David Rodigan 40 years in the biz

International British selector David Rodigan chose 10A West Kings House Road, the former home of iconic director Perry Henzell (The Harder They Come), as the backdrop for his personal celebration of his, more than, 40 years in the music business. The following are a list of questions compiled by our main feature writer, Gladstone Taylor (Gladstone_T on all the socials) to ask the veteran disc jockey a short time after the event. Read and enjoy.

You’ve had a vested interest in reggae music since its infancy, and the story of where you first took interest is famous. But could you reflect on the aftermath of that experience of seeing that performance and the feelings that struck you the morning after, did you jump straight into research trying to find out what this thing really was at its root?

No I didn’t jump in, it was more of a gradual fascination which grew as I became more interest in the music. There was very little by way of material for research, as no books on the music had been written in the early 1960s. I was essentially a young record collector living in a small village in the English countryside. It was through collecting records that I came to learn more and more about the music.

If you could sum up in a paragraph, the experience of your 30 year tenure in the industry, what would it read like?

It would take more than a paragraph and I have written extensively about my love of the music in my autobiography.

In a sentence I would say that I have been very fortunate to have been given the privilege of being able to broadcast the music on British and Jamaican radio and this has enabled me to meet the actual music makers, the musicians, the engineers, the artists and as a result I have been able to enhance my radio shows to be more inclusive off the background and origins of the music.

As an observer and participant, how do you feel about the state of reggae music now and in the future? State some examples of songs or artistes that inspire this feeling.

Firstly I do not wish to state the names of songs and artists.

But regarding the state of Reggae music now I would say that the music no longer has the plethora of big stars that it once had. It has proved to be much harder for young, aspiring artists to reach the heights of the great stars of yesteryear: the likes of Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer etc. Those stars International acclaim was truly phenomenal and it will be hard but not impossible for younger artists to achieve this; only time will tell if they can climb that mountain peak. However there are a number of remarkably talented young artists who are making their mark and developing fan bases. The music is far more diverse than it used to be with the advent of dancehall music as opposed to traditional reggae music. I believe that Jamaica will always surprise the world of music with what it can produce, it’s just a matter of time.

Was there a specific moment where you knew that this was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life or was it a gradual thing, if so describe the gradient.

It was gradual; nothing to describe really except that I was given a job as a radio presenter and that changed everything.

Your top five most played songs of the last two years; The two songs with the record number of pull ups in a session?

No idea; too many to be specific.

Your favorite collaborations over the years.

Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths singing the Phyllis Dillon song ‘Moonlight Lover’ on the original Treasure Isle riddim.

You’ve also had a career in acting, but your passion for reggae music won out. What was it like working on The Mysterious Planet in the 70s and 80s?

Working as an actor was always rewarding but oftentimes quite challenging.

You recently launched your autobiography, which has been received well, how long were you working on it prior to the release?

I worked on it for 2 years

The recent Dubwise staging with yourself and King Jammy was historic to say the least, what were some of the resounding feelings and experiences that you retained from that night.

The overall love and joy that came back at me from the audience and working with Jammys as well as hardcore was of course a terrific experience as we are all coming from the same music place and we only ever want to share our passion for the music with like-minded souls. It was a fabulous location at 10a which greatly enhanced what we did. It was in short a very special night.

How would you describe your relationship with King Jammy over the years?

We have been loyal friends and soul brothers for over 40 years; his love and passion for the music always inspired me and his generosity of spirit showed me that I could be confident about what I did. He always encouraged me and helped me especially in the early years. I hold him in high esteem.

If you were to describe reggae as a philosophy to someone who has never heard it before, how would you go about it?

Quite simply, in its truest form, it is a philosophy based on love and forgiveness, of living a good and righteous life and helping your brothers and sister along the way, a philosophy of spiritual enlightenment teaching us that we need not seek solace from the material world and a philosophy of hope for the under privileged. Hope is everything when you have little or nothing and reggae in its purest form provides all of us with hope.