I first went to Jamaica in the summer of 1975. I had since that spring been dating a Jamaican woman. This woman went to a party every weekend somewhere within the New York City West Indian community. I went to 10 parties with this woman before we broke up--ironically, we broke up right after I got back from my first visit to Jamaica. At these parties I began hearing this wonderful music they were calling "Reggae." I was already somewhat familiar with Calypso, being a big fan of the Mighty Sparrow, "The Big Bamboo," and the Mighty Sparrow hanging around NYC a lot, playing the Manhattan Center in the New Yorker Hotel, which was bought at about that time by the very righteous and reverend nutjob Sun Yung Moon who made it Moonie World Headquarters. I worked at that time between 9th and 10th avenues and the New Yorker was on 8th and 34th, so I walked by it every morning on my way to work. I remember the really cute little Moonie girls who would accost mainly men on the street or in bars trying to get them to buy one of the single red roses in plastic tubes they hustled in attempts to get people into Moonie Headquarters for a heavy session of Moonie indoctrination--these girls very flirty and coy--some of them even hinting at maybe some hanky-panky under the sheets if you followed them back to the New Yorker--of course, once inside the hotel, in this babe's room, she would leave the room and soon some Moonie male goons would be harassing your ass about becoming a Moonie. What a hoax, but Korean people are easily hoaxed--I mean, Korean people went hog wild over Jesus Christ--to the point Moonies actually believe the Rev himself is Jesus Christ recycled--and critics began calling old Sunni Yung Moon "Jesus Christ in a cheap Korean-made business suit." Moon's message is that the brother of Jesus went to Japan and that eventually Jesus escaped his crucifixion (he was pulled down off the cross still alive, you see) and went into exile with his brother in Asia, where he eventually died and was buried. There ya go. When you're a true believer in whatever, you'll believe any damn thing thrown at you--offering you PLEASURE! Yep, everything is entertainment--and entertainment must offer us PLEASURE--don't ya get it? We collectively love administering pain, but we don't want pain ourselves, we hate it. That's why we are all addicted to some kind of painkiller, be it heroin, cocaine, Valium, tobacco, aspirin, Vicodin, Oxycontin, Aleve, Excedrin, Tylenol (the codeine kind is the only kind that really works), morphene, Percodan, marijuana, snuff, excessive intakes of sugar, ibuprofen, Celebrex, sudofeds, et al.
And PLEASURE a'plenty could be found at these West Indian parties I attended with my Jamaican beauty, and a beauty she was, too, as were her Jamaican girlfriends, one a Chinese-Jamaican who I swear was so beautiful I croaked when I got around her--acted like a god-damn love-hungry puppy, humping at her eyes, her lips, her breasts, her midsection, her legs, holy cow I'm lapping at her feet!--her alluring beauty reduced me to runt status among men. And this music they were calling Reggae was interesting. In amongst the latest Reggae and Ska fresh from Jamaica, they also DJ-ed in a lot of American at-the-moment r & b, the records of especially Minnie Ripperton and Stevie Wonder ("Boogie on Reggae Woman") and Wilson Pickett and Teddy Pendergass and Barry White--Jamaicans loved this American stuff. One of the first Reggae musicians I met at one of these parties set me down on a basement floor in Flatbush with a bottle of 151 rum and explained to me all about Reggae, how it had come first as American rock 'n roll via way of the big 50,000-watt radio stations in the USA that beamed their signals south across the Caribbean--the New Orleans stations, the Houston stations, and, of course, the 100,000-watt American-runned-and-owned Mexican radio stations all along La Frontera, the Border, and how a dude named Toots Hibbert had taken the 2 and 4 beats of rock 'n roll and had slumped 'em down by putting the beat on the 3 beat (it also fits James Brown's brand-new-bag band that James used to start on "the 1" with the back beat on the 3)--which gave us what in Jamaica was first called the "rocksteady" shuffle backbeat--and he said that yes Toots and the Maytals had invented Reggae (it comes from Spanish, rege-rege (meaning "raggedy" or "dressing in rags."-- Toots Hibbert saying Jamaican men used the word "streggae" to describe a good-looking girl who was a little "raggedy" looking in the way she dressed--having a social-condition meaning to it really)--Toots used the word first in The Maytals's hit, "Do the Raygay."
A couple of nights before I left for Jamaica, my girlfriend and I returned from a wild party at which the Reggae had been fierce. "Jesus, that Byron Lee and the Dragonaires's tune you all go ape over [they would throw their hands up in the air and shout out at a certain point in the music] got to me tonight. I like him much better than Toots and the Pressure Drop reggaeists or that kid Marley." "Byron Lee gave us Reggae, not Toots Hibbert or Bunny Wailer or Bob Marley or Peter Tosh. They are his juniors, his flock. Byron Lee to me is the Reggae master."
And then when I got to Jamaica, I first went to Montego Bay, then out to Ocho Rios, where my friend was playing the piano in one of the posh beach hotels there--and on his first day off I talked him into driving across the Blue Mountains to Kingston to see if we could hear some of this new Jamaican music and especially find Byron Lee. The trip in my friend's station wagon was quite an experience in itself--and once we got to Kingston, holy shit, what a madhouse, and when we went into Trenchtown--holy shit, what an even worse madhouse. Traffic was thick. Police were thick. Streetside solicitors were thick. The music was thickly blaring from loudspeakers on many of the little record stores and shops and recording studios-- thick and loud and demanding that you party--and my friend, a black American, suddenly said, "I'm gettin' the fuck out of here. This is too back-to-reality for me." My friend was an accomplished jazz musician who looked a little down on Reggae, same as he looked down on rock 'n roll, considering it folk music, though he did bring tidbits of Reggae back to the states when he came back to NYC--especially its rather raggedy backbeat--and use it with his trio arrangements of "Fire Down Below" or even in his rendition of "Jamaica Farewell."
We stayed in Kingston that night at a fairly posh hotel out south of Kingston proper. That night on teevee, they showed a Festival of Independence or something like that, I can't remember since I was whacked on some special spliffs we'd banged and my friend was high on poppers, and we laid back cool watching this whatever being held at the Kingston soccer stadium. Suddenly, as our eyes cleared a bit and we focused on the goings-on on the teevee, we were sittin-up-suddenly stunned to see before us a whole soccer field full of topless young girls dressed in African garb--I mean hundreds of teenage girls topless, their titties jiggling all over the place, their wonderfully full naked thighs glistening under the stadium lights. And then, from out of this sea of teenage nakedness arose a huge float, a huge red float, and coming from it was this god-damn infectious music, this rocksteady music, and then the camera zoomed in and the announcement was made that on the float was Bryon Lee, the Dragon, and the Dragonaires--and son of a bitch, there he was, and there was his band of half-naked girls and musicians and the sound was awesome--and the Jamaicans were screaming and then dancing and then the festival took on the look of a massive tribal dance with the topless African-garbed teenagers really gettin' down, boogieing down, their titties in perfect jiggle time with their dancing and the backbeat of the music.
How sad was I to hear this morning over the Caribe TV channel that we lost Byron Lee on Nov. 5th to the Big C--and you've heard of "Soca"? Guess who brought Soca to us?
From the Kingston Gleaner:
The legend passes on - Soca community mourns Byron Lee's death
published: Wednesday | November 5, 2008
Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
Byron Aloysius Lee
Legendary bandleader Byron Lee lost his battle with cancer yesterday. The soca icon died at the University Hospital of the West Indies at the age of 73.
Lee, fondly referred to as 'The Dragon', had been fighting transitional cell cancer and was being treated in Miami, Florida. He was later diagnosed with bladder cancer two years ago and returned to Jamaica, by air ambulance, on Saturday, October 25, and was being treated at The Tony Thwaites Wing.
"The family of The Honourable Byron Lee Sr, OJ, regretfully confirms that he passed away peacefully today," The Dragon's daughter, Julian Lee Samuels, told The Gleaner. "He fought a very brave battle with cancer and was in hospital surrounded by his family and close friends. He will be remembered not only as an excellent musician, but as a very kind, generous, humble and talented man who was always working to use music to unite persons of all ages, races and people from all walks of life."
Lee is survived by his wife, Sheila, sons Byron Jr, Edward John, daughters Deanna, Judith, Julianne and Danielle as well as grandchildren Amelia, Alexander, Jessica, Victoria, Amanda, Jaden and Dylan.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that Byron Lee had excelled not only as a musician, with his band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, but was known to be one of the best promoters, label and studio owners, and can be credited for the explosion in popularity of Jamaica's music as far back as the 1960s.
Olivia Grange, minister of information, culture, youth and sports, with responsibility for entertainment, said she was deeply saddened by the passing of Lee.
People's National Party Spokesperson on Information and Culture, Lisa Hanna, expressed condolences and sympathies to Lee's family.
"Jamaica has lost a loved and treasured icon of our cultural fabric whose larger-than-life talent pioneered Jamaican music to the four corners of the world," she said in a statement.
Order of Jamaica
Lee was known for hits such as Tiny Winey and was recently conferred with the Order of Jamaica during a special ceremony at the hospital last week. He was given the award by Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall and the prime minister. The Order of Jamaica is the nation's fourth-highest honour. Lee was awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer class) in 1982. That honour was upgraded to Commander class in 2007.
Lee's career spans more than 50 years and he is credited with being one of the leading musicians to bring Jamaican music to the world. According to yahoomusic.com, when Bob Marley was a struggling young musician and a member of the little-known Wailers, Lee was perhaps the most well-known Jamaican bandleader in the world. Lee was 20 years old when he formed his band, the Dragonaires, in 1957, and has since travelled the world and assisted to popularise the carnival tradition in Jamaica through the annual Jamaica Carnival.
Bruce Golding
Prime Minister
Jamaica, and indeed the world, have lost another great music pioneer with the passing this morning of Byron Lee, one of the greatest bandleaders ever to grace the entertainment stages of the world.
Portia Simpson Miller
opposition leader
He brought a level of organisational discipline to music that was unprecedented. He is gone but his work will always be remembered.
Olivia Grange
minister of culture with responsibility for entertainment
Undoubtedly, Jamaica has lost another of its great sons of our music and culture.
Lisa Hanna
opposition spokesperson on culture
Today, we mourn with all Jamaicans, as we remember him for his scintillating rhythms, honest lyrics, discipline, professionalism, bold talent and intense passion for entertaining ... . Walk good, Dragon, you will forever be etched in the rhythm of our hearts.
Alison Hinds
soca artiste
He was the person who brought carnival to Jamaica. It's gonna be different but his spirit is gonna be there. There were times when he was particularly low that he would just want to be near the music and feel the vibes. I wish him well on his journey.
David Rudder
soca artiste
Byron was one of the fathers of Caribbean music. In terms of artistes, he brought all the artistes from different islands together. He was someone I could talk to and get advice from. The first time he brought carnival to Jamaica, I was there. We had a strong connection, not just a musical vibe. Byron Lee was a fixture in Trinidad.
Destra garcia
soca artiste
I've known that he has been ill for a while. The last time I spoke with him was earlier this year at carnival. All my prayers were with him and I wished he could have lasted a bit longer. His music has been a great influence, especially on the ragga soca style. He's a legend and I know he will live on for years and years. The young persons who did not know him through experience, like me, will know him through his music.
Byron Lee at the mixing board during Carnival Countdown, held at Richmond Estate, Priory, St Ann, on Sunday, March 23, 2008. - file photos
1968: When RJR's Band of the Year Byron Lee and the Dragonaires returned to Kingston on the Jamaica Queen, RJR's 'Hound Dog Man', Charlie Babcock, was on hand to welcome them back.
Did you notice there is no mention of Reggae in the above article?
thegrowlingwolf
for The Daily Growler
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