"When
You Live In Trench Town,
You Don't Haffa Go No Where Else"
Anthony Johnson
Interview
: Smart
Monkey
Editorial : Bimble
Anthony Johnson is probably best known for his massive 'Gunshot' tune recorded for Jah Thomas at Channel One backed by the mighty Roots Radics with The Zap Pow horn section adding the now instantly recognisable hooks. 'Gunshot' remains a dancehall smash ensuring Anthony's name endures. What is less known is the fact that Anthony is a veteran vocalist who has recorded ton's more sides for the likes of Prince Jammys, Lynval Thompson, Channel One and countless others. Anthony moved to a foreign in the eighties and after a period of adjustment was soon found voicing Dub plates both inter and outer nationally.
The last few years has seen Anthony gradually return to recording of commercially available sides for the likes of his fellow Channel One veteran and bredren Mike Brooks' 'Teams' label. As well as for native U.K based sounds such as Jah Warrior for who Anthony revoiced a killer update of his classic 'Africa'. Along with a crop of new original material, also checkout Anthony's awe inspiring reworking of 'Gunshot' released on our 'Garage Dubs'( FRS002 ) album. This radical Two Step - Ragga - Garage reworking, recorded with London based 'Raggage' producer Charjan', sets the floor alight every time and sees Anthony crossing over and reaching out to a new audience with his anti gun message of consciousness.
February 2002 saw the first of many shows to promote the release of our 'Nu Shoots Inna Roots' compilation album. Anthony accompanied FRS selectors and 'NU Shoots Inna Roots' compilers Smart Monkey and Bimble on a hand full of dates around the UK. FRS selected the tunes, while Anthony lifted the gigs into vintage J.A style dances effortlessly riding any riddim new or old that was thrown at him. Along the way a boom time was had by all with radio interviews, acoustic sets and much laughter included.
Somewhere along the line Smart Monkey found the time to interview Anthony about tings and times so far. Here's how it went....
Bimble
AJ: Yeah, give thanks and praise to the most high god Jah Rastafari, the almighty God you know for I and I every time because I and I every time will never let him down you know, or let yourself down.
SM: You were saying about Trench town?
AJ: Yeah original, born in Trench town I come from Third street, right upon the standpipe down to James street, seen? Trench Town School was the first school that I go. There was a teacher Johnson. I left from there and then went to Greenwich farm school. As a youth growing up now, you know I 'ave so many tings what I learn as a youth amongst man, man like Knowledge (a close friend of Anthony's). Dat man was a man who teach I and I fe play guitar and teach I and I music.SM: This was the guy you were talking to me about earlier?
AJ: "Youth Corporation" yeah. That was the young band in Trench town where Knowledge was the man. Anything that Bob Marley dem do Knowledge tell we, and we follow in that mans footstep as a youth. Growing up and things, me used to lay drum and I was the lead singer, until Knowledge learn me a play guitar. Me, Aston. Million and a Holloway was in the band and tings, and a couple a more youths. We got a couple of show and tings. We used to sing & walk in Trench town and people would put down money a hear we sing. Aston play the guitar and me sing until I formed the band and tings you know. It was so nice, those days.SM: And then you said that you moved out of Trench town?
AJ: Well, well. My yard was the yard that all of the dance them used to keep. Sound like Papa Roots, King Doctor, Sir Percy, Black Ark and all those sound and James and a sound they call Jack Rubie. King Tubby's and all those sound used to come a my yard to play because it was a big yard. Man like Beyer own it, an Indian man from Cuba. You know that yard, all the bad man used to come in my yard and the police used to come in and look for them man. That was how it used to run, but those days was nice. Where you never have so much violence until the Government know that Trench town was a powerful place where so many good things… You know it as a blessing you know inna dat place. When you live in Trench town you don't have to go nowhere else. Until after that time politics come and mash up the whole of Trench town and divide the youth dem. But my days now were the days of Ska. As a little yout, I used to listen to Delroy (Wilson), John Holt, Heptones, lots of Bob Marley and the Wailers, all those people and more. And sometime I left and go to a place they call it 'High Glass Rest ' that is down town. We would stand out there and see people like Slim Smith, John Holt, Ken Boothe, D-Brown, Bunny Lee, Mikey Brookes, Horace Andy, and Leroy Smart. Many artist used to hang out down there. Gregory Isaac, he did have a shop around there too and the Roots Radics, yeah before they even form ...and Sly the whole of dem. When you wanta find artist you went down there. Sometime you a go there and see a Duke Reid, he was always dressed inna shirt and im used to used to have a long-range gun. Him was an old police you know.
SM: Tell me how you got into recording first of all.
AJ: Well I was searching to find the studio where a find a producer to try and sing a tune. I go to Studio One and Coxsanne was telling me a "come back", "come back" every day ... and I couldn't keep come back. So me no a go Studio One no more, me couldn't bother with this comeback bizniss. Me go a Dynamic, the people like Keith Lynn, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. You have Dynamic and you 'ave Federal. That's what the youth call Tuff Gong, but Federal it sell out to Tuff Gong. And from studio me go meet up with Bunny Lee. I voice tune and in them days we ave like audition, yer go any studio and you find an audition, new artist and things. Me go there and me see Bunny Lee and me see Johnny Clarke and me see all the big artists. Me a do a tune with Bunny Lee name 'Free Black Man' and Bunny im don't know what im do with it. I ask Johnny Clarke about the tune and Johnny say that he remembers the tune from all those years dere. Bunny Lee and im say that he know the tune but that im just can't find a where the tune, becowa too much years and things. . That was the first tune we did. The first tune I voice for was Bunny Lee. It was so nice to sit back and hear back yer voice and things. When you are young and you 'ave no experience of music, it make you wanna cry. If you know how beautiful it is and then you make one step and go forward and you do one tune and you two tune and you do three tunes and you do a whole portion of tunes until you make a number one tune.SM: Your big tune, your no one tune was 'Gunshot'?
AJ: No that come after we meet up with Lynval Thompson. Lynval a sing for Bunny Lee. Tunes likes (sings) "Don't you cut off your dreadlocks let it grow let it grow". Lynval see me and I voice a tune for Lynval called 'Africa' (sings)"Me got to build a ship and go to the Seventh Sea." That come upon a label called "Strong like Samson." Me do that and then after that meet up with a group them a call 'The Mystic Eyes'. We do 'Perilous Time', 'Life is not easy ' and tings. Then dis man from England, a name Rusty when "Africa" a come out im say that "The youth a sound like D-Brown". Dennis had just come out with a tune called 'Sitting There Watching', (Sings) "Sitting there watching fools fight themselves. They will always be thinking of getting to know themselves. While life goes on", that tune dere. Jah Thomas a come a Jamaica, now Rusty tell im me a sound like D- Brown, cause when Roddigan a first play 'Africa' im say that D Brown a sing the tune. When they look upon the name there it a Anthony Johnson. So when im go we did a tune. The first tune that I did for Jah Thomas was a tune called 'Loving a woman' (Sings)."You see I know everything here about loving a woman. I woman need a conscious man, to hold her hand and to lead her through Loveland". Me a sing that tune and tune like 'Strictly Rubber Dub we are play ' and then me do the tune a name 'Gunshot' with the Roots Radics . That was the big shot for the place and that tune bwouy the people all around the world the people just a love it.
SM: Was it kind of you peaking as an artist and the Radics as well, playing as a band?
AJ: Yeah, yeah because at them time the music was flourishing. At the time a Radics them a come out, you had 'The Mighty Diamonds' and you have the groups like 'Wailing souls' and everything was coming out bright. 'Gunshot' was outta of a Channel One studio and me do a tune fe Channel One. Me one of the first artists that an up on Maxfield avenue and 'Gunshot' a tear down the place.SM: What was the inspiration behind Gunshot?
AJ: Well gunshot was a thing when me look upon the world what a gwaan yer know? And as a youth a growing up in Trench town the things that you see, the levity of life and how people are living in the world. It gives me that inspiration and was given to me by the most high Jah Rasta Far -I, for a blessing a Jah put upon I. To give that message to the people of the world, you know? And that is what a trumpet what blow. People can't believe that, they say, "see that youth dere, im Anthony Johnson. Im write that and sing dat". Because as a youth I was a down to earth youth, me a coming from ghetto. Where the ghetto is a blessing because when you are a living in the ghetto, but you don't think like the ghetto, seen? You don't go and kill people or steal, rape or do things a wrong, Seen? . Your part in the ghetto is to come out with some form of goodness to make the people to endure it, you nah see it? Because you see people a kill people for the no reason. Poor people suffer. The poor man ago work, a work hard and the man a shoot im and take away what im ave. See, its just unnecessary when people should a just live in love and harmony. So that is why I write them a tune there. From the poor of the most high because every-man a have im gift, yer know?SM: I remember when we have spoken before when you talked about guns and shooting. About how wicked to shot somebody was. I am trying to remember what you said to me, as it was a very strong image.
AJ: Well a we a say that it is a wicked thing. You see a gun is an evil thing When you have a gun in your hand it make you have no respect for no one, fe nobody. Its like taking coke or dope. When you have a gun in ya hand, it's like an evil because. It's a thing where a people think they have power but it is a Satan, you no see? So through Satan now it make yer think that you have power but when the owner turn against you it cause a destruction. Lot a people see them live through these things name gun. But the world will never acknowledge that gun is an evil ting.SM: Do you remember the day that you wrote that tune? Was there something that had happened?
AJ: Yeah upon Waterman 'dere some police kill a youth. Them just run im down and shoot im dead. The baby mother a run, come out and hold me and I say "jeez and pees, the war and the destruction in this country", you know, it was a terrible thing and all the war in Trench town a gwaan. Where you get up and see people a burn down house and people get assassinated and all them tings there. Its like some bad spirit just takes the whole of Trench town or the whole of Jamaica and the world you know. So is these vibes you know. But there is more powerful music a coming. Me is a man who have to leave Jamaica and to come off to foreign an tings. There is things that is gonna happen back again because Anthony Johnson never left im vibes, im have many more tunes a come like Gunshot because I am getting stronger now not weaker you no see it? So Gunshot will always stand favour, because the music itself is some of the most dominating music inna the business fe a long time.
SM: So now you have new material that is being released. I'm thinking of the radical re-working with Charjan of 'Gunshot' with a heavy Garage / raggage flavour. Which is great because it brings the message to a whole new audience, and a whole new generation.
AJ: Because people listen to music in a different beats and timing. When I been to France, company want that tune, an people over there haven't heard of it yet. I hope that they hear of it an move towards it. Music is playing in different ways now and where people have different ideas. To sing a tune in garage, this not a problem. It's a different generation and a different movements of people, how they make things you know. So you have to move towards that.SM: You also have an album planned for release with your friend Mikey Brooks in the future?
AJ: Yeah my album we a Mikey.... Me love the riddim him have a because some of them is the original .So those are the riddim me a love, so we do an album. The album is very good yer know? Me a love works with Mikey he is a man who is very progressive in the recording of music and im can sing soul and all of them thing. Im a very.. im move very fast. Sometimes we are conflict because im think I lazy but I not. Me ave my way and me do my ting (Laughs).fin
Smart Monkey
Anyone wishing to book Anthony Johnson for live shows or voicings should in the first instance contact: -
bimble@freeradicalsounds.com
Checkout profiles & interviews of other artists featured on 'Nu Shoots inna Roots'
Nu Shoots Inna Roots - Vocal Style reviewed
Nu Shoots Inna Roots - Dub Versions reviewed
