I'm just an old Honkey, but Black Lives Matter to me.
I just come at the whole thing from a different viewpoint.
I live for musick. So the effect of violence on Black musickians is what has touched me the deepest.
I know that the focus of the current problems is on Police Murder.
Again, my own personal thoughts stem from my hatred of guns & the death that leaps unchecked from their barrels. Police wouldn't be murdering Blacks if they weren't issued a badge, a gun, & a license to kill. Racism will be extremely hard to root out & exterminate from a basically corrupt system.
It can so easily hide behind the visage of the sweetest smile.
But gun's are much easier to recognize & eliminate. Gun violence has taken more Black musickians than I can easily chronicle.
Who can ever forget Marvin Gaye?
Through my love of Dub, Black Lives dying has hit me hard (the King himself gunned down).
Let’s start the list:
November 22, 1980 - Earl 'General Echo' Robinson, Drunken Master DJ, second only to Big Youth. A car carrying Echo & two others was stopped by police. In the ensuing confrontation, Echo was shot dead by police along with selector Flux (who also worked with Echo on his Echo Tone Sound System) & Stereo Phonic owner Leon 'Big John' Johns. The incident has never been satisfactorily explained.
September 15, 1983 - Prince Far I, Adrian associate, Heavy Manners, Singers & Players
October 14, 1983 - Hugh Mundell, renowned songwriter, Augustus Pablo & Lee Perry associate
April 17, 1987 - Carlton Barrett, Upsetter & Wailer, brother of Aston 'Family Man' Barrett
August 9, 1987 - Wayne 'Major Worries' Jones, Prince Jammy Sound System DJ
September 11, 1987 - Peter Tosh, original Wailer (along with herbalist Wilton 'Doc' Brown & Jeff 'Free 1' Dixon)
February 6, 1989 - King Tubby, the King of Dub
June 24, 1991 - Glen 'Nitty Gritty' Holness - Zodiac Sound System & Soulite
June 2, 1999 - Junior Braithwaite - original Wailing Wailer
June 14, 1999 - Henry 'Junjo' Lawes - producer, Volcano Records & Volcano Sound System. Roots Radics
July 6, 1999 - Mikey Wallace, Chalice keyboards & Massive bass
October 18, 2007 - Lucky Dube, South Africa's greatest reggae star, former Love Brother
January 19, 2011 - Winston Riley, Techniques producer, Meditation Dub star
October 9, 2014 - Lincoln 'Style' Scott, drummer extraordinaire, Roots Radics to Dub Syndicate
So here's my offering to the current situation...
Various - Black Slavery Days, Clappers Records CLPS-1982, 1980.
Side 1 -
Black Slavery Days - Skulls
9 to 5 Dub - T.S.O.S.A. (The Sounds of Saint Ann's)
Tird World - Skulls
Third Worlds Shuffle - Mercenarys
Seek Fire - Arrows
Side 2 -
How Can a Man Dubwise - Clappers All Stars
Come Away Jah Children - Original Survivors
Theme from Ras 'G' - T.S.O.S.A.
Old Broom - Arrows
Beautiful Land (JA) - Original Survivors
Usual suspects: Earl Chinna Smith - lead guitar; Dave Zang & Tony Chin - rhythm guitar; Bobbie Kalaphat & Augustus Pablo - piano; Bernard Touter Harvey - organ; Bobbie Ellis, Herman Marquis, & Vin Trommie Gordon - horns; Robbie Shakespeare & Sidney Leftoe Gussine - bass; & Leroy Horsemouth Wallace - drums.
Although they are Gone Music still Lives on,
NØ
I must congratulate you about these thoughts published. It took me some time to buy a gun, even when I had the paperwork in order for years since I live in rural areas.
ReplyDeleteI decided for it when I started seeing Argentina turning into a den of beastly creatures that don't care about music . respecting other's lifes and are not shy to hurt each other even in arguments about a dog.
Believe me it was a sad moment when I felt the need to have it but we've gone back to the stone age under governments propelling ignorance and poverty to stay in power. If government or crooks kick my door they'll get what they deserve.
Past my 50s and worked all my life, Dear Friend.
Hope someday I can sell it to buy records and make this just an anecdote.
Music is a great healer. You are some kind of Doctor helping others to access what you like.
Keep on shooting good tunes. We love you down here. Cheers.
When I speak ill of guns, I am speaking from my own self only. I understand that the world has de-evolved back to the stone age as you say. The law of the jungle is foremost today, even though some of us have moved out of the "jungle" into social civilization.
ReplyDeleteI alway quote: "Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun" when I reference this. When I was young, if you had a beef with someone, you duked it out with fists. Sure you might win or lose, & if you lost you probably took your lumps, but lived to fight another day or learned a better way. Then sticks, then knives, now guns galore. Now a no-good shit that wouldn't dare face you mano y mano can shoot you from his coward's distance.
I just believe in the overall goodness of the human race.
Thank you for the wonderful words about musick. It can indeed solve all things. I do what I can do.
agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments... just wanted to point out that your picture montage includes pics of Alton Ellis and Joe Higgs, neither of whom died in gun related incidents...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment & thanks for the heads up on the foto. Late night brain farts. Foto Fixed. Praise.
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