Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-ly 23, 2022 – Selassie Birthday Tribute!

 

Greetings,

Did a search on Discogs.com

  • Rasta – 8000 titles
  • Jah – over 35,000! titles
  • Selassie – 2500 titles

Who is the man Ras Tafari Makonnen?

To millions of devotees Mr. Makonnen became Emperor of Ethiopia and revealed as the embodiment of Christ – Haile Selassie I

The Negusa Negast, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Elect of God ever living God. Earth’s Rightful Ruler. The Head Creator and Power of the Trinity.

Smile Jamaica celebrates his life and legacy in song every week. But especially noted on his birthday: July 23, 1892.

For 34 years, more than half of every song featured on Smile Jamaica are Rastafari* gospel tributes.

*Not Rastafarians – that is an ism and schism

<Happy Birthday Haile Selassie I; 1 min. 43 sec.>

In a far flung province of Harar in Ethiopia a child was born. Ethiopia. Ancient Axum and Abyssinia of antiquity. In the Horn of Africa where Arabia meets Africa.

Selassie’s royal lineage goes all the way back to the Old Testament by virtue of his father’s mother.

<Royal Birth; 32 sec.>

Youthman Ras Tafari Makonnen. Inspired Rasta worship and launched Reggae music into the world

The Hebrew King of the Jews Solomon linked up with an Arabian princess in the ancient province of Sheba. (Most likely in Yemen). Often called the Queen of Sheba, her name was Makeda.

<Haile Selassie – From the line of King Solomon and Queen Makeda of Sheba; 55 sec.>

After some palace intrigues, the young Makonnen commanded an army from the provinces and marched on the capitol of Addis Ababa. The Empress, Zewditu, either “died of diabetes” or was poisoned, making way for the 38 year old prince to become Emperor – Haile Selassie I – Power of the Trinity. First of his name.

Not bad for a governor warrior of a minor province, commanding armies at only 5 foot 2. From victory to rule in two short years (1928-30)

<From Ras Tafari Makonnen to Haile Selassie I; Nov. 2, 1930; 39 sec.>

Nov. 2, 1930 – coronation ceremony of Haile Selassie I

Known as the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, he led his people into modernity. Fought off a cruel invasion and occupation by Fascist Italy from 1935-1941 and eventually became an inspiration to those in Jamaica yearning for a return to the glories of Africa after 400 Years in Babylon.

<Honorifics of His Imperial Majesty; 26 sec.>

And true to his nickname, Selassie had pet lions. Some of which rode in automobiles with HIM (His Imperial Majesty).

<Selassie owned 26 pet lions!; 43 sec.>

***

Wheel it back to Jamaica. The black nationalist, Marcus Garvey, was trying to initiate a movement of impoverished Caribbeans  to leave the West and return to Africa. Make reverse passage out of the diaspora to build lives and industry in the Mother Continent.

The prophet Garvey said, “look to Africa where a King will be crowned as the symbol to begin repatriation.” Within years that prophecy was fulfilled.

Jamaicans, especially in the slums around Kingston, took to this notion and merged bedrock Christianity, mixed with Hindu ideals of reincarnation, into a syncretic religion that became known as Rastafarianism or Rastafari worship if we aren’t abiding “isms and schisms”

Jamaican Pan-Africanist, Marcus Garvey: “Look to the East, where a black King will be crowned”

Why Hindus and reincarnation? After slavery was abolished in 1830 in Jamaica, freed blacks didn’t want to work the plantations. They were content to be small farmers.

So the British plantation owners hired workers from India to do the brutal work of cutting sugar cane. Living by blacks, Hindus brought some important ingredients to Rastafari workship

  1. Collie = cannabis from India venerated the Hindu Goddess Kali. Jamaica’s great soil allowed for a bountiful harvest of the seven leaf. Great after a day of hard labor in the fields.
  2. Reincarnation – Haile Selassie I became the embodiment of Jesus Christ. Instead of a white god, downtrodden Jamaicans had a Black Jesus to worship.
  3. Dreadlocks. The Hindu sadhus wore dreads. Rastas invoked the Nazarite Vow as an Old Testament sign of observed faith.
  • Drink no wine
  • Grow the locks upon your head, never cut nor crease the flesh (no piercings, no tattoos)
  • Avoid anything dead. Vegetarianism and even avoiding funerals.

<Dreadlocks and the Nazarite Vow; 53 sec.>

If you want to read the best book on the Rastas, it is Leonard Barrett’s The Rastafarians.

Alas, Haile Selassie I met an unfortunate end. During the 70’s a terrible famine took hold in East Africa. The 80 year old Emperor was out of touch in the capitol, while thousands were starving to death in the provinces. Even though his governors and courtiers told him everything was fine. Plenty of food. “Two negative growth cycles in a row are not a recession”

That sort of gaslighting doesn’t work now and didn’t work then. In an era of world wide revolutionary movements, Ethiopian Communists – armed to the teeth by the Soviet Union – overthrew HIM in 1974.

Imprisoned in the basement of the palace, never to be seen again. And Ethiopia has been at constant war ever since. Right now a war in Ethiopia, every bit as vicious as Russia v. Ukraine, is killings thousands.

<The Communists – The Dergue overthrow HIM; 62 sec.>

The Dergue – Ethiopian Marxists who unleashed a brutal dictatorship in place of Imperial rule

Of course, to Rastas in the early years of Reggae, were devastated and refused to believe the news. “You can’t kill God!”.

Through that I ‘n’ I celebrate that legacy through Bob Marley’s “Jah Live” to Burning Spear’s “Jah No Dead”

bless, Bobbylon

Jah Live – 7″ commentary on Selassie’s demise.

Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah
Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah
The truth is an offense but not a sin
Is he who laugh last, children, is he who win
Is a foolish dog, bark at a flying bird
One sheep must learn, children, to respect the shepherd
Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah
Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah, Jah
Fools saying in their heart
Rasta, your God is dead
But I and I know Jah Jah
Dreaded it shall be dreaded and dread
Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah
Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah
Let Jah a-rise
Now that the enemies are scattered
Let Jah a-rise
The enemies, the enemies are scattered
Jah live! Children yeah
Jah Jah live! Children yeah

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 23, 2022 – Haile Selassie Birthday

Set 1:

  • Black Uhuru – I Love King Selassie; 10″ (Jammy$) ’77
  • Culture – Calling Rastafari; Calling Rastafari (Nighthawk) ’82 comp.
  • Rita Marley – Thank You Jah; Who Feels It Knows It (Shanachie) ’80
  • Gideon Jah Rubbaal – Love Rasta; Free Us Now (ACL) ’77
  • Chalawa – Jah Collie Weed; Capture Land (Green Weenie) ’78 Oshawa, Ont. Canada 4:20 vinyl
  • Jacob Miller – Who Say Jah No Dread; Who Say Jah No Dread (Greensleeves)
  • Jah Shaka – In the Beginning Dub; Jah Dub Creator: Commandments of Dub Part 5 (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK vinyl dub album of  the hour

Set 2:

  • Aisha Morrison – Ethiopia; Stay Red (Esoldun) ’77? Lee “Scratch” Perry Black Ark prod’n
  • Linval Thompson –  Jah Jah the Conqueror; Cool Down (Culture Press) ’75
  • Diego & the Sons of Jah – Jah Jah Ital; Babylon a Fall Down (Trojan) ’77 comp.
  • Keith Hudson – Rasta Country; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ’78
  • Mikey Dread – The Voice of Jah; Dread at the Controls (Dread at the Controls) ’79
  • Leroy Smart – Jahovah; Channel One Hitbound (Heartbeat) ’77 comp.

Set 3:

  • Althea & Donna – If You Don’t Love Jah; Uptown Top Ranking (Virgin Front Line) ’78
  • Barrington Levy – Jah Life; Bounty Hunter (Cactus) ’79
  • Hugh Mundell – Jah Fire; Jah Fire (Black Arrow) ’80
  • Johnny Osbourne – Jah Promise; Truths & Rights (Studio One) ’80
  • Bim Sherman – Lamb of Judah; Bim Sherman Meets Horace Andy & U Black in a Rub-a-Dub Style (Original) ’79
  • Aggrovators – None Shall Escape the Dub; Rasta ’76 (Attack) Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

  • Judy Mowatt –  King of Kings; Only a Woman (Shanachie) ’82
  • The Morwells – Jah Lion; Best of (Nighthawk) ’81
  • Freddie McGregor – Rastaman Camp; Bobby Bobylon (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’75 comp.

Set 5: Vinyl is Vital Set

  • Jah Mel – Jah Is My King; Watchful Eyes (Iroko) ’83 Fr. vinyl: 
  • Reggae Regular – Praise Jah Love; Ghetto Rock (Greensleeves) ’84 UK
  • Vivian Jones – Who Is On Jah Side; Jah Works (Jah Shaka) ’87 UK
  • African Princess – Jah Children Cry; Hits From the House of Shaka (Jah Shaka) ’80 UK

Set 6:

  • Zion Family – Jesus is a Nazarite;
  • Cedric Myton & the Congos – Where He Leads Me; Face the Music (VP) ’81
  • Wailing Souls – They Don’t Know Jah; Very Best of (Greensleeves) ’82 comp.
  • Bad Brains – Rally Round Jah Throne; Rock for  Light (Caroline) ’83
  • Don Carlos – Jah Jah Hear My Plea; Prophecy (Blue Moon)

Set 7:

  • Jimmy Cliff – The Lion Awakes; Club Paradise Soundtrack (Sony) ’86
  • The Love Joys – Wherever Jah Send Me; Reggae Vibes (Wackies) ’81
  • Haile Selassie I – War; War Album (Culture Press) UN speech = Bob Marley War

Set 8:

  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Jah Live; Songs of Freedom (Tuff Gong) ’75
  • Twinkle Brothers – Since I Threw the Comb Away; Countrymen (Virgin Frontline) ’80
  • Aisha – The Creator; High Priestess (Ariwa) ‘88
  • Cocoa Tea – Jah Made Them All; Rocking Dolly (RAS) ’83 to Michael Jackson’s Human Nature
  • Sister Carol – Jah Is Mine; Black Cinderella (Jah Life/Heartbeat) ’84 to Jackson & McCarney The Girl is  Mine
  • Burning Spear – Jah No Dead (Discomix); Spear Burning (Pressure Sounds) ’79 comp.

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-ly 9, 2022 – Roswell UFO 75th Anniv!

<Neil Armstrong: One small step for man, one giant skank for mankind>

Neil Armstrong either skanking pon the Moon or filmed on a Hollywood set by director Stanley Kubrick

Greetings,

PART 1

<Roswell New Mexico UFO crash, July 1947 – 75th Anniv.; 3 min. intro>

1947. Planet Earth had come out of a brutal world war which only ended with the dropping of nuclear weapons onto Japan. Was nuclear technology a signal to Extra Terrestrial confederations that lowly Earth was now worthy of investigation and inspection? Ancient Astronaut Theorists say YES!

This blog post is obviously about Roswell, New Mexico and its famous UFO incident. But Roswell was not the first. And Roswell did not coin the term “flying saucer”. A  guy named named Kenneth Arnold was the first to use the phrase to describe the alien craft much different than Terrestrial fighter jets.

Arnold was a pilot from Idaho. Literally, a few days before the Roswell UFO crash, he encountered nine disk shaped objects moving in formation at impossible speeds: 3 times the speed of current fighter jets.

He went to the local paper and described a pie tin shaped craft that moved like skipping a saucer on the water.

Kenneth Arnold is how we get flying saucers

Days later this Extra Terrestrial “probe” force left the Pacific Northwest and ventured Southeast. Roswell Army Air Field – where the nuclear weapons left Los Alamos and headed for the bombers over Japan.

But something went wrong. One of the disks crashed in the desert near Corona, New Mexico. A rancher named Mac Brazel was out on the range and saw the odd metallic type debris and gathered it up in a pile on his property. Didn’t think much of it, until….

Others in Roswell saw the UFO phalanx and it made its way through the rumor mill of a small town. So, Brazel, being a good salt of the earth citizen, brought his “space dandruff” and took it to the local authorities. The Sheriff did due diligence and contacted the Army.

Army said, yep: unidentified flying object/flying disc. Not a plane. And remember space exploration rockets and lunar crafts did not exist in 1947.

Roswell Army Air Field’s press release is fascinatingly candid.

The many rumors regarding the flying disc became a reality yesterday when the intelligence office of the 509th Bomb group of the Eighth Air Force, Roswell Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc through the cooperation of one of the local ranchers and the sheriff’s office of Chaves County. The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell sometime last week. Not having phone facilities, the rancher stored the disc until such time as he was able to contact the sheriff’s office, who in turn notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office. Action was immediately taken and the disc was picked up at the rancher’s home.

Flying disc. It wasn’t theirs. Flying object. Disc. Disc, Disc. Extra Terrestrial.

And that is how the press in Roswell reported it:

<Actual Roswell UFO crash Anniv. date? 28 sec.>

There are a variety of days chosen as the anniversary: July 2, July 4, July 6, July 7, July 8 and July 9, 1947

I ‘n’ I use the Roswell Daily Record of July 8

PART 2

Alas, it wasn’t to be. The army walked back their confirmation of flying disc/saucer and substituted a ludicrous correction that the debris was a downed weather balloon.

They sent their Intelligence Officer, listed in the above press release – Jesse Marcel – out to correct the record and he showed a crinkled sheet of balloon material. About as substantive as a roll of tin foil.

Roswell Army Airfield Intelligence Officer, Jesse Marcel. Told to say the Army did not possess debris from a downed flying saucer but instead was a harmless weather balloon

Look at Marcel’s face in the picture. He isn’t engaging the camera naturally. He is being instructed in what to say. And the look on his face is, “We’re really gonna say it’s this balloon bullshit?”

Marcel has the look of a guy held hostage.

And more Pentagon lies?

  1. Mac Brazel, the rancher, said, “That material isn’t what I turned into the Sheriff’s office.”
  2. My brother in law, Michael. Sold high tech pipe throughout New Mexico. Roswell was one of his territories. One day at a local Mexican restaurant, he asked a client, “What’s the deal with the UFO’s?”

The old timer looked at him and said: “After the crash the local mortician was told by the Army to bring three child size coffins out to the Army base. Sheeit! You don’t need coffins fer no damn weather balloon.”

Who you gonna believe? My third hand hearsay or the chronic liars in the military?

<Need no coffins for a weather balloon; 2 min. 18 sec.>

Roswell UFO cadaver

Don’t wanna believe I ‘n’ I? Would you believe Richard Nixon? He had 50’s comedian and TV star Jackie Gleason over at the White House.

Gleason was a big UFO buff. Asked about Roswell. Nixon said, “Not only were there three dead aliens, I’ll take you to see them. They board a plane for a Florida Air Base and what Gleason saw haunted him the rest of his days.

PART 3

For nearly a decade, I ‘n’ I have been exploring the connection between the UFO Trinity:

  1. UFO’s
  2. Ancient Aliens TV Show – Gods are in fact Extra Terrestrial astronauts
  3. Reggae & Dub music – I ‘n’ I brought down two CD suitcases and a record bag full of UFOria tunes for the Annual Smile Jamaica UFOria special
Ancient Aliens – 5 white dudes teaching us about Biblical Extra Terrestrial encounters

<Preparing for Smile Jamaica Annual UFOria special; 25  sec.>

Have to gear up for a radio episode of this magnitude:

  • Cap

  • Commemorative T shirt

  • Jump in the Dub Mobile
You will hear I ‘n’ I coming long before I pass you
  • Hanging from the rear view

  • Last but certainly not least

PART 4

I ‘n’ I grew up a twice a year Methodist in North Central Montana (Fort Benton). So I never truly read the Bible.

It was only as an adult that two instances made me turn to the good book

  1. Reggae music – Rastas know their Bible as well as any Theologian
  2. Ancient Astronaut Theory

The latter was introduced to me by my bredrin Aquaboy (ironically, he is now a scoffer to my alien/gods/astronauts synergy) through the works of Zecharia Sitchen

Sumerian scholar Zecharia Sitchin – Godfather, along with Erich von Daniken, of the Ancient Astronaut Theory

Sitchen was a scholar who translated Sumerian cuneiform tablets. He specialized in the cosmologization (is that a word?) of Biblical figures and events as being chronicled by Ancient Astronauts called the Anunnaki – “Those who came down from the sky”.

In his Earth Chronicle series of seven books, the Jewish-Azerbaijani scholar, elaborated on the race of extra terrestrials from the 12th Planet:

Sumerians knew , before telescopes even discovered planets Neptune and Pluto in the early 1900’s,  about:

  • The Sun (1)
  • Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. (The Asteroid belt was a planet destroyed in an Anunnaki Civil War which I don’t have time to go into here) (2-10)
  • Earth’s Moon (11)
  • The 12th planet: Nibiru.

Nibiru has an elliptical orbit that loops around the other eleven with their wobbly circular spinning. Eventually the planet approaches Earth, The Anunnaki descend by space ship to several ports: Egypt, Sinai, Mohenjo Daro in Pakistan and of course Sumer (Southern Iraq).

The elliptical orbit of Nibiru aka Planet X aka the 12th Planet

The Anunnaki had ruined their atmosphere through “intergalactic warming” and needed Earth’s plentiful gold to restore it. They created mankind out of a Tree of Life/DNA helix to mine this gold. They were too lazy to do it themselves. And when they tired of us humans for being “noisy”, the bastards tried to wipe us out in a flood.

Wasn’t Noah in a rickety ass wooden boat with two of every kind.  With only one family to shovel shit, feed everyone and keep the carnivores from eating the herbivores.

No way

The Old Testament Hebrews plagiarized from the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.

It was Utnapishtim in a tessaract spaceship with a DNA seedbank for plants and animals. He and his crew orbited the Earth for 500 years until the flood waters receded and everything could be re-kindled through DNA cloning and re-animation.

They took the  gold back to their mother ship , as Nirbiru whipped around The Sun and headed home.

***

As an Assyrian American, anything to do with Assyria, Babylon, Akkad, Sumer (Shinar in the Bible) is of interest to I ‘n’ I

<Smile Jamaica and the Ancient Astronaut Theory;  2 min. 47 sec.>

 

Here are my favorite Religious/Ancient Astronaut encounters taken from a blog post in 2020

These are the Biblical, Islamic and Hindu examples of Ancient Astronaut Encounters:

  • Chariots of the Gods – space ship
  • Jacob’s Ladder – space ship
  • Burning bush – space ship
  • Prophet Ezekiel and his crystal ship – space ship
  • Stairway to Heaven – space ship
  • Noah’s grand dad Enoch “walked with God and then was not”. Taken to heaven in a space ship
  • New Jerusalem – space ship
  • Magic carpets in the Arabian Nights – space ship
  • Muhammad’s night journey to Heaven on a winged horse: El Buraq – Space ship
  • Hindu God Vishnu and his Trident – missile
  • Vimanas from Hindu cosmology – space ship
  • Noah’s Ark 1 –  Sumerian Utnapishtim in a tessaract spaceship
  • Noah’s Ark 2 –  Sumerian Ziusudra in a submarine

Plus Arab sailors chronicled “flaming minarets” and Columbus also had an UFO encounter on his way to the New World.

<Muslims and  their Ancient Astronaut Theory; 9 sec.>

Vishnu’s Trident – nuclear tipped missile

So now I hope you understand the connection between Reggae music, Ancient Astronauts and UFOria.

Makes sensi to me!

bless, Bobbylon

Ancient Astronauts need something to do while travelling the galaxy

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 9, 2022 – Roswell Reggae UFOria 75

Set 1:

  • Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Also Sprach Zarathustra ; 2001: A Space Odyssey (CBS) ’68
  • Roots Radics – Conspiracy on Neptune; Prince Jammy Destroys the Invaders (Greensleeves) ’80 UK vinyl dub album of the hour
  • Urban Roots – Rastaman Alien; Gentle Flowers (Urban Roots) ’95 Jah-stin TX
  • The Kingstonians – Come We Go Moonwalk; Sufferer (Attack) ’70
  • Anjali – Space Lust in the Space Dust; Anjali (Wiija) 2000 UK Hindi dawta
  • Lee “Scratch” Perry – African Hitchhiker; From the Secret Laboratory (Mango)  ’90 alien from outerspace
“One small step for man. One giant Skank for mankind”. Neil Armstrong

Set 2:

  • Nicky Thomas – Doing the Moonwalk; Doing the Moonwalk (Trojan) ’70 comp.
  • Sandra Cross – Comet in the Sky; Comet in the Sky (Ariwa)  ’88
  • Kingman + Jonah feat. Claudius Linton (Sign Time) (Sun King) 2008
  • Linval Thompson – Starlight; Starlight (Mango) ’88
  • Burning Spear – Fly Me to the Moon; Mistress Music (Mango) ’88

Set 3:

  • Laurel Aitken – Apollo 12; Pama Years (Grover) ’69
  • Kofi – Reggae Starship; Black…With Sugar (Ariwa) ’89
  • Thievery Corporation feat. David Byrne – The Heart’s a Lonely Hunter; CD Single (ESL)  2005 spaceship

Set 4:

  • Symarip – Skinhead Moonstomp; Skinhead Moonstomp (Trojan)
  • Dubadelic – Thuds Like Scuds; Bass Invaders (WordSound) ’98
  • Scientist – Beam Down; Meets the Space Invaders (Greensleeves) ’81 dub
Skank 240,000 miles from the Earth to the Moon

Set 5: Vinyl is Vital 

  • Lone Ranger – UFO; Barnabas in Collins Wood (Wave) ’79 JA 
  • U Roy – Your Ace From Space; Version Galore (Treasure Isle) ’68 JA
  • Lincoln Thompson & the Rasses – Spaceship; Natural Wild (United Artists) ’79 UK
  • Bam Bam – Star Wars; Power of a Woman (Bam Bam International) ’87 LA dawta

Set 6:

  • Sister Carol – Lost in Space; Jah Disciple (RAS) ’89
  • The Byrds – Mr. Spaceman; Smile Jamaica UFOria rmx
  • King Horror – Creature From the Moon; Do the Moonwalk (Trojan) ’69

Set 7: Roots Dawta Alien Set

  • Ancient Astronauts feat. Akua Naru – Last  Night; Into Bass and  Time (ESL) 2011 fell in love w/ Ancient Astronaut: Roots Dawta UFO set
  • SoKo – I Thought I Was an Alien; I Thought I Was an Alien (Babycat) 2003 Fr. dawta
  • Nina Hagen – UFO; Nunsexmonkrock (CBS) ’80 German
  • John Williams & the London Symphony Orchestra – Cantina Theme; Star Wars Soundtrack (20th Century) ’77 US vinyl

Set 8:

  • Steppenwolf – Magic Carpet Ride/Destroy All Humans; Smile Jamaica UFOria rmx
  • Dennis Alcapone – Flying Machines (The Sky’s the Limit); Guns Don’t Argue (Trojan) ’72 comp.
  • Bush Chemists – Star Dub; 10″ (Jah Tubby’s) 2006 UK Stormtrooper Theme dub
  • Root 1 – Roots Rocket; Nomad’s Land (Road Communications) ’95 Austin, TX
Magic Carpet = Spaceship

Words of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-ly 2, 2022 – 34 Years of Reggae Vinyl!

Greetings,

Imagine a time long ago. Before Facebook, Netflix and Itunes. Ronald Wilson Reagan in the White House.

Last Sunday of June 1988. Salt Lake City, Utah. Hot summer. Middle of the Night. A callow youth from Montana debuted on the late night airwaves of community radio station KRCL.

The show was called: 3 O’clock Roadblock – after the Bob Marley tune.  Reggae with a mix of Ska and World Beat.

I ‘n’ I had been doing a little Reggae show on the Univ. of  Utah campus  station called Positive Vibrations (also Bob Marley). My roommate and I were in the Pie Pizzeria and they had KRCL on the Hi Fi. We heard a call out for new volunteers. And they were looking for a late night Reggae mix show. I ‘n’ I was selected, six weeks of trainings and started fumbling on the airwaves for late night insomniacs, cab drivers, graveyard shifters, cat burglars and night owls.

Thirty four years later. Trodding on prime time with Smile Jamaica

<34 Years of Reggae Radio: on KRCL; 2 min.>

I ‘n’ I had discovered the gem that  is KRCL. Non commercial music. No commercials. No slick presentation. (Early 1987). And the station had two really great  Reggae shows: Smile Jamaica, with my mentor, Rutabaga Reese. And Nite Roots with Papa Pilgrim. I ‘n’ I would listen intently, especially on Saturdays (1 to 4pm in those days; not 4-7). Great roots gems spun by Rutabaga. He taught I ‘n I about ON U Sound – What I ‘n’ I re-invented as the music genre Mutant Dub.

I ‘n’ I would keep a notebook of classic albums to fill up my collection before I could ever think of committing to a weekly radio show.

<Reggae Radio mentors at KRCL; 40  sec.>

The original KRCL radio Reggae thank you gift

Fall 1986 I moved from Bozeman, MT to SLC to attend the Univ. of Utah. I ‘n’ I had always been a music collector. And in 1986 I discovered the compact disk.

In the dorms I met a Jewish engineering student named Neal. He had a rich kid’s stereo and in the concrete block dorm rooms, sound really reverberated. We traded disks back and forth. One night we listened to the group Black Uhuru.

Heavy electronic 80’s era Sly & Robbie; Michael Rose’s Afro-Arab vocals and balanced harmonies: Puma Jones (roots dawta) and Ducky Simpson (Rasta dread.)

I ‘n’ I had about a dozen Reggae CDs but Black Uhuru “Anthem” was the epiphany moment. I became a Reggae obsessive after that!

In gratitude to Black Uhuru, I used to start each late night 3 O’clock  Roadblock with a Black Uhuru tune.

<Black Uhuru and Reggae Fanaticism; 63 sec.>

Not the first Reggae album for I ‘n’ I. But THE one that made me a Reggae Fanatic for life.

Now that I ‘n’ I had the show, I needed to expand my Reggae collection through the unintended, and probably unwilling President at the time:

Ronald

Wilson

Reagan – 666 as the Rastas say.

<Funder of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Ronald Wilson Reagan; 37 sec.>

Not quite: Ronald Wilson Reggae – 666

Hey, I ‘n I bear no grudges against the man. Back in the mid 80’s there were more grants that loans. I would take a big fat Ronnie check and deposit into savings. Then either around the Holidays or Summer I would scour the Bay Area record shops. Dozens of them, large and small, back before digital killed the record hut.

  • San Francisco
  • East Bay: Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito
  • Mill Valley – Marin county
  • Sacramento and Reno if I ‘n’ I was driving.

<Bay Area cratedig circuit; 44 sec.>

Village Music – Mill Walley, CA. North on the Golden Gate Bridge

I used to stay at a Travelodge on Columbus and Bay. Right across from the Tower Records. Or couch surf at an Aunt’s apartment over by San Francisco State U.

I would descend like a plague of locusts in the shops. CDs (new). LPs bargains as people sold vinyl for the CDs. Cheap and plentiful.

$4 dollar records cast off in 1989 can go for hundreds today on Ebay and Discogs.

<That effort became the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives; 51 sec>

Jews have the Wailing Wall. Muslims have the Kaaba. I ‘n’ I had Tower Records San Francisco

Salt Lake City was well represented in good record stores, before digital set in, during the mid 80’s. I used to deliver mail and had to use my own car. So the gas reimbursement was usually enough to buy two new disks every two weeks at the late lamented Smokey’s Records. Other gems at places like Randy’s (still in business) and Cosmic Aeroplane, Raspberry Records and Mad Platter (all gone to that record hut in the sky)

Quick Smokey’s story: Near the end of the store’s life, the owner Smokey Koelsch,  started giving me the hairy eyeball. Why? Thieves kept breaking to Smokey’s shop to steal all the Reggae cds.

And those are the stories I ‘n’ I collect and share for 34 years.

Forward ever, backwards never1

bless, Bobbylon

<Cratedigging in SLC; 47 sec.>

Used to spend my Post Office gas reimbursement here, Summer 1987

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 2, 2022 – 34 Years of Reggae Radio (Vinyl)

Set 1

  • Prince Far I & the Arabs – The Message; Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter 1 (ROIR) ’78 Dub album of the hour
  • Black Uhuru – Party Next Door; Anthem (Island) ’84 US
  • I Roy – Deck of Love Many Moods of I Roy (Trojan0 ’74 UK
  • Inner Circle – Burial; Blame It on the Sun (Trojan) ’75 UK Peter Tosh Cover
  • Arthur Louis – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door; This Is Reggae Music vol. 2 (Island) ’75 US comp.
  • Burning Spear – Lion; Man in the Hills (Mango) ’76 US
  • Rita Marley – One Draw; 12″ (Shanachie) ’82 US – 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
Teacher Rita schooled about the One Draw by students: Herbie, Smokey, Little Milla (as in Sensimilla!)

Set 2:

  • Marcia Griffiths – Feel Like Jumping; Feel Like Jumping (Receiver) ’68 UK comp.
  • The Heptones – Cool Rasta; Cool Rasta (Trojan) ’76 UK
  • Lion Zion – Gas Guzzler; Reggae in America (House of Natty) ’76 Oakland; Lee “Scratch” Perry prod’n
  • Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Rasta Liveth; Tribute to the Emperor (Trojan) ’76 UK
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Punky Reggae Party; 12″ (Tuff Gong) ’77 JA
No boring old farts at the Punky Reggae Party

Set 3:

  • Judy Mowatt – Mr. Dee Jay; Mr. Dee Jay (Ashandan) ’75 JA
  • Big Youth – Hurting Inside;  Progress (Nichola Delita) ’78 JA Bob Marley cover
  • Dennis Brown – Malcolm X; Visions (Blue Moon) ’78 UK
  • Keith Hudson – Musicology; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ’78
  • The Gayladds – Little Candle; Love & Understanding (Ballistic) ’79 UK
Autobiographical – Mr. Dee-J for 34 years!

Set 4:

  • Matumbi – Music in the Air; Seven Seals (Harvest) ’79 UK green vinyl
  • Linton Kwesi Johnson – Inglan Is a Bitch; Bass Culture
  • Soul Syndicate – There’s a Fire; Was, Is & Always (Epiphany) ’80 Santa Cruz, CA; Gaylads cover
  • African Princess – Jah Children Cry; Hits From the House of Shaka (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK

 

Set 5:

  • Bunny Wailer – Mellow Mood; Sings the Wailers (Mango) ’80 US – rock steady covers
  • Desmond Dekker – Moving On; Black & Dekker (Stiff) ’81 UK
  • Akimbo – So Long Trouble; So Long Trouble EP (Forward Sounds) ’85 UK
  • Johnnie Osbourne – Love Comes and Goes; Reggae on Broadway (Cha Cha) ’81 UK

Set 6:

  • Peter Tosh – Reggae Myelitis; Wanted, Dread & Alive (EMI America) ’81 US
  • Toots & the Maytals – Beautiful Woman; Knock Out! (Mango) ’81 US
  • Casselberry & DuPree – Take It to the Limit; City Down (Icebergg) ’86 Milwaukee, Wi; two women cover the Eagles
Very first addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Xmas ’81. Thanks Mom!

Set 7:

  • Singers & Players feat. Prince Far I – Quante Jubila; War of Words (ON U Sound) ’81 UK
  • Twinkle Brothers – Since I Threw the Comb Away (Sunsplash) 8/7/82 Montego Bay
  • Don Carlos – Lazer Beam; Spread Out (Burning Sounds) ’83 UK
  • Lilian Allen – Conditions Critical; Conditions Critical (Redwood) ’87 Emeryville, CA; Toronto dub poet
Reggae mentor Rutabaga Reese hyped me to Adrian Sherwood/ON U Sound. The dub/electronic crossover I started calling Mutant Dub

Set 8:

  • Singers & Players feat. Sister P – Holy Scripture; Vacuum Pumping (ON U Sound) ’88 UK
  • Caribbean All Stars – Snake in de Grass; Live & Direct (Raw Life) ’84 Oakland
  • Krieger-Densmore Reggae Bonanza – Get Up Stand Up; 12″ (Rhino) ’83 US Wailers cover
  • Ruffy & Tuffy – Third World War Is a Must; Climax (Black Star) ’88 Finland
First live Reggae concert: Summer 1987. Caribbean Allstars open for Third World