Black Scorpio
Maurice Johnson is the answer. The question of course is “Who is the owner of one of most reputable clash sounds/record labels dancehall music has ever seen?” Black Scorpio has quite a legacy within Jamaican music. Not just some of it, all of it. From breaking landmark talent such as General Trees and Sassafras on the sound system scene to producing reggae classics which truly inspired generations, Jack Scorpio (as Maurice is more commonly known) has been behind it all. BACKAYARD is pleased to have the opportunity to have a meeting with one of the greats of the music biz as we delve into the legend that is Black Scorpio.
Maurice Johnson is the answer. The question of course is “Who is the owner of one of most reputable clash sounds/record labels dancehall music has ever seen?” Black Scorpio has quite a legacy within Jamaican music. Not just some of it, all of it. From breaking landmark talent such as General Trees and Sassafras on the sound system scene to producing reggae classics which truly inspired generations, Jack Scorpio (as Maurice is more commonly known) has been behind it all. BACKAYARD is pleased to have the opportunity to have a meeting with one of the greats of the music biz as we delve into the legend that is Black Scorpio.
How did you get into the sound business?
It is quite a history but I can give yuh a brief headline. I get my name Jack from my love of race horses. Mi used all own a horse weh win bout 10 race fi mi inna di eighties. But anyway dem did have a horse name Jack which was a big horse. Mi bredrin did love that horse so him look pon mi one day and seh “Bwoy yuh big like Jack yuh nuh” and di Scorpio come from di sound. I first got involved in it from around 1969 when I bought my first little dulcemina case, yuh probably wouldn’t a know bout that because yuh a yute. One side of it was a turntable and speaker, so normally it easy to setup. Now I bought that as my first music buy and I always remember the first two LP wah mi buy: Delroy Wilson ‘Good All Over” and Heptones ‘On Top’, two Studio One albums. In my community of Drewsland, when I bought that there was nobody else inna that likkle community with a music. So me as a likkle yute wid that used to attract a crowd and when mi put on my LP, people used come and hol’ a vibe. So it gradually gwaan until I open a likkle shop right at my place in Drewsland. A likkle board shop and start to sell some fry fish and dumpling and all dem ting deh and Friday night time mi start to play music. People come and hang out, dem all come and gamble. This happened until 1970, things get likkle brighter cause the shop usually bring in a likkle extra funds. So I ended up buying an amplifier from a guy downtown, this amplifier was tube amp. Now nuff people don’t know what is tube amp especially the younger generation. The more it play the warmer it get and the better it play. It was a 4 Kt amplifier; in addition to that I bought 2 boxes. When I had that things start to develop till I go enter inna a competition. There was a ruling sound inna Maverlery called Black Solidarity, tru I start to create a vibe on my corner. This guy from Maverley called Sassafras come wid a sound called Soul Expert but me and him used to go to school so him come and tell mi that my sound sound good. Because him live a Maverley and him and di Black Solidarity wasn’t close dem decide fi have a clash between our two sounds. We a rule Drewsland and Solidarity a rule Maverley so di clash end up happen right below my gate. That night I never forget, I had Black Magic who was General Trees brother and Sassafras on the sound. I came out victorious from my first clash, yuh nuh.
How was that for your career?
It was like a new beginning after that I took it from there to a next level. Dem time deh mi used to push mi sound pon a likkle cart because mi never have nuh transportation so mi end up buy a station wagon and mi start carry di sound on top of it. Next clash, the guys dem seh dem waan clash mi inna Maverley because the last clash was in Drewsland dem a bawl bout crowd favourite. When mi guh a Maverley mi a tell yuh it even worser pon dem… (Everybody Laughs)… To be honest di sound jus tek off from that.
In what way?
Mi start develop pon it now, so that my first big clash ‘gainst a big sound was me versus King Stereograph. Stereograph did jus come in because actually in those days U Roy used to play for King Tubbys but then Daddy U Roy decide to build him own ting. When I seh clash I mean a friendly ting because Stereograph did have a young Josey Wales and young Charlie Chaplin while mi did have Sassafras and Ranking Trevor. Our first clash over inna Portmore near Caymanas Park that went well so after that we got more requests and we started to make our name from there. 1971-72 we started in addition to the Friday night ting, an every Thursday night down at Drewsland that night was more like a talent search. Anybody could come and DJ and earn a prize and a chance to mek yuh name on the sound. It happened that the Thursday night developed so big that people from as far as Negril start to come there. My Thursday night ting come before the House of Leo and all dem other tings the only place that might have a name before was Rae Town. My place was the place in the seventies coming up into the eighties. I could name the artistes who come and make dem name at my place. Mi a voice Beenie Man from him a nine year old and man like Shabba Ranking, as a matter a fact di first time Shabba come round my place dem run him. Remember seh him ugly, so di people dem did a mouth him. So mi did haffi pick up di mic and seh “This man ugliness have nothing fi do wid di music”. It was di same ting Yellowman haffi face round my place. Buju Banton himself tell me this when him a do some special for my sound and I go fi pay him, him seh ‘Scorpio might be yuh don’t even know wah yuh do fi my career a me fi pay yuh’. Him was telling me that when him come around my place and Dj, me and this guy called Colour Chin was doing di percentage. So when Buju Dj him did sound different so when him finish Colour Chin took the mic and gave him 20%. Deep down when I was listening to this yute, I was thinking that this yute deserve more than 20% cause him sound different from the rest. So I decide to put 50% on the 20% that Chin give him and call it 70%. He was there telling me this history which mi never remember, him seh from mi gi him that 70% him coulda see himself as an artiste. Him actually go to Chancery Lane the next day to voice him first song fi Riley. Me never know di love him have inna him heart fi mi, him all bring mi out on stage wid him in Germany. And yuh have plenty more artistes like that, I tell yuh that Headley Avenue is a legacy for dancehall. What that venue do for this music industry is unbelievable. I ended up in addition to dealing wid di sound, producing music as well.
Who were the people you started recording?
Sassafras and General Trees as a matter a fact when General Trees come in him come DJ wid a such a different style that when him a get di forward dem, the place a mash up. Man a beat down the zinc that surround my place. Him di have a lyrics called ‘Kick It In’ and when him seh kick it in di man dem kick it in……(Everybody Laughs)…. If yuh go down a Headley Avenue right now, yuh woulda see the concrete mi haffi build right round di place because a that. When Trees a buss Junjo Lawes was the producer of the moment inna di late seventies going in the eighties, him and Jammys was doing most of the recordings dem time deh. When me carry Trees and Sassa to Junjo because him did a focus pon fi him artiste dem weh pon fi him sound it seem like nobody never wah buss fi mi artiste even though my artiste dem hot. To be honest that force me into producing, I never forget my song was a song name ‘Pink Eye’ wid Sassafras in 1978. Then I start to record General Trees in ’81, ’82 and come out wid song like ‘Minivan’, ‘Minibus People’ and ‘Gone a Negril’. All these songs became great hits. Because mi used to record my ting different while Daddy U Roy, Ranking Trevor and Big Yute used to record on the version, I used to bring in live musicians and we build di riddim to match the artiste lyrics. Check out songs like ‘Gone a Negril’ have a riddim that was made specially for that song. Everybody might seh ‘Sleng Teng’ was di first computer riddim but check ‘Every Posse Get Flat’ wid BloodFire Posse that was the first and dem same one come do ‘Lazy Body’riddim which was another computer riddim before Sleng Teng. “Lazy Body’ was a hit because of how it arrange and how it mek. There is so many tings to talk about away from the sound and about recording in the studio with great artistes and those great moments. I was working at Channel One and then I leave and work at Dynamic Sounds and in the eighties I seh no mek I build my own studio at Headley Avenue. Songs like ‘I Saw Zion Inna Vision’-Garnett Silk, ‘Friends for Life’-Dennis Brown and ’Style & Fashion’- Papa San all come from Headley Avenue.
Were you still working with your sound at that point?
How yuh mean, man!!! The sound is still there as a matter of fact I never give my sound to this day. I…never… give… up… Black Scorpio sound. My sound is there ready anybody want to play out, it is ready and I am ready. It reach a stage that yeah I have my selector dem but I am the boss. So I will play depending on the session, this coming Thursday I will leaving to England to have a clash wid David Rodigan and a sound name Saxon. When mi come back from that mi have a date in Club Amazura wid Jammys and Downbeat. That is a true icons of dancehall clash mi nuh have nutten against Beenie Man, Mavado or Kartel but a man caan tell me seh is dem man deh a dancehall when from me born mi a go a dance, yuh nuh. A we help create this.
When did you start to travel overseas with your sound Black Scorpio?
My first trip overseas was 1984 which was New York at the Biltmore ballroom. It was presenting General Trees, Shuka Shine and Sassafras. We were the men of the moment in Jamaica and it was Clinton Nesberry that took we up. I remember actually filling Biltmore ballroom the gate was actually ripped off when General Trees start to Dj because he was really hot at the time. My second time was around ’86 was a clash with a sound name Papa Monk, he was from Jersey unfortunately he is dead now and from that more dates started to come in. I clashed Addies in the late eighties into the nineties as a matter of fact every time since then I go overseas it is for a clash.
Would you say that the late eighties into the nineties was the best time for your sound?
To be honest the eighties was where we really made for ourselves. But one of the ting dem that divert mi a likkle bit from the sound was the production. As GT Taylor seh to mi ‘Bwoy Scorpio yuh gi up di sound to do bere producing’. At that time I used to manage Mega Banton as well so most of my time was diverted from the sound. But as I said before I always had my sound. I love my sound like how I love my children dem and my wife, I don’t give my sound for nothing. Don’t care what happen I keep my sound in position where if yuh call me to play now, it ready. What happen to sound ting nowadays is the changes. What I don’t like about the sound ting nowadays is the time a dance start kicking. That throw me off, when I see crowd coming to dance 3 o’ clock, 3 o’ clock we a pack up fi go home. The noise factor, yuh nuh, when a 7 o’clock a morning time, people a go a church and a Dj deh pon di mic a gwaan di most way, I don’t think it is right. I think that is one of the ting why the government have to put on some restriction on what is happening. As a soundman all I see nowadays is di streetside ting. If a man have a sound then yuh have a selector come wid some CDs, which I don’t have a problem with, but when I go to that session is not until 2 or 3 o’ clock I see some people turn up. Inna my days from 8 o’ clock di Dj start work and by 10 dance ram the latest 11 and by 3 o’clock it done and all liquor sell off and we sell hundreds of beer. Nowadays, is daylight before yuh start sell some liquor and that is what throw me off nowadays dancehall and nowadays dance. So when a man a hire me him haffi hire me different, it haffi be within a time weh me like. The dances weh me play wid Jammys and Rodigan to be honest round 2 o’ clock it is over. It always entertaining and the people enjoy it.
How many people do you have on your sound currently?
I have three selectors and three man who work wid di box plus a truck driver and a engineer.
What do you think about the actual business of owning a sound today?
No!! The sound itself is not profitable like before. What I used to get 30 years ago, I not getting that right now. That is a total loss to where sound is concerned right now. I think the restriction and the violence kinda change up di ting. People used to pay to come into session, nowadays people a tell people to come buy out the bar. So yuh can’t demand the same amount of money. Me and Wee Pow from Stone Love was talking about it and him a seh is the same ting reach him. Wee Pow seh if him never have him Wednesday night ting him couldn’t survive. People not even keeping dance like before because of the factors me seh before. It hard fi tell a man seh yuh waan $50,000 or $100,000 fi a date when di people dem a come at 2 the same time when the police a come fi lock off di dance. That is where we as sounds losing money. Who I think making some money is the man walking wid him CD dem. Dem might benefit more than me who have di sound because the sound haffi find fi lift di box, we haffi find electrician, is a total work by itself. But that still don’t take me from my sound, I am a man like Daddy Roy we love our sound. Mi is not di man who would want to play on another man sound, di only time mi play pon people sound is when I go to foreign. If mi deh inna Jamaica mi rather yuh book my sound. But as I said things and times change and yuh haffi adjust yuhself. So I play on P.A system like when me and Jammys play at mas camp but normally yuh couldn’t get me on another man sound.
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