John Holt - Winston Sill photos

Sunday night is oldies night, but not all vintage parties can have a golden run all the time.

So the latest Black Prince Sunday near Cross Roads on Half-Way Tree Road, St Andrew, which normally has a good turnout of persons grooving along to the music (rather than dancing up a sweat), didn't swing. In fact, the small crowd there just past midnight steadily got smaller about an hour later, until The STAR joined the exodus.

Not that the music wasn't good; the selector stayed in a slow, rockers groove, first with Barrington Levy and then John Holt praising the 'queen of the ghetto'. The selector duly paid respects to "all fluffy ladies in the house, looking good as a lady should".

Ol' man river

Dennis Brown's take on Ol' Man River rolled along, then Errol Dunkley informed his lady "if you break my heart, I'll go", but it was the cars that were going at a steady trickle. The selector honoured the Black Cinderella, but one was taking a stroll away from the party with a king of her own. There was a Dennis Walks double, including Drifter, but it was the people who were drifting away.

The music went deejay style with Nicodemus' Mix-up Family and King of Kings. Bob Andy crooned "you've got to feel it", Jack Radics asked "darling, can't you see?" and there was a move into more recent musical years with the combination remake of Andy's Fire Burning.

But the party was not warm at all, not even by its laid-back standard, and although a few remained, The STAR made an exit, leaving Buju Banton to honour the Browning and the Black Woman.

Bob Andy