It was October 2003. My bredrin Grizzlite and I headed up to Park City to catch one of my favorites from the 90’s: Lucky Dube. Terrific South African roots singer in the era of apartheid.
A huge favorite with the Pacific Islander community, the club was packed. Everyone singing along on a cool fall night in the mountains.
Grizz and I got a beer and angled ourselves and positioned ourselves on the patio with a view of the stage. Everyone bumping along to Lucky’s melodic Peter Tosh-esque vocals.
All of a sudden the packed dance floor scattered and the music screeched to a halt. A youth had been shot. Later I found out it was a gang assassination. Tribal war in the Polynesian community. Assassins were dispatched from California. They knew their target would be out in the open and vulnerable at a must see event: Lucky Dube is on a par with Bob Marley among the Island community.
Before we knew it, the paramedics had wheeled the victim pass Grizz and I on a gurney. One of the EMT’s was straddling his chest doing CPR. Right next to me, a massive Island dready stepped up and punched the dying man in the face, caving in his nose.
Thinking of the taste, listen to the drum and the bass
Greetings,
Those are the words of Lee “Scratch” Perry.
Two quick stories. There was a big name Reggae group coming to SLC and they had a list of Jamaican and ital juices, salads and other vegetarian delights they expected as part of their rider.
The promoter said, “Sorry guys. There’s no Caribbean market here.” So the group put in as a replacement: 6 bucks of Kentucky Fried Chicken and all the trimmings.
Now KFC is anything but Ital. But I imagine it is like those people who hear about In ‘n’ Out Burger. In Jamaica, something about KFC holds the fascination of the people. Rasta or otherwise.
Story 2: The first KFC franchise is actually in Salt Lake City:
KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of the restaurant franchising concept, and the first “Kentucky Fried Chicken” franchise opened in Utah in 1952.
So another big name Reggae group came to town. Some way, some how they learned the first Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC) was in Salt Lake.
After their soundcheck, they asked to see the first Franchise as if it were a shrine. I wondered did all these dreadlock Rastas go in for Regular or Extra Crispy? My guess is they put their Tams on their head and doubled back through the drive through
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Annotated Playlist: Sept. 8, 2018; 47 Sec.
Set 1:
Tyrone Taylor – Live Table; 2 of a Kind (Tuff Gong) ’87 JA vinyl
Soul Syndicate – Ghetto-ology Dub (Black Roots) ’80 JA vinyl: Sugar Minott dub album of the hour
Bunny Wailer – Rasta Dread (Natty Dread); Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 Bob Marley covers for Bob’s 50th birthday
Etana – On the Way; I Rise (VP) 2014 roots dawta
Lee Perry – Kentucky Skank; Double Seven (Trojan) ’73 about Kentucky Fried Chicken
Welton Irie – Bubbling Telephone; One and One = Two (JA) 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
Adrian Sherwood feat. Bim Sherman & Prince Far I – Pass the Rizzla; 10″ (Green Tea) 2001 mutant dub herbtune
Set 2:
Peter Tosh – African; Kentucky Fried Rockers (bootleg) live at the Rupp Arena, Lexington KY
<Tosh opened for the Rolling Stones on the ’78 Some Girls tour; 58 sec.>
Dillinger – Don’t Watch Your Wife; Top Ranking Dillinger (Rhino UK) ’77; dj to Hortense Ellis on Melody Life
Tchiya Amet – Reservtion Ragtime Blues;
Earth Disciples – So Come On; 10″ (Music Works) early 80’s JA Gussie Clarke prod’n
Tosh was booed when he opened on the ’78 Stones tour
Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 28+ Years
Third World – Tribal War; 96 Degrees in the Shade (Mango) ’76
Hortense Ellis – Breakfast in Bed; I’m Still in Love With You (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’70 Dusty Springfield cover
Norris Reid – Protect Them; Rockers International (Greensleeves) ’80 Augustus Pablo prod’n
Black Uhuru – Sensimilla; Liberation Anthology (Island) herbtune
Mikey Dread – East Portland Dub; Dread at the Controls (Dread at the Controls) ’79 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4: 7″ Jamaican Jukebox
<I collect 7″ 45 as an adult. Baseball cards as a youth; 18 sec.>
Danny Ray – Revolution Rock; 7″ (High Note) ’76 Clash original
Bobby Melody – Let It Be; 7″ (Errol T) Melodians update
Steve Baswell – I Am Getting Bad; 7′ (Phase One) ’77
Johnny Lover – Ital Locks; 7″ (Clocktower) ’75 dj to Curly Locks
Cedric ‘Im Brooks – Theme From Shaft; 7″ (Soul Jazz) Isaac Hayes cover
The Clash covered this on London Calling
Set 5: Vinyl Is Vital
The Wailing Wailers – Ten Commandments of Love; Wailing Wailers (Studio One) ’66 JA vinyl is vital set: Moonglows doo wop cover
<Wailers do doo wop; 74 sec.>
I Three – Sing Joy; Beginning (EMI America) ’86 US – Bob’s female back ups
Inner Circle – Tired Fe Lick Weed in a Bush; The Real Thing (Capitol) ’76 US herb tune
Icarus – Land of Tarot; State of Mind (Russian Roulette) ’84 UK
Armagideon – Spiral Galaxy; 12″ EP (Dubhead) ’98 UK mutant dub
Set 6: Rockers do Reggae
Cyndi Lauper – Witness; She’s So Unusual (Portrait) ’83 Rockers do Reggae Set
Garland Jeffreys feat. Big Youth – Graveyard Rock; Escape Artist (Epic) ’81 NYC multiracial rocker
Eric Clapton – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; Crossroads (Polydor) ’74 Bob Dylan cover
The Clash feat. Mikey Dread – One More Time + Dub; Sandinista! (Epic) ’80
King Jammy Meets Dry & Heavy in the Jaws of the Tiger – Do Dub Up Your Fight (BSI) 2001 Dub Album of the Hour
Cyndi Lauper on Smile Jamaica WTR?
Set 7:
The Wailers – Stir It Up; Live 1973-1975 (Starbucks) live on the BBC; May 24, 1973 at the Paris Theatre; London
<Live on the BBC>
Phyllis Dillon – Woman of the Ghetto; Mojo and Trojan Present Reggae Nuggets (Mojo Magazine) ’72
Jah Rej – Binghi in the Jungle; 10″ (Jah Works) 2002 UK militant steppers
Free reggae CD with Sept. 2018 issue of Mojo Magazine
Set 8: Mutant Dub
Thievery Corporation feat. Shana Halligan – Love Has No Heart; Temple of I & I (ESL) 2017 DC dubbers: Mutant Dub Set
Young Gods – Dub the Sun (Mad Professor Mix); King Size Dub vol. 2 (Echo Beach) 2001
Destroy Babylon – Barriers; Shadow Army (MusicADD) 2008 NY
Tena Stelin – Intelligent Design; 10″ (Roots Hi-Tek) 2006 UK
Took the Labor Day live cast off for some vacation. Enjoy this Digital Dubplate cooked up in the Secret Dubratory located within the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
bless, Bobbylon
0-30 min.
Aswad – African Children; (CBS); Not Satisfied (CBS) ’82 UK
Carlene Davis – Quicksand; 15 Hits (Sonic)
Black Uhuru – Right Stuff; Dub Factor (Mango) ’82 dub
Culture – This Train; Cumbolo (Shanachie) ’79
Doctor Alimantado – Marriage License; Born For a Purpose (Greensleeves) ’81
UB40 feat. Sister V – V’s Version; Baggariddim dj to Version Girl (Virgin) ’85
Fred Locks – Rastafari Rule; Missing Link (VP) ’79
Gregory Isaacs – Sweeter the Victory; Love Is Overdue (Heartbeat) ’74
Not counting box sets, the most I have ever paid for a CD. $80
Greetings,
Advice after forty years of cratedigging: Buy low, sell high. I ‘n’ I built the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives when people were shedding vinyl for these over priced gadgets called the compact disk.
Titles I bought for 4 bucks on Haight Ashbury fetches hundreds now on ebay and discogs.
It’s not that I’m cheap. I spend the GDP of small third world nations on music. But I believe a record that is worth hundreds that I paid less than a Lincoln for, makes the sound oh so sweet.
Vinyl to the left, CDs and books on the right: The Smile Jamaica Ark-ives
Yet I have wish lists. Things I can’t find cratedigging and must scope online. One of my “white whales” was the 8 track version of Thievery Corporations silky herb tune, Lebanese Blonde.
<$80 dollars for Lebanese Blonde; 55 sec.>
I was coming back from a cratedig in Missoula, Montana. I saw a disk on the new record rack that had a cool cover, name and song titles.
Thievery Corporation – Richest Man in Babylon
Heading back to Salt Lake from my parents’ house in Fort Benton, Montana, I detour through Missoula to cratedig in their cool indie stores: Rockin’ Rudy’s and Ear Candy.
I pushed it too far and hit the dreaded Monida Pass at sundown. Anyone travelling on I-15 heading North knows that pass right at the Idaho Montana border. Not a good place to be in a snow storm.
Twice in 25 years of driving that stretch I had to go 100 miles back to Butte, on icy roads, because the pass was closed to traffic.
Monida Pass
I left Missoula too late and hit this pass at the worst time: dusk. As the sun went down at 7,000 feet I watched the road ice up ahead of me.
What every Montana kid is prepared for yet still dreads. Driving over an iced free way with only the guard rails to keep you out of the ditch.
Shit, this is how people die. Slide off the road on Monida. You have about 15 minutes before your car is totally iced over and NO CELL SERVICE.
He died doing what he loved: record shopping.
All right. Here we go. My All Wheel Drive Subaru. This is what I bought you for. Slow way down to about 25 MPH and just pick your way through the sheer ice. Even with AWD, do not hit the brakes.
I soldiered through. What usually takes 15 minutes, took me over an hour. Foot off the gas, when a truck would go by kicking up crystals to make visibility almost zero.
Once you hit Spencer, Idaho on the other side of the Pass, the road thaws a little. All through this, I am listening to Richest Man in Babylon and focused on their supple riddims, heavy bass and international vocalists. Kept me from freaking out through the worst of the road hazards.
As soon as I got home, I ordered their entire catalog. So, yeah $80 for one of their rare singles. Priceless.
bless, Bobbylon
Thievery Corporation led to my last half hour Mutant Dub Sets: 21 sec.
My Grandfather owned a hardware store in Fort Benton, Montana. Sold and laid carpet and before Wal Mart, Best Buy or Amazon, that is where you would buy your electronics.
He closed the store and retired when I was in Elementary school. But somehow, I “inherited” a felt, vinyl cleaning record mitt.
Quick-shine mitt for a silicone sparkle! 27 sec.
My record collecting journey began Fall 1977. School shopping with Mom in downtown Great Falls, Montana. In Woolworths: conned Mom into buying me Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits
The very first record in what would become the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive
So, I used this felt mitt to swipe any dust off the record before dropping the needle. I don’t use any of that chemical goop. Just a nice swipe of felt across smooth black wax.
Took it with me to Bozeman, Montana when I bought my fancy laser tracking turntable. (Horrible for Reggae vinyl, I was to discover).
And I tossed it in a box of records when I moved to Salt Lake City.
It has been a part of Smile Jamaica for nearly 3 decades.
This summer I thought I lost it. Left it at the station, it fell out of one of my record bags. For most of Summer of ’18 I was bumming.
Part of the Deejay ritual:
take the record out of the sleeve
place it on the turntable platter
swipe the record mitt to clean off dust
put the needle pon the record
back cue to start
hit remote start on the station’s mixer
So without #3, it really put a hitch in my giddyup. My grandfather passed away in 1981, I felt bad that the one thing I still had to remind me of him and my youth, I carelessly lost somewhere.
Well, of course, I was moving records into my Ark-Ive and saw a record bag that had fallen behind an end table.
I blindly reached in and felt a familiar feeling. Soft felt big enough to place your hand inside.
I kissed it and said Praise Anu! Smile Jamaica is back to full strength, slinging dust free Roots.
bless, Bobbylon
This is why the vinyl sounds so crisp on Smile Jamaica. What was lost is now found. Praise Anu!
Annotated Smile Jamaica Playlist: Jah-gust 18, 2018; 102 sec.
Set 1: 420 Vinyl
<9 down, DC all of Canada, 41 to go; 63 sec.>
Anthony Johnson – Reggae Feelings; Reggae Feelings (Vista Sounds) ’83 UK – All Vinyl Showcase
Blackbeard – Cut After Cut; Strictly Dub Wize (More Cut) ’78 UK dub album of the week
Joe Higgs – One Man Kuchie (Pipe); Unity is Power (1 Stop) ’78 UK
Jah Lloyd – Cocaine; The Humble Lion (Virgin Front Line) ’78 UK Dillinger
Lovindeer – Grow the Ganja; De Blinkin’ Bus (TSO) ’82 JA – soca
<Cannabis over the IMF predatory loans in Jamaica; 42 sec.>
Steel Pulse – Drug Squad; Caught You (Island) ’80 UK
Peter Tosh – Legalize It (Secret Circuit Shockblast Mix + Dub); 10″ picture vinyl (Delicious Vinyl) 2012 record store day rmx
Adult use in North Dakota on the ballot: 2018. 10 down, 40 to go?
Set 2:
Capital Letters – Fire; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group
Rasta Generation Band feat. Miss Mack – Stop Crying the Blues; Stand By Jah (Black Spade) ’90 San Francisco
Peter Culture – Behold; Behold (Top Beat) 2000 UK 10″
Lloyd Charmers – Darker Than Blue; 10″ (PK) ’75 UK – Curtis Mayfield cover
Curtis Mayfield cover
Set 3:
Ken Boothe – Ain’t No Sunshine; 10″ EP (Trojan) ’72 UK Bill Withers cover
Meditations – Rome; Message From the Meditations (United Artists) ’76 US
Ijahman Levi – Bubble On; Forward Rastaman (Jahmani) ’87 UK
Bam Bam – Deja Vu + Dub; Power of a Woman (Bam Bam International) ’87 LA female vox
Set 4:
Judy Mowatt – Love Seed; Mellow Mood (Ashandan) ’75 IA
Yellowman & Fathead – Honour Your Mother; Jack Sprat (GG’s) ’82 JA
Mighty Maytones – Serious; Madness (Burning Sounds) ’76 UK
Earl Sixteen & Nick Manasseh – Natural Roots & Organic Dub; 10″ (Merge) 2006 UK
Set 5:
Marcia Griffiths – Truly; At Studio One (Studio One) ’80 JA; Aretha Franklin of Reggae
<Aretha Franklin joins Jah’s Heavenly Choir; 46 sec.>
Prince Far I – Light My Fire; Free From Sin (Trojan) ’79 UK
Pablo Moses – Ready, Aim, Fire; In the Future (Alligator) ’83 Chicago blues label
Earl Zero – Shackles and Chain; Reggae All Stars (Freedom Sounds) ’79 JA
Winston Fergus & Chris Jay – Rough Times; 10″ (Dubwise) ’98 UK militant steppers
Twilight Circus – Bassie Dub I; Essential Dub (ROIR) 2007 dub compilation: Dub Album of the Hour
Aretha Franklin – latest angel in Jah’s Heavenly Choir
Set 6: Roots Dawta vinyl set
Sister Netifa – Don’t Talk to Me Babylon; Woman Determined (A Luta) ’79 UK dub poetess
Wild Bunch – Indestructible Woman; Wild Bunch (Ariwa) ’84 UK
African Woman – Warrior Queen; In Progress (People Unite) ’84 UK
As Judy Mowatt sang: Many are called but few are chosen. I have been offered a job. General Giorgio of the Space Force needs me.
Gen. Giorgio Tsoukalos, Leader of Trump’s Space Force. My new boss.
I will be the Minister of Lunar Agriculture; 103 sec.
From Space Dust to the Tree of Life
Scoffers tell I ‘n’ I that this is just more cash for the Military Industrial Complex. Maybe so, but as an Ancient Astronaut Theorist, I think the Anunnaki might return to put a stop their puny creation, mankind’s, weaponization of Space.
I plan to Make the Anunnaki Great Again! As a Sumerian Fundamentalist, I am with my people!
<Ancient Astronaut Theorists approve of the Space Force; 25 sec.>
<Happy Birthday to the World’s First Hippie – Haile Selassie I> 68 sec.
Greetings,
Ras Tafari Makonnen: The Head Creator
Haile Selassie I: Power of the Trinity
<Power of Jah Trinity; 27 sec.>
Negusa Negast: King of Kings; 30 sec.
Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Elect of God, Ever Living God, Earth’s Rightful Ruler
<Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah; 13 sec.>
Without this little short man (Selassie was 5 foot 2) Reggae consists of love songs, novelty records and pop and soul covers. This is the heart of Smile Jamaica.
Rastafari gospel love songs to His Imperial Majesty from the Rastas. In Jamaican, when Nationalist hero Marcus Garvey was recruiting blacks to return to Africa, he prophesized: “Look to the east where a black king will be crowned. That will be the signal to load up the Black Star Liner (as opposed to the Titanic passenger liner White Star Line) to go back to Africa
<Garvey’s prophecy; 63 sec.>
Marcus Garvey: Look to the East, where a king will be crowned leading all blacks back to Africa
From that moment the movement grew from the impoverished in Jamaica who wanted a black Jesus not a colonial white Jesus. Selassie was the reincarnation of Jahova (Jah).
He ruled in Ethiopia until the communists in the hinterlands took advantage of corrupt Selassie courtiers who refused to acknowledge famine in the provinces. Selassie was deposed and most likely murdered in the basement of his Imperial Palace in 1974.
<Selassie’s downfall; 30 sec.>
I call myself a Rasta enthusiast or empathizer and even a Sumerian Fundamentalist like myself, is powerfully moved by such beautiful musical devotion that we will hear on this Ark-Ive Podcast.
Haile Selassie – July 23, 1892.
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 21, 2018: Happy Birthday His Imperial Majesty; 95 sec.
Smile Jamaica: 30 Years of Rastafari Gospel love songs
Set 1:
Naturalites – Picture on the Wall; Rub a Dubble vol. 1 (CSA) ’86 UK – 3 hours for Haile Selassie – July 23, 1892
Roots Radics/Bunny Wailer – Roots Raddics; Dub D’sco vol. 1 (Solomonic) ’77 JA vinyl Dub Album of the Hour
Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Ethiopian National Anthem; Movements (Dynamic) ’78 JA vinyl; nyahbinghi style drumming
<National Anthem of Ethiopia; 23 sec.>
Black Uhuru – I Love King Selassie; Tear It Up” Live (Mango) ’83
Chalawa – Jah Collie Weed; Capture Land (Green Weenie) ’78 Can. vinyl 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
African Princess – Jah Children Cry; 12″ (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK vinyl comp
Royal flag of Ethiopia
Set 2:
Keith Hudson – I Broke the Comb; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ’78
<The Old Testament Nazirite Vow and Dreadlocks; 84 sec.>
Sister Carol – Jah Is Mine; Black Cinderella (Jah Life) ’84 on McCartney/Jackson Girl is Mine
Peter “Roots” Lewis – Jah Is My Salvation; Wicked Roots (Reggae Retro) 2000
Hugh Mundell – That Little Short Man; 12″ (Rockers International) ’78; Selassie was 5 foot 2
Set 3:
Jacob Miller – False Rasta; Don’t Give Up Your Culture (Moll-Selekta) ’77
<Beware the Follow Fashion Dread; 47 sec.>
Judy Mowatt – Many Are Called; Black Woman (Shanachie) ’76
Aswad – He Gave the Sun to Shine; New Chapter (CBS) ’81 UK
Ranking Trevor – Give Thanks and Praise Unto Jah; 12″ (Greensleeves) ’78 UK to Heart & Soul
Augustus Pablo – Chant to Selassie I; East of the River Nile (Shanachie) ’78 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4:
Cedric Myton & the Congos – Where He Leads; Face the Music (VP) ’81
Burning Spear – Jah Is My Driver; Farover (Heartbeat) ’83
Daweh Congo – Jah Is My Shepherd; Human Rights & Justice (Roots & Culture) 2000
Hortense Ellis – Jah Mysterious Works; Women in Reggae (Shanachie) ’75 extended
Set 5: Vinyl Is Vital
Leroy Smart – Jah Jah Forgive Them; Live Up Roots Children (Striker Lee) ’85 UK
Clint Eastwood – Whip Them Jah Jah; Step It in a Zion (Third World) ’78 UK
Michigan & Smily – Jah Ruled Over I; Step By Step (Hitbound) ’82 Brooklyn
Jah Malla – Jah Love; Jah Malla (Modern) ’81 US – children of Reggae players in JA
<Jah Malla: songs of Reggae players: Val Douglas, Roland Alphanso, Ernest Ranglin, Sylvan Morris; 30 sec.>
Zema – Selassie; Zema (Melchizedek) ’86 So Cal female singer
2nd gen Reggae group
Set 6: Wailers Family Tree
Peter Tosh – Iziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised); Legalize It (Columbia) ’76
Bunny Wailer – Rasta Dread (Natty Dread); Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 tunes for Bob’s 50th Birthday
Rita Marley – Good Morning Jah; Who Feels It Knows It (Shanachie) ’80
<Rita encounters Haile Selassie; 81 sec.>
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Conquering Lion; One Love Peace Concert: Kingston, JA 4/22/78
Dub Specialist – Fire Coal Version; Version Dread (Studio One/Heartbeat) ’75 17 Dub Shots From Studio One
Set 7:
Cymande – Rastafarian Folk Song; Cymande (Sequel) ’74 UK – World’s first hippie
Aisha – One God, One Aim, One Destiny; True Roots (Ariwa) ’95
Winston Jarrett – Selassie Is the Chapel; By the Rivers of Babylo (Shanachie) ’95 comp: cover of the Orioles Crying in the Chapel
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Selassie Is the Chapel; Rebel Box Set (JAD) ’66
Set 8:
Alpha & Omega – Who Is the Ruler; Watch and Pray (A & O) ’89 UK vinyl trance dub
Doctor Alimantado – Chant to Jah; Born For a Purpose (Greensleeves) ’75
Johnny Osbourne – Jah Promise; Truths & Rights (Studio One/Heartbeat) ’80
Misty in Roots – How Long Jah; Live at the Euro Countervision (Kaz) ’79
Bim Sherman – Lamb of Judah; Bim Sherman Meets U Black and Horace Andy in a Rub a Dub Style (Original) ’79
Wailing Souls – Jah Gives Us Life; Very Best of (Greensleeves) ’78
The first song I played after being off air for six weeks with a blood infection/Sepsis that landed me in Intensive Care
Just say no to starving kids, eh Nancy? Thanks to your husband, Smile Jamaica was well stocked with fresh roots! Selah!
Greetings,
It was July 2, 1988. Late Sunday Night/early Monday Morning. I jumped in my car and drove from my apartment by the University of Utah campus downtown to community radio station KRCL 90.9FM.
Unloaded a suitcase full of CDs and a crate full of LPs. At 3 am on a hot summer night, I cued up Black Uhuru’s “What Is Life” from the album that made me a Reggae fanatic – Anthem.
Drop the needle pon the record and that began a 30 year legacy of Reggae Radio.
<Sunday Night/Monday Morning, July 2, 1988; 3-6AM, debut of 3 o’Clock Roadblock on KRCL; 30 sec.>
Not Bob Marley. Not Peter Tosh. Not Jimmy Cliff. Not UB40. Black Uhuru lit the Reggae fuse that led to Smile Jamaica
I had returned that Sunday afternoon from a massive cratedig in the Bay Area. Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, Berkely, Mill Valley, El Cerrito, Oakland, Santa Cruz.
I was glad my car didn’t break down. It would be bad juju to be late for my debut radio show. Not to mention how would I keep two crates full of vinyl from melting on the side of the road somewhere.
Ronald. Wilson. Reggae. 666 as the Rastas might say. Not I ‘n’ I. I didn’t see eye to eye with Ronnie politically, but I am forever grateful to him as the benefactor of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives, even if it was a misuse of funds.
The 80’s were a time you could get more student grants than student loans. Tuition was a fraction of what it is today. That left me about $2k left over to front load music for a Radio show. LPs and these recent creations called CDs. I was format agnostic. Good Reggae for the masses.
And I have Ronald Wilson Reagan to thank!
<Ronald Wilson Reagan – benefactor of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives; 2 min.>
Ronald Wilson Reagan or as I call him – the Smile Jamaica financial enabler
So from July 2, 1988 to July 14, 2018 – 3 o’Clock Roadblock (July 1988-August 1989) to Smile Jamaica (Oct. ’89), let’s celebrate with the Sequel to my 30th Anniversary showcase (cd versions) from 2 weeks ago.
All vinyl this time out!
After 26 years, I might have to put Yammy down. Yammy is my Yamaha #Subwoofer. Blew a cone tonight listening to Prince Fari Dub Encounter Chapter IV. A moment of silence. Literally. My 1st night in a world without bass https://t.co/pJ664OhGbEpic.twitter.com/nUQCEvkye9
Sister Netifa – Woman Determined; Women Determined (A Luta) ’89 UK female dub poet
Carlton Livingston – Call of the Rastaman; 100 Weight of Collie Weed (Greensleeves) ’84 UK
Junior Delgado – Disarm the World; High Times All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’85 Chicago blues label
X-O-Dus – See Them a Come; 12″ (Factory)*80 UK
Female heroes through history
Set 8: Mutant Dub
<What is Mutant Dub? 18 sec.>
Singers & Players w/ Sister P – Holy Scripture; Vacuum Pumping (ON U Sound) ’88 female tour of the Bible: Mutant Dub Set
Alpha & Omega – Africa; Watch and Pray (A & O) ’88 UK trance dub
The Clash – This Is England; 12″ (CBS) ’85 UK picture sleeve
Bim Sherman & Akabu – Stop That Train; 12″ (ON U Sound) ’80 UKKeith & Tex update
Steel Pulse – Heart of Stone; Reggae Fever (Island) ’80 UK Request
Words of Wisdom:
Smile Jamaica is hosted by Robert Nelson on 90.9 FM KRCL in Salt Lake City, Utah (Saturdays, 4-7 p.m. MT). Ark-ives available weekly here at the Smile Jamaica blog.
Smile Jamaica 