In this section we will be posting special Tribute's to artists that have left us
Tribute To The Late Great Barry Brown
"WCTD spotlights the career of popular and prolific singer Barry Brown. His heyday was in the late seventies at the dawning of the dancehall era. All the sound systems of the day would feature a selection of Barry’s tunes and he was a regular around the many Kingston studios, cutting great records for all the top producers.
Barry Brown worked extensively with Bunny Lee for many years as well as working with newer producers like Sugar Minott and Linval Thompson. His Channel One output continued his run of success into the eighties, with the mighty “Far East” perhaps being his biggest and most popular record with dance-goers.
He even tried his hand at self production, and this yielded more great music but was less of a success commercially. He continued to record extensively with hits produced by Junjo Lawes, Niney and Clement Dodd at Studio One, but as the years continued other singers rose to the top leaving Brown struggling to make a living as a singer.
We salute Barry Brown here with a mix of some of his finest records, a guest appearance on David Rodigan’s sound, as well as a rare live concert recorded just a year before his untimely death in 2004.”
Barry Brown Mix
Barry Brown Live With David Rodigan Sound System
Barry Brown Live Paris 2003
TRIBUTE TO DADDY I ROY
We are honoured to present to you a tribute to the late great I Roy.. We give to you some of his great tunes, some rare recorded examples of him live and direct on sound system and a recording of David Rodigans Kiss FM tribute...
Thank you so much for all the fantastic music you gave us Mr Reid, may you be in a much better place R.I.P..........
David Rodigan’s Tribute To I.Roy broadcast shortly after his tragic death on 27th November 1999
David Rodigan Gossips, Off Dean Street, Soho, London December 1982
“David Rodigan’s reggae session at Gossips Club, Soho around Christmas time 1982 had a very special guest passing through. Rodigan’s long time associate Papa Face warms the crowd before handing over to the legendary I.Roy. Here’s a rare chance to hear laying down his lyrics over original Studio One riddims. Rodigan draws classics like Real Rock, Swing Easy, Bobby Bobylon, Party Time while I.Roy and Face rock the Rub A Dub Party till closedown.”
Who Cork The Dance I Roy Selection
01 General
02 Jah Lion Jungle
03 Message From The Top
04 Set The Captives Free
05 Live Up Jah Man
06 Tripe Girl
07 African Descendants
08 Hooligan
09 Straight To Prince Jazzbo's Head
10 Radical Music
11 Black Man Time
Turbotronic Bugs Bunny Lawn, Port Maria, St Mary 1982
Featuring: Jim Kelly, Branno Ranking
Selector & Owner: I Roy
“Branno Ranking confidently announces that Spanish Town sound Turbotronic are ready to take on anyone in a “Fist To Fist Rub A Dub” clash. Owner and selector I.Roy introduces Jim Kelly as the roughest deejay and he proceeds to mash up Bugs Bunny Lawn with some great lyrics with Branno alongside him. Sadly in this portion of an all too short, but entertaining, recording there are no dubplates but Michael Prophet’s tunes are the order of the day”
Turbotronic Hi Fi Spanish Town 1982
Featuring: I Roy, Echo Minott
Selector & Owner: I Roy
"Considering the length of I.Roy's sound system career, starting in the late 60's, throughout the 70's and into the 80's, actual live recordings with Roy on the microphone remain scarce. But here is I.Roy at the controls of his own Turbotronic disco, a heavy sound with 2000 watts of stereo.
From the start, over Don Carlos " Dice Cup", he shows that he's absorbed the deejay styles of the new generations and combined it with his own pioneering classical style.
Turbotronic wasn't afraid to mix reggae with funk and soul and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" gets the full I.Roy jive talking treatment. After riding a further funk excursion it's "Rockers Time" with the "Heavenless" riddim where Roy then hands over to Echo Minott, a singer who was to become popular on the dancehall circuit. His "Saddest Day" is sung over "Entertainment" and he shows he can deejay as well. It's so good to hear I.Roy's lyrical skills in a dancehall environment, and in the absence of any seventies tapes, this sound tape stands as a testament to the great talent of I.Roy."
Sir Coxsone Outernational London 1982
Featuring: I Roy, Papa Ranking, Bikey Dread, Wandan
Operator: Gappy Dread
“Passing through on Sir Coxsone Outernational sound is a special guest all the way from Spanish Town, I.Roy, who announces himself with a classic old time introduction “Mic check, microphone test 1,2”. His rhyming skills always set him aside from most deejays and here his lyrics simply flow over the Mighty Diamonds “Unruly Pickney” and Dennis Brown’s “Have You Ever”. Sir Coxsone’s deejays are good too especially Bikey Dread who rails out against the lyric pirates. Gappy Dread drops the storming “Wolf & Leopards” riddim and this coaxes I.Roy back to the control tower to voice his big seventies hit “Sister Maggie Breast”
Tribute to Mikey 'Dread' Campbell
“Here’s a recording of the legendary “Mikey Dread At The Controls” radio show. It was recorded Christmas 1978 and it was one of his groundbreaking shows broadcast on JBC Radio, Jamaica. Thanks to Jayman it now runs at the right speed and as far as I know it’s pretty rare.”
R.I.P Mikey
Tribute to Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson
Who Cork The Dance pays tribute to Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson who passed away on the 1st September 2009. An accomplished keyboard player with the Roots Radics Band who played on countless sessions and with touring bands in the seventies and eighties.
He also played a major part in the rise of dancehall music working alongside long-time sidekick Cleveland “Clevie” Browne, together they created many of the new digital rhythms for producers and labels like King Jammy’s, Bobby Digital, Redman Int, Music Works and Penthouse from the mid eighties onwards. Their own Steely & Clevie label promoted the duo’s productions and gave hits to artists like Tiger, Ninjaman, Johnny P, Cocoa Tea, Foxy Brown, Freddie McGregor and many more.
Steely also built up his own sound system Silverhawk to compete in the dancehall arena and here we have an early ‘Hawk clash with Soul Imperial from 1987 featuring an array of supas including future stars Shabba Ranks and Beenie Man shocking out over pure Steely & Clevie rhythms.
R.I.P Steely
Silverhawk vs Soul Imperial – Stanley Park, August Town, Kingston May 1987
Tulloch T, Risto Benji, Prince Junior, Shabba Ranks, Don Angelo,, Jah Thomas, Penny Irie, Beenie Man, Johnny Cool, Junie Ranks, Colin Roach, Power Saw, Little Richie
Selector – Ballsy
Mixer – Steely
Silverhawk Hi Power Montego Bay 1988
Featuring: Brigadier Jerry, Conroy Smith, White Mice, DJ Daddy, Catpaw
Operator: Ballsy
Another fine Silverhawk session, this time with the Cultural teacher Briggy and some great vocal excursions from Conroy Smith and White Mice.
