Greetings,
Happy Mother’s Day Special from Smile Jamaica. Pulled about 60 Mom love tracks out of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. (Nice that more vinyl choices than cd for a change!). We hear 40 of the best on this podcast.
And I always start with a country-reggae hybrid. Nashville meets Kingston inna rub a dub stylee.
<Sonya Spence – No Charge; 32 sec.>
Tammy Wynette tear jerker. Little boy presents a list of chores he has completed: mowed the lawn, went to the store, babysit baby brother. Total $14.75 (in 1976 dollars; $66.25 in 2019 coinage.)
Here are the lyrics:
While I was fixin’ supper,
And she handed me a piece of paper she’d been writin’ on,
And after wipin’ my hands on my apron,
I read it – and this is what it said:For mowin’ the yard – five dollars,
And for makin’ my own bed this week – one dollar,
And for goin’ to the store – fifty cents,
An’ playin’ with little sister, while you went to the store – twenty-five cents,
Takin’ out the trash – one dollar,
Gettin’ a good report card – five dollars,
And for rakin’ the yard – two dollars,
Total owed – fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents. Well, I looked at her standin’ there expectantly,
And a thousand mem’ries flashed through my mind,
So I picked up the pen, turnin’ the paper over,
This is what I wrote: For the nine months I carried you,
Growin’ inside me – NO CHARGE,
For the nights I’ve sat up with you,
Doctored you, prayed for you – NO CHARGE,
For the toys, food and clothes.
And for wiping your nose, there’s NO CHARGE,
When you add it all up.
The full cost of my love is NO CHARGE.
Well, when she finished readin’,
She had great big old tears in her eyes,
And she looked up at me and said,
“Mama, I sure do love you.”
Then she took the pen,
And in great big letters,
She wrote: “PAID IN FULL.”
When you add it all up,
The cost of real love is – NO CHARGE; 33 sec.
So much love to my Mother, Jeannette, “no charge” taking care of my Dad right now who is up against a rare and debilitating health situation in Arizona. And much love to anyone reading this towards your Mother. Here or looking down from Jah’s Heavenly Abode.
Bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: May 11, 2019 Annotated Playlist; 80 sec.
Set 1:
- Dennis Brown – Oh Mother; Visions of (Blue Moon) ’78 UK vinyl
- Junior Dan – Bushmaster Workout; KTW Dub (Clappers) ’82 Bronx vinyl dub album of the hour
- Sonia Spence – No Charge; In the Dark (Skynote) ’78 Tammy Wynette mother’s day tune
- Burning Spear – Mother; Man in the Hills (Mango) ’76 US vinyl
- Jimmy Cliff – Dear Mother; Follow My Mind (MCA) ‘74
- Big Youth – Mama Look; Reggae Phenomenon (Trojan) ‘82
- The Chosen Brothers & unknown deejay – Mother I Love You; 12” (City Line) ’77 Bronx
Set 2:
- Jimmy Riley – Black Mother Prays; 20 Classic Hits (Sonic) ‘83
- Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers – Mama; Joy and Blues (Virgin) ‘93
- Daweh Congo – Mother Arose; Human Rights & Justice (Roots & Culture) 2000
- Carl Dawkins – Motherland Land; Motherland Africa (Abraham) Downsview, Ontario vinyl
- Dennis Bovell – Oh Mama, Oh Papa; LKJ Presents (LKJ) ‘83
Set 3:
- Cedella Marley Booker – Mother Don’t Cry; Awake Zion (Ryodisc) ’84; Bob’s Mom on Bob’s passing (May 11, 1981); 52 sec.
- Nicky Thomas – Mama’s Song; Love of the Common People (Trojan) ‘70
- Michael Robinson – Mother and Father; 7” (Horse) ’77 UK
- Junior Delgado – Mama Baby; More She Love It (Yvonne’s Special) ’77 UK
- Chalawa – Natural Mystic; Exodus Dub (Micron) ’77 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4:
- Desmond Dekker – Honor Your Mother and Father; Israelites (Trojan) ‘62
- Lillian Allen – This Ya Mumma Earth (Peace Poem); Conditions Critical (Redwood) ’87 Emeryville, CA vinyl; Canadian dub poet
- Ben Harper – Mama’s Trippin’; The Will to Live (Virgin) ‘97
- Papa Levi – Baby Mother; 12” (Jah) ’86 UK
Set 5:
- Peter Tosh – Mama Africa; Mama Africa (EMI America) ‘83
- Judy Mowatt – Mother Africa; Working Wonders (Shanachie) ‘87
- Taj Mahal – Big Mama; Mo’ Roots (Columbia) ‘74
- Charlie Chaplin – Don’t Leave Your Baby Mother; Roots & Culture (Vista Sounds) ’83 UK vinyl
Set 6:
- Paul Simon – Mother and Child Reunion; Paul Simon (Warner Bros.) ’72 (1) original recorded in Jamaica; 27 sec.
- Horace Andy – Mother and Child Reunion; Mr. Bassie (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’73 (2)
- The Heptones – Mama Say; Night Food (Mango) ’76 US vinyl
- Benjamin Zephaniah – I Love Me Mudder; Rasta (Workers Playtime) ’83 UK dub poet
Set 7:
- Bob Marley & the Wailers – Iron Lion Zion; (Extended Mix); CD Single (Tuff Gong) request
- Shakeena – We Are the Mothers of the World; Dance Music (Majicca) ’97 Los Angeles vinyl
- Macka B – Respect Our Mothers; Buppie Culture (Ariwa) ’89 UK vinyl
- Little John – I Love My Mamie (sic); Give the Youth a Try (Live & Learn) ’83 DC vinyl
- The Meditations – Mother Love; No More Friend (Greensleeves) ’83 UK vinyl
- The Wailers – I Shot the Sheriff; Wailers Dub (Tabou1) Dub Album of the Hour
Set 8:
- Blackalicious feat. Erinn Anova – Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni; NIA (Mo Wax) ’99 female dub poet
- Mutabaruka & Tony Rebel – Mama Land; 7” (Flames) ‘97
- Michael Enkrumah & I – Mother; Jah Jah (Tashi) ’86 Rockvill, MD vinyl
- Tena Stelin – Mother’s Song; 10” (Roots Hi-Tek) 2006 UK
- Fun-Da-Mental – Mother India; Select Cuts Nation (Select Cuts) 2002 Hindi dub w/ female vox
Smile Jamaica 