Contents - Beth Lesser

cluding Micron Music, Rupie Edwards, Winston “Merritone” Blake, Clive
Chin at Randy’s, Jimmy Radway, Coxsone Dodd of Studio One, and eventually
for themselves.
With Mr. Dodd, the group managed to record only one song ‘No Cup
Na Broke’, in 1974, before dissolving. But Sugar stayed and began to work
as an all around studio assistant, singing backing vocals and providing some
instrumental backups on percussion and guitar.
During the five years he spent with Mr. Dodd, Sugar took some of Dodd’s
most memorable Studio One rhythms and made them into popular classics
that still stand up despite the years, songs like ‘Mr. DC’ on the ‘Pressure and
Slide’ rhythm (Tenors), ‘Vanity’ over ‘I’m Just a Guy’ (Alton Ellis) and ‘Give
Me Jah Jah’ over ‘Breaking Up is Hard to Do’ (Alton Ellis).
But in 1979, Sugar felt it was time to move on. Mr. Dodd wanted to sign
Sugar to his label but Sugar didn’t feel satisfied financially. “I was going to
stay, but I had two children at the time. I was struggling. I didn’t know what
studio to go to.”
Sugar felt it was time to go it alone, to try to work independent of the big
producers. To raise funds, Sugar began voicing 45s for the Hookim Brothers
at Channel One, songs like ‘Show Me That You Love Me’. The Hookims,
were happy to trade studio time for voicing, so Sugar was able to book time
in Channel One to record his own productions in the late night, off-hours.
After he wrote some songs, Sugar looked to his own community for support.
“I went to Earl China Smith, Soul Syndicate Band. The band that used
to practice on our corner [Delamere Ave], and I told them I had some studio
time at Channel One. I bought a tape, and they came and they play a whole
album for me for nothing, man – no money!” As well, many artists from
the community contributed: Tony Tuff, Tristan Palma, Ashanti Waugh and
Little Roy all did backing vocals. Freddy McGregor, Ilawe (Albert Malawe),
and Barnabas helped out on drums.
It was like the whole of Maxfield Park coming together to try and make
something of value. The resulting album was named Ghetto-ology, and the lyrics
reflected Sugar’s experiences growing up in the inner city. Trojan Records
took the LP and released it in the UK, giving Sugar the much needed cash to
start his own, ghetto based operation, Black Roots.
Out of that true community effort that had created Ghetto-ology, the Black
Roots/Youth Promotion organization was born. The reaction was tremendous.
“The youth heard that Sugar Minott have a thing over so, you know,
on Maxfield Park,” Sugar recalls. “Then Tristan Palma start come, then Barry
Brown, Rod Taylor. Every youth start come in,”
The first releases for Black Roots were ‘Fifty One Storm’, with Little John
and Captain Sinbad, Barry Brown’s classic LP, I’m Not So Lucky, and Tristan
Palma’s LP, Presenting. Sugar also released some of his best material around
this time including the LPs Black Roots and Roots Lovers (with tracks recorded
in Jamaica, America, and England).
236 | RUB A DUB STYLE – The Roots of Modern Dancehall