Junior Byles belting out his entry in the 1972 Festival Song Competition, 'Da Da Festival'. His entry was one of the seven chosen to go on to the finals. - File

PROBABLY the most bizarre moment at Rebel Salute 2004 was the appearance of Junior Byles. The mentally incapacitated singer of classic songs like Curly Locks and Fade Away seemed dazed when he hit the stage and saw the sea of fans.

After a stuttering start, Byles brought the house down with songs familiar to many in the audience. However, they did not know who recorded them.

Those songs, which also include Beat Down Babylon, were cut during the 1970s when Byles enjoyed a purple patch with several producers, notably the eccentric Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Fade Away, written and produced by respected session guitarist Earl 'Chinna' Smith, was Byles' last hit before his mental condition deteriorated to the point where he roamed the streets.

Psychological suffering

Byles' story resembles that of the legendary trombonist, Don Drummond, who also suffered psychologically. Drummond died in July 1968, at the Bellevue Hospital in east Kingston; he had been sent there by authorities after murdering his lover in 1965.

Kerrie Byles Jr. was a fireman when he began his music career in the late 1960s as a member of The Versatiles. The group cut several strong singles produced by Joe Gibbs and Perry.

But it was not until he went solo and came under the guidance of Perry that Byles' talent really came to the fore. Curly Locks, about a father's reluctance for his daughter to be involved with a Rasta man, summed up middle-class Jamaica's attitude toward the dreadlocked sect.

Fade Away, inspired by a psalm, is Byles' gift to the dancehall generation. Recorded at Channel One in 1976, one year after a suicide attempt by the singer, Fade Away has been covered by guitarist Ernie Ranglin and is a must-play at dances.

In recent years, much has been done to give Junior Byles his due through re-issues of his work. The aptly-titled Curly Locks from Heartbeat Records, which revisits his work with Perry, is recommended.

- H.C.