THE EDITOR, Madam:
I commend Bunny Brown, a stalwart in the musical industry for over 35 years. He is a multi-skilled artiste who sings reggae, gospel, R&B and ska. I think members of the society can and should show recognition to vintage artistes who contribute meaningfully to our island. Don't wait until 'dem dead' then fill the air with condolences and how great they were.
I think they need to hear it now!
Recently I had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Brown just after he, along with the Fab Five group, had given a fabulous performance. That was an evening to remember; they brought back memories from '60s to the '70s. They were all wearing soul hair (wigs), also their clothing was very tight and they wore bow ties. They went back into the days with songs like, Have You Seen Her? and Always And Forever.
HUNGRY FOR VINTAGE
The venue was jam-packed and people were standing in front of others and no one developed any verbal conflict with anybody. Everybody was in a jovial mood enjoying the show until 2 a.m. Why can't young people demonstrate this type of professionalism?
My assumption is that there are a lot of people who are hungry for vintage sessions in Jamaica. Bunny Brown, formerly of the Chosen Few, was one of the five founders of Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates, along with Keith Brown, Pat Kelly, Michael Barnett and Frankie Campbell.
Bunny told me that he worked with the Chilites and the Manhattans and even the late Luther Vandross. He talked about the discrimination and the violent lyrics that some artistes promote in their songs. I rebuke artistes who include gun talk and lyrics as to "what dem would a do wid woman" and I rebuke the promoters who highlight these types of music. It is not healthy for our society.
I was invited to a session approximately a month ago and I analysed that it was mostly young people between the ages 16-25 years old in attendance. Everything was going well until about 2 a.m., the selector started playing sound specials and then gunshots began ringing out in the air. My question to young people is, why do you have to carry weapons to a session when your main aim should be to enjoy yourself?
Gone are the days when people used to go to dancehall sessions and enjoy themselves and find a companion to dance with. Nowadays, hardly anybody finds a companion to dance with. Everybody tries to compete with his/her male/female colleagues. The sentiment of music and dancehall has gone to the dogs.
I would like to big up Bunny and let him know he should continue his work in the music industry.
I am, etc.,
MARK BELL
Kingston 20
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