Ijahman Levi has recorded over 40 albums already.

As a schoolboy of about 14 he went on the famed Vere Johns Opportunity Knocks talent show to sing What Am I Living For. He sang the first three words, then nothing more would come out. "Each head have four eyes and six eyes," Ijahman said, laughing at the memory of the audience's astonishment. He was pulled off the stage unceremoniously by his collar and "I cry man".

Still, as "is not sing me cyaan sing; me get stage fright", he pressed on and went to producer Arthur 'Duke' Reid's office. Levi knocks wood and said, "God bless Strangejah Cole", as it was he who gave the nod, leading to the first recording, Red Eyes People. It was not his first popular song, though, as "the only time I hear it back is when it play in the studio. Me no hear it again in my life". That was 1962.

Then a year later his parents migrated to England and the 16-year-old Trevor Sutherland followed.

It was not the best of time in the supposed 'Mother Country' for black people. Levi still remembers his father telling him how a white woman pursued his father one day, asking, "can I see your tail?"

"Them time the Teddy Boy and Skinheads a trouble black people, Brixton riot, Notting Hill riot. When I reach it not nice, but other people have it harder," he said.

Still, "Music was in my blood." He hooked up with a "guy in the same yard named Winston. I say thanks to him". Winston played guitar and Ijahman wanted to learn. So he bought himself a guitar and proceeded to learn from scratch. "Me and him put together a 13-piece band. Pure new players. Trombonist can't trombone, saxophonist can't play sax. We make pure noise, but we having fun," Ijahman said, laughing.

Sing it again

That 'pure noise' went to the Q Club in London, owned by Count Suckle, and in the midst of the chaos Levi sang, Wide Awake in a Dream so well that Suckle shouted, "Sing it again and I book you tomorrow night."

So said, so sung for his first big break. Another 13-piece band, 'Youth and Rudie and the Shell Shock Show' followed the demise of the Vibrations. 'Rudie', the only other black member of the group, called it quits and Levi as 'Youth' found himself on his own.

During a time of introspection, the name change came. "After reading my Bible and at the same time Twelve Tribes of Israel was strong, I realise that I am a Levi. I read a chapter a day. I just look at myself one day and say I want a name. I would like when somebody address me they address me and God at the same time. The first word in the Bible is 'in', so I take the 'I' and put it together. 'Ijahmen' mean whole heap a people. And the spirit say it is 'Ijahman'," he said.

On January 21, 1974, he got the call that led to his big break, as a producer named Dennis Harris asked him to record some songs for him. Levi did not want to do what became one of his most famous songs, Jah Heavy Load, but when he went into the studio that is all that would come to his mind for two hours. When he finally sang it, "is like the Genie bus out of the bottle".

Island Records boss Chris Blackwell heard the song and liked it. At the same time Levi was asked to record a backing vocal for a song by trumpeter Rico Rodriguez, also for Island, so the voice eventually hit Blackwell from two angles. Things progressed and Levi was sent to Jamaica to do a single. He did 11 songs, demanded the tape from producer Geoffrey Chung and flew back to England with what eventually became his first two albums.

It was the first two of nearly 40.

With so many songs to choose from in a situation where "Jamaica come inlike a country that I never work in yet", Levi is not yet sure which songs he will be delivering on Saturday night. One thing he is sure of is that he will be, as is the norm, delivering one or two with the guitar only before the entire band comes in. And he will not be singing I Do.

"I am now building my own studio, so hopefully my next album will be done there," the 61 year-old and recent father of his 13th child said.