform for all the people of the world and more of our young people will pay the price," Spear writes.
And, about My Duty on November 7 Spear wrote: "I man been in this business since 1969 and I man did have to deal with various booking agent, record company and promoters and it was in the 90s when I man start earn something from what I been doing since 1969. I man rise up with my self-confidence and my capabilities and I man just keep on moving forward for I man is moving in the right direction and the people knows that.
"Sometimes I ask His Majesty when am I going to be discharged from this duty? Maybe I was wrong to ask His Majesty such question. I see myself as Mr. Music, JAH Music, Our Music, World Music, the People's Music. Whatsoever JAH has given to I man, I man earn it the hardest way. So keep the Spear burning."
