The ManicaPost
. . . continued from last week
WHEN you met Syd Bucknor was Enos McLeod there? He told me he learned to produce from Syd Bucknor around this time. He also said he was in the original version of the Itals.?
No. He was not there. At that time I didn’t even know Enos. I wouldn’t know that. I founded the Itals. The older Itals group was Errol Holt, that bass man?
Flabba Holt?
Flabba Holt, yes. He had a group called Itals before we named our group the Itals. I don’t know if Enos was with him.
This was when Flabba was working with Rupie Edwards?
Yes, they had a song called Ba Da Boo Ba Day.
So what happened to these demo recordings with Syd Bucknor??
Nothing really happened. But that was how I got to meet and know the Tennors. One of the Tennors original members died.
Maurice Johnson.
Yes, Maurice Johnson. And so Clive Murphy heard about me and visited me and asked me to take over leadership of the Tennors. We did a couple of recordings for the Treasure Isle and for the Tennorslabel same way.
I guess you didn’t have to audition for Duke Reid at Treasure Isle because the Tennors were well-known?
Yes. The Tennors were well known. We just walked in and recorded.
What was your first hit that you sang on in the Tennors?
The first one was… What was the name of it again??
Was it The Whole World Is A Stage??
That was the first song we sang with the Tennors, yes. Just as rocksteady was going away we did it. And then we did this one called Weather Report. That was a good one too. We were mostly recording for Clive Murphy’s Tennors label.
You also entered the Festival Song competition?.
We entered the Festival Song competition and we did Hope Village in 1970. That was the year that Hopeton Lewis won. I think we came in second or third.
How did you decide to start recording as a solo artist?
First of all, Clive migrated to the United States so I had no choice but to start recording from myself.
When did you link with Bunny Lee. You did a lot of solo recording for him.
Yes, most of my solo career was with Bunny Lee. I was in town and he was my good friend and every day we moved together. So we just record, record, record. I did so many songs for him.
Before you recorded as Ronnie Davis you cut some songs as Romey Pickett. Why did you do that?
Yeah that was even before the Ronnie Davis thing. Some producers, Bunny Lee and them, just decided to give you a name. They just call me Romey. It is a name that I just grew up with.
A nickname?
Yes. My real name is Jerome. My second name is Ballin. Jerome Ballin. So that’s how they got the Romey because it was my pet name for Jerome. The long name is Jerome and then they said Romey.
When they called you Romey Pickett, was that after Wilson Pickett?
Yes sir! I used to love Wilson Pickett. I used to sing his songs until Bunny said “You are just Romey Pickett now!” But it never lasted.
How did you become Ronnie Davis?
I did this song called I Won’t Cry by Johnny Adams for Herbie Carter. He was looking for me but I left and went to the country. When I went to the country he released it as Ronnie Davis. I did another one by Tyrone Davis called Without You In My Life.
Because Tyrone Davis was the original. It was the original for that song and he just put that name upon it. He put Ronnie Davies and I just accepted it and just dealt with it.
Then you had a big hit with Won’t You Come Home in 1975 with Lloyd Campbell.
I met him because he was a regular producer in the business. He asked me to do some recording for him. When we started we did Won’t You Come Home.
So I guess when Won’t You Come Home topped the charts, that was when the Ronnie Davis name stuck?
Yeah, it stuck. It was working. And also the song I Won’t Cry. That was a big one too. So I just adapted and kept that name. I love the name.
Lloyd Campbell had you doing some duets with Joy White.
Oh yes I did those for Lloyd Campbell. He brought her in to sing those songs. We did those in Randy’s studio.
At the same time you started singing in the Itals. You brought in some friends from the Westmorelites days and cut Ina Dis Yah Time on the same rhythm as Won’t You Come Home.
Yes. Lloydie asked me to do another version. The rhythm was powerful so he needed another version of it.
I have a falsetto voice and I did a song named The Greatest Commandment Is Love for Lloydie and he said he wanted me to sing the parts on that rhythm. But my friend Keith was in from the country and he called me and said he wanted to do some recording.
I told him to go and deal with the rhythm and get a song on the rhythm. And we came with Ina Dis Yah Time. So instead of just me I went back and I gave him a break and we recorded it on the same rhythm as Won’t You Come Home. It was a smash hit.
It is also Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones’ favourite reggae song. He has a house in Jamaica. What do you think it is about that song that so many people like?
Yeah, I know that. I have never met him but I saw what he said. (Laughs) I think it’s the lyrical content and the rhythm. I think he loves the rhythm and he loves the lyrics. It was really something else, to tell you the truth. I think the lyrics mainly though.
At the same time as the Itals started in 1976 you were putting out your own productions with Patrick Sutherland on your On Top label. You did some really good songs on that label – that were collected on a couple of compilation albums.
Yes! Me and Pat Scabba did some recording. We did No Weak Heart Shall Enter The Gates Of Zion, Holding On, Just To Be Close To You, Beware Of Evil Men. False Leaders, Got To Go Home and several other singles. That label was owned by us – me and Pat Scabba. — reggaeville to be continued next week…
For contributions on reggae/dancehall music and latest news contact Ras Libz Kartel on 0773 219 891 or [email protected]
