Contents - Beth Lesser

Bounty Hunter, Shine Eye Gal and Englishman * , followed, in 1980, by Robin
Hood and the self produced Do Ray Me.
From the start, Junjo and Jah Life had very different visions of the future.
After dealing with the sales in England, Junjo would fly back to Jamaica via
New York, and Life would drive out to the airport to meet him and tally up
the totals. The first time they met to work out the finances, Junjo arrived with
his windfall from Greensleeves and asked Jah Life how he wanted to split the
cash. Jah Life was taken aback. He intended to plow all the profits back into
production. “‘I say, ‘Split? We not doing any split thing. We are building a
catalogue!’ And Junjo say, well, he’s going to buy a car. And me say, ‘Car?
Wha’ you need car for? You need money fe go make tune!’ And him say, ‘Alright,
when you come a Jamaica you can walk’”. **
“At the time, people was kinda thirsty. Music wasn’t selling,” Jah Life recalls.
“[The Barrington releases] was a different style of music. It changed the
trend.” The songs were easy to listen to, very musical and very compelling.
Barrington had a raw talent that was mesmerizing. Drummer Santa Davis,
who worked with Barrington, recalls, “The first time I see that bredren, he
was a little youth come in the studio. I couldn’t believe that a little kid like
that could - I mean this guy could sing, man! He just had this natural thing
about him. Very young and vibrant and energetic. When you see somebody
like that come to the studio, it’s like you turn on a bright spotlight. That was
what it was. He come in and immediately you have to adapt to that energy.
He had the energy.”
Greensleeves’ Chris Sedgwick was equally captivated by the youth. “The
music was very exciting. In fact, it was fabulous. He’s got this astonishing
voice. He was young. I think he was 14, 15, or 16. He didn’t say very much
until he got up on stage when he took fire completely, took control. He was
astonishing on stage.”
Like a changing of the guards, new players were starting to emerge on the
reggae scene, bringing a new sound and a new sensibility to the new decade.
The changes were being carried along atop wave the cresting waves of Barrington’s
soaring voice. “That’s what made all of us”, Jah Life reflected years
later. “Tubby’s studio burst out, Channel One, Roots Radics, Scientist, Me,
Barrington Levy, Jah Thomas.” And Junjo, of course, and even the UK label,
Greensleeves. The principal actors were newcomers. *** Even the atmosphere in
* Bounty Hunter, on Live and Learn, credited Jah Life as producer, whereas Englishman, on Jah Life
records, lists both. Shaolin Temple, on Jah Guidance, and Shine Eye Gal, Burning Sounds, credit
Junjo. Robin Hood appeared on Greensleeves and Volcano, crediting Junjo.
** Jah Life adds, “So what happen is, [female deejay] Shelly Thunder have a jeep so I ask her to take
us to Manhattan to buy a BMW and that’s how the BMW come about.” That was the famous BMW
that Junjo later gave Yellowman after he recorded five top selling LPs for him.
*** The exceptions being the well known King Tubby’s and Channel One, a studio which had been
making hits during the ‘70s
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