Contents - Beth Lesser

some of the hottest Jamaican entertainers at his disposal. He began working
with the most popular artists of the day, including Supercat, Cocoa Tea,
Johnny Osbourne, Gregory Isaacs, Leroy Smart, Horace Martin and Earl 16
among many others. During his short burst of activity, Skengdon released
hits like Supercat’s ‘Vineyard Party’, a response to Papa San’s ‘Animal Party’,
Sassafrass’s ‘Jamaica Way’, and Junior Delgado’s nicely executed, ‘Fine Fence’.
Nicodemus had a hit with ‘Suzie Wong’, lyrics that harkened back to an earlier
era.
The songs were being voiced and mixed at Skeng’s new studio in Miami,
run by the Inner Circle’s Louis brothers, Roger and Ian. The Skengdon label
had a lucky horse shoe as its symbol, reflecting his business interests in race
horses at home.
Skengman also had a special affection for Sugar Minott and Sugar’s mission
to promote the local youth. The two men had come together after two
fierce clashes – Youth Promotion v. Stur-Mars sound. In the end, Skeng invited
Sugar to work with him, as Sugar says, “like two boxer done fight, them
say, ‘Bwoy, you too rough for me. Bwoy, come work for me’.” And he did.
Sugar moved his recording operations from his home to a rented building
on Waltham Park Road that became a combination record shop/studio for
voicing and mixing. L & M Recording Studio was a joint venture of Sugar
and his new business partner, Skeng. The front window of the record shop
bore both logos. Sugar was now “running the Skeng Don label in Jamaica”
and, as Knockshot remembered, “Every one living like kings”
In 1986, Sugar took Chris Wayne and Yami Bolo with him to Miami to
do a show up there for Skengman. Skeng, as usual, was ever bountiful. Sugar
returned alone from the trip and he brought with him suitcases full of things
for the crew. Sugar let everyone in the crew choose a fresh pair of shoes.
Because he could afford it, Skeng planned spectacular, all-star stage shows
and events like the one he held in Miami for Jamaican Independence day in
1986 with 44 top entertainers and special guests in a full day affair at the
Miami baseball stadium. He kept the ticket prices at an affordable $7 out of
respect for the fans. Naturally, the place was ‘corked’.
Then, around ‘87, Supercat, Burro and Nicodemus left the island to tour
England. They were gone over six months and never came back to the sound.
Then, Ainsley then left for the U.S.. The last straw was when Danny Dread’s
house burned down with his entire library of Stur-Mars dubplates and specials.
“I feel Stur-Mars would still be playing if that didn’t happen,” He reflects
sadly.
When Skeng went back to Mandeville, he left behind a different scene than
the one he came into. It was the first time real money was floating around, the
first time many of the entertainers involved had been offered such high sums.
Skeng was the first to raise salaries and the other sounds and producers had to
follow suit. It was now becoming possible, for the first time, to make a good
living as a dancehall entertainer.
336 | RUB A DUB STYLE – The Roots of Modern Dancehall