Entertainment

Hearts warm to blind singer

Michael Laing - Germaine Smith Photo

WITH THE TANGIBLE assistance of Luciano, Gregory Isaacs, Gussie Clarke, Ken Boothe and other notable reggae names, blind singer Michael Laing is seeing a dream of his come true.

The singer, who lost his sight after being shot during a robbery attempt in New York in the 1990s, got the artistes on board to help him complete his first musical solo project, after years of set-backs.

Laing migrated to the United States in the 1980s, and ran a music store. During a bungled robbery however, pellets from a shotgun took his sight, and the ability to earn a living. Frustrated, he returned to Jamaica and tried to launch his career as a singer, but the journey has not been smooth.

Dead end street

"When I returned here I was introduced to the Jamaica Society for the Blind for some help, but that was a dead end for me, because they told me that they had no way of turning blind people into the arts. They said, we don't turn blind people into stars here, we help those who fall flat on their faces,"

Laing told THE STAR. "After this disappointment, I decided I needed to restructure myself for the music, and to form a group that would help other people like me who come along."

With the help of people like Fab Five's Frankie Campbell, he and other friends formed The Better World Foundation, a unit designed to help visually impaired artistes. He co-founded the group in 1998, but it has been a rocky road to get where they are now.

"It has been a rocky road since that time, especially with the funds," he noted. "We could do with much help from corporate Jamaica right now. It's only with the help of a few people we got some help to register the company."

The big plan, he says, is to produce his music first, get it distributed, and when it profits use the funds to pump back into the foundation. To date, the first production, Hearts On Fire is the first album to be completed, even though production started from 2001.

"The funds from this CD will be used to produce other marketeable talent that is being wasted on the streets of Kingston. You have so much talent there and other talent inside the children's homes in Kingston. We want them to get record deals too, and sign to foreign companies in Europe just like other artistes," Laing stated.

Connections

Laing received much needed help from industry insiders. He told THE STAR that Gregory Isaacs, Frankie Campbell, Luciano and others offered him studio time and engineers for the project, CD Mastering help came from Gussie Clarke of Anchor Studios, Ken Boothe offered him vocals, plus assistance with the production costs came in from other sources.

He added that he has distributed the album Hearts On Fire to several radio stations, and is hoping that the tracks take off for him to get recognized enough to secure more funds for his group. They have opened an account number at the NCB for anyone wishing to further their cause.

"If it were not for people like those I mentioned earlier this could not happen, cause not everybody want to help a blind artist trying to make it. If we get more help, some talented singers and musicians who are blind can get help with their talent," he said.