King Jammys Super Power
Just mention the name King Jammys to any so called dancehall aficionados from any corner of the globe and you will hear them try to quote from one of the most impressive discography of anybody that has ever decided to sit around a soundboard. What is less commonly known however, even by those aforementioned experts, was that Lloyd James has an equally as convincing record as sound system operator of King Jammys Super Power.
Just mention the name King Jammys to any so called dancehall aficionados from any corner of the globe and you will hear them try to quote from one of the most impressive discography of anybody that has ever decided to sit around a soundboard. What is less commonly known however, even by those aforementioned experts, was that Lloyd James has an equally as convincing record as sound system operator of King Jammys Super Power. Please join BACKAYARD as we interview this living legend about, among many things, his special love of super powered amplifiers.
When did you start your sound?
This sound system business, mi start that in 1963. Mi used to work wid King Tubbys fi a long time. Mi learn mi trade a King Tubbys, technician work yuh nuh. So mi always follow King Tubbys sound. Mi did jus decide to get my own sound and get support from King Tubbys.
When you started your sound where was your base?
Just here in the Waterhouse area mi used to play. Small box, yuh nuh, jus a small likkle discotheque and then we jus build on and build on until we get a big sound.
When would you say was the heights of your sounds popularity?
The heights begin in 1967 or dem time deh. We did get bigger and by ‘67 we did start rule certain tings. Tubbys used to play out and me play inside of Waterhouse but 1970 now mi migrate and guh a Canada. Mi guh up deh and have a next sound too while di one down yah still a play. The sound inna Canada did name Jammys same way. Mi did den come home back inna 1976. Go weh fi round six years but the six years bear alot of fruit, di yute dem born over deh and all dem ting deh. So mi come home and build a bigger sound and then mi guh England ’77 fi an artiste tour me and Bunny Lee and the Aggrovators. After that I was di engineer inna Tubby’s studio and start produce. Mi actually produce Black Uhuru first album inna 1977 which was the reason why mi guh England inna di first place to do business wid dah album deh. While in England doing business wid the Black Uhuru album and couple more albums, I was building some power amplifiers. True everything deh a England weh can build di ting dem powerful so mi build bout three amplifier and bring dem out and start back my sound pon a bigger level.
Everybody supposed to see that and seh “Boy, Jammys come back hard”…
Yeah man!! Jammys back pon di road.
What did you do with the sound in Canada?
Nah man mi left that inna Canada wid mi bredrin dem. Dem did jus do dem own ting till it jus fade out. Because most of dem man deh never really ‘live’ a Canada still so when some a dem go back a New York di sound jus fade out. After ’77 we start play out pon a regular basis. Before mi left the first time, we used to go out and play all a country. But when mi come back from England, we start build bigger boxes and we got alot of dates and we name ourselves ‘Super Power’ because di power we were playing with nobody did a play wid dem power deh dem time deh. One a my amp was around 4000 watts, dem time deh 4000 watts was alot of power. So wid the three a dem mi did a play wid round 12,000 watt. The ultimate mi did reach was about 60,000 watts when me park my sound. All of the big ting dem that did keep, the football matches, champs that used to gwaan up a stadium, a Jammys used to play up deh dem time deh. My sound used to be the P.A system up deh.
So how was eighties for your sound?
Bigger and better, each time wi grow. In the eighties mi become a full fledged producer, remember mi a come from the seventies. So inna di eighties mi have my own studio, mi nuh work a King Tubbys nuh more. Mi start produce my own ting dem, everything jus tek off big. Sound system tek off big, production tek off big.
Wouldn’t the success of one affect the other?
Well I used to have good people round me like Bobby Digital. In fact the hol’ a Waterhouse used to work yahso. We still go on alot of tours to place like Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. I was the top producer for the hol’ a di eighties, see di trophy dem deh to show you. Producer of the year for 6 years straight and sound of the year fi how much year, no sound never bad like we. Inna di nineties the music level started to decline. Vinyl did a guh down then CD come in and wid it come hol’ heap a piracy and ting. It never really encourage mi and mi start do most of my work aboard dem time deh. Because is the money wi a work fah, yuh nuh, so when you deal wid tings aboard you get more chips…. (Everybody Laughs)….
So you licensed alot of your music overseas?
All of the big companies my ting release to. Inna di nineties I was aboard most so mi never play a Jamaica more than so, very rare mi play inna Jamaica. Mi mostly deh inna Europe we used to carry our DJ dem Admiral Bailey, Chaka Demus, Risto Benji, Colin Roach, Anthony Malvo di hol’ a dem used to come wid we. It was a complete package we give dem. When dem go pon other sound (to record dub plate) it never used to matter to me because we still coulda get our specials. Mi mek all album wid special already, yuh nuh, and it sell good inna Europe.
So there wasn’t really ever a lull in your sound system career?
A lull in Jamaica, mi never get a chance to play here so much because mi did haffi go aboard. The ting did kinda pon down inna Jamaica so me jus focus aboard to play. Mi have my fan base all over and the promoter dem always want me to ram up the dancehall and mek money… (Everybody Laughs)….
What do you feel about the standard of today’s music?
Both the production and di sound system ting mi nuh feel is up to the standard of my days when mi, Metro, Stone Love and Scorpio used to play. Because wid Stone Love, dem time deh when mi was the president of the Sound System Association, we guide dem along the way, how dem fi charge and dem ting deh. And most of dem likkle young sound cause nuh a dem out nuh old like my sound. But nowadays the music that is been produced mi nah beat it down because di yute couldn’t produce di type of music mi produce. Because dem a yute and dem have a different way of thinking and focus inna dem head. But musically speaking now, mi nuh really hear much producer a produce anything wid substance like wah me used to produce and still produce. The sound system dem haffi play most of what is produced now. My sound don’t really play what is being produced now we play back from my time or special pon di riddim dem from dem time deh. We a mek di special dem now wid a particular focus on dem time deh wid a modern feel. Mi nuh really a lick out against the ting fully, but dem waan more music in dem production. It don’t have to be live instrument, yuh nuh, but all mi hear now is some drum & bass ting not enuff melodies and dem ting deh.
What do you feel about people coming from overseas and sampling our music?
Well mi get pay fi my tings dem. That is why you have to have your house in order, you understand, the man dem who waan have dem house in order dem haffi get dem tings together. A man sample my ting mi haffi get pay for it or injunction a go ‘gainst it, cau mi have my ting inna order. Tell you truth, yuh nuh, if dem never see the greatest of our music deh wouldn’t sample it. So mi kinda like that inna sense because if haffi sample our ting it only mean seh dem caan build it demselves, that mean seh our ting great. You fi get your ting in order so you can get pay for that sample. Even my son Jam 2 produce a track for Hulk Hogan daughter and him never gi dem permission to use it and dem use it on the T.V show and never gi him credit for it. Now him place a injunction ‘gainst it and it deh inna the courts.
How you feel about your sons following in your footsteps?
That is a natural feeling for mi because mi did know seh that was gonna to happen. Dem born inna it, dem grow inna it and dem never see dem father do anything else other from technician work and music. So dem jus cling to that you know what I mean. One of the time dem mi send John John go Miami fi go win a clash wid Silverhawk and Arrows. Dem help mi alot too wid di special dem cause dem deh pon di street everyday so dem know wah a gwaan.
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