Following the wonderfully named 2103 documentary “I Am the Gorgon”, Bunny “Striker” Lee is becoming more widely recognized as one of the crucial figures in the development of Jamaican music. His encyclopaedic knowledge and forthright nature make for a fascinating interview, with frequent digressions and anecdotes only adding flavour to the mix. In part two of a wide-ranging conversation, he holds forth on, among many others: the “revolutionary” Mrs. Pottinger, Coxsone Dodd, Chris Blackwell, Black Uhuru, Sly & Robbie, Lee Perry, Count Shelly, interviewer Steve Barrow, Inner Circle, , Joe Gibbs, Edward Seaga, Irie FM, Rodigan, Roland Alphonso, Tommy McCook, and Lester Sterling. And there’s more: Harry J’s “midas touch”, England “the headquarters” of Jamaican music, King Tubby’s 4-track dub, when Niney “ruled the roost”, Duke Reid’s guns, and the importance of Baba Brooks.
Bunny “Striker” Lee interview – Part 1 [UNCUT]
One of Jamaica’s most prolific and influential producers, Bunny Lee is well placed to takes us through the history of Jamaican music, from the early days of Tom the Great Sebastian, to the Vere Johns talent show, and the emergence of ska. He recalls his days as a radio plugger in the “dodgy business” of music and his peak producing years between 1969 and 1975, when he had a series of hits with the likes of Slim Smith and Delroy Wilson. Along the way are fascinating comments on such seminal figures as Leslie Kong, King Tubby, and U Roy. And then things get really interesting, as he explains to Steve Barrow and Don Letts how Derrick Morgan gave Bob Marley his break, the significance of Big Youth’s dreadlocks, his “Dreadlocks Dread”, and the “John Crow Skank”. All this is followed by an extended, extraordinary diatribe about how Byron Lee “tried to kill reggae”.
