Di True Godfather of Dancehall – Daddy U-Roy
“We have to give thanks to father for weh this music reach cause NOBODY did ever could ever tell you that dem KNOW seh di music woulda reach so far. If anybody tell yuh seh yes dem did know it woulda reach dem telling a lie”
Whenever the topic of conversation switches to the origins of dancehall, there is no way that the man known as U-Roy is not mentioned. As an original toaster from the 60s, Daddy U-Roy would have seen, and certain cases initiated, critical trends within the Jamaican musical landscape. However when you are approaching an icon like this, it behooves you to understand that his time is quite limited so Backayard went to down to the community of Cockburn Pen, where U-Roy still maintains a home, to ask a few questions about his history and where he sees the future of dancehall and Jamaican music in general. Enjoy!
What is your given name?
Ewart Beckford
How did you get into the music?
Di truth is that as a likkle yute. I used to LOVE this going to dance and playing sound system. From the age of 14 mi ask mi granny if mi can go and play one of mi friend sound over inna Jones Town name ‘Dickies’. Sometime she tell mi yeah yuh can gwaan sometimes she might she seh ‘Boy go pick up one book and read. You a talk bout guh dance, guh learn supp’im yuh know what I mean.’ But di ting is because mi love this so much mi jus wait til all my granny gone sleep and jus sneak out and gone, you know what I mean. That was my direct hobby supp’im wah mi love fi do, yuh nuh, guh a dance pon a Saturday night and play music fi di people dem.
Which time period was this?
Inna di 60’s man, early 60’s yuh nuh….
Just when Jamaica became independent…
Right, dem time deh.
Was that when you actually got into the music or was it after that?
Likkle bit after that, mi get into di music cause mi never start recording at the same time. Mi was playing sound. Mi was playing couple sound coming up di line until mi start play King Tubbys. That was where mi get this break cause somebody pass one night and hear mi a play a Duke Reid tune, Duke Reid production. Him hear mi DJ on di riddim and guh back to Duke Reid and tell Duke Reid that ‘Bwoy, I guh one dance last night and hear one yute name U-Roy a chat pon one a yuh riddim and him sound good.’ So Duke Reid and Tubby used be kinda good friend so Duke Reid tell Tubby seh him mus contact mi fi him. Mi guh down a Duke Reid check him and him tell mi him waan do some business wid mi and him waan mi talk pon two a him riddims. But was jus some verbal agreement really it wasn’t anything for anyone to sign nuh contract or big money. So I guh di studio wid Duke Reid and mi do ‘Wake The Town and Tell The People’ and ‘This Station Rules The Nation’, two tune weh…
Which is relevant to this day…
You know what I mean, it surprising to me I can hardly even believe it.
When did you record it?
Inna di 60’s man like round 67… 68 dem time deh. Dem never guh too far but dem jus play inna di dance and people jus love dem and dance. But when ‘Wear You To the Ball’ and ‘Wake The Town’ come out is like mi revive dem tune deh from which part dem left off and tek dem to a different level.
As you are someone who has lived through the beginnings of what is called Jamaican music, from mento to dancehall, what do you think about the progress the culture has made during our years of independence?
I can tell yuh seh we come a very long way wid this music. Cause trust mi it is such a joy to see, we being independent for 50 years. We music mi haffi seh is on di uprise, yuh caan seh it is going down. I coulda never put it like that because one time mi was a yute and mi guh to di states and dem place deh. People nuh know nutten bout nuh reggae yuh nuh, yuh caan tell di people bout what… reg-what. Nobody nuh know nutten bout nuh reggae and again sound system. Is only the Jamaicans dem weh migrate from yah to England did try and keep up di sound system ting cross England but dem people didn’t really know bout it til di Jamaican dem guh over deh inna England. Hear why mi seh di music reach a far way, we used to haffi send di 45 dem guh a England for di sound system dem a England fi get dem fi play and get dem established. Di sound system dem over deh is dem get mi known is dem get U-Roy voice pon sound til it start come pon radio and rae rae. So is like trust mi is supp’im I appreciate to di max and I give thanks to father for everything weh happen to me, I NEVER see di music a get this far. Trust me. So as I seh to you now I caan seh di music is on di down this music is rising and di reason why I seh this I go quite a few places inna di world and trust mi if yuh guh a France, yuh have a singer a sing reggae sound like a Jamaican singer only that dem a do it inna fi dem language. If yuh guh a Japan don’t even talk bout dem because dem is like if yuh nuh waan dem fi ketch supp’im don’t mek dem hear it and dem jus fall in love wid this music. Is like we have to give thanks to father for weh this music reach cause NOBODY did ever could ever tell you that dem KNOW seh di music woulda reach so far. If anybody tell yuh seh yes dem did know it woulda reach dem telling a lie man….
And the fact that it is Jamaican….
Di fact that it is 100% Jamaican so yeah man we mus give thanks for everything and I give thanks every time for every day that I live.
Where do you see the future of Jamaican music and culture?
Is left fi di yute dem fi jus keep it on a level like that and understand dem self and know seh when yuh do two tune yuh nah do it jus fi play inna your house alone. Yuh nah do it f play it uptown and downtown yuh a do it fi play worldwide. Do some tune weh yuh can collect royalties and publishing inna yuh old age. It mek sense it mek alot sense. It left fi di yute dem fi see wah dem gwine do wid di music. Which part we left off we a expect some yute fi tek over from dehso and continue di journey. Yuh know a nuff time people ask mi wah mi think bout dem young yute yah weh come and mek this enormous amount of money. I tell dem first ting I never even pass nuh high school gate yet much less fi guh inna high school but I understand and I haffi realize and know that some 50 or 45 years ago, yes I was one of dem man deh on di top ten, yuh nuh, rule di top ten. I couldn’t expect seh 50 years after that I STILL be di man weh a do that…. (Everybody Laughs)…. Yuh nuh I wouldn’t expect that. We fi have some young yute fi come and tek up this position. Yuh see wah mi a deal wid. So mi nuh have nuh time fi envy dem, mi have more time fi gi dem props yuh know wah dem do and tell dem keep di works in order. Keep up di good works. So for me fi fight ‘gainst wah di yute dem a do now I would be so stupid and so selfish and badminded and dem type a ting deh. Mi appreciate every yute weh deh inna this business cause mi style dem as mi co-worker. Even though mi is some a dem grandfather but mi still have dem as my co-worker cause wah dem been keeping di ting alive. Mi caan believe yuh can guh so many place and see DJ. Dj deh India, Dj deh a Japan, Dj deh a Holland, when yuh see dem ting deh yuh caan jus think bout yourself alone then. Yuh haffi think seh well ‘Blouse and Skirt, I did a do supp’im weh some people love, yuh nuh.’ Cause right now a some tings weh mi put down, yuh have man like Busy Signal, Capleton, Assassin, Mavado, Kartel name di ‘hol a dem man deh ‘hol a dem ting deh come off from wah I and I lef’ off and wah I and I start and put out deh. Dem man deh is DJ like myself… OK… Yuh haffi seh yeah dem man deh come off a di same plane. Yuh see wah mi a deal wid? So mi haffi gi dem man deh dem props but only ting mi haffi seh to dem man deh jus do some tune weh when di big people dem a come yuh nuh haffi turn off yuh tape or turn off yuh CD. Yuh know what I mean? Dem can listen to dem, some ting like disrespecting women and dem ting deh. Mi have mi daughter and mi sister dem and mi mother jus dead a couple months ago. Mi nuh really support certain ting wid di disrespect woman and style dem as gal BUT it come in like di GAL dem as weh dem style dem like that.
Unfortunately, this is so. But I have different argument when it comes on to this issue. You know how powerful women are. So when women on a whole decide that they don’t want that then it will stop…
Yuh see wah mi a seh. That is why mi a show yuh, mi caan seh nutten too bad bout di yute dem. Do dem ting and mek dem money put dem money to use. Because is not a ting that will go on forever, yuh nuh. How I in it so long is jus, and I can tell a man straight, di blessing of di most high JAH why I in it so long. Because I NEVER EVER EVER expect after a year or two year yuh woulda still a hear supp’im bout my tune dem. But then I see it happen so I haffi give thanks to father and ask him fi gwaan bless mi as always. Yeah man that is how it is.
About Author
