Contents - Beth Lesser

went on a tour. Jimmy Haldaine recalled, “We went to England with Peter
Metro and Josie Wales. We actually spend more time than we supposed to
spend too. We went there in November and we didn’t come back until the
following year. While we were there, the sound was definitely off the road [in
Jamaica].” When they came back, they optimistically resumed Wednesday
night session in their Woodford Park * home base. But Selector Snack Jack
remained abroad having fallen in love. He was replaced by Metro’s friend Sky
Juice, formerly a dancer and a selector for Black Zodiac and a sound named
Soul Town. At the dance called ‘The Return of Metro Media’, held at Standpipe,
Sky Juice debuted as the new selector, a position he still holds today.
Sadly, some of Peter Metro’s dreams died when, “in the prime of my career,
I lost my Visa to go to the U.S.” He wanted badly to make the money to build
a little basic school for the youth in his community. He could still go to Europe,
and when he went to England he came back with soccer balls and boots
for the Arnett Gardens Football league.
Metromedia never recovered the top spot. As usual, other sounds had
moved into the territory and the crown was passed on yet again. But they
never gave up. Today, Metromedia, after over 30 years going strong, still travels
widely overseas with Sky Juice and owner Jimmy Haldaine who is still
content to be leading the sound. “We’ve been playing for a while, but we’re
still around. We are not going anywhere.” **
* one Moore Street in Woodford Park, Allman Town
** Jamaican Gleaner, ‘Metro’ plays year to year, Sunday, November 11, 2007
262 | RUB A DUB STYLE – The Roots of Modern Dancehall