Deejay finds road manager 'Flava'

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Multitasking is commonplace in the business of making and promoting music, where many persons criss-cross between artiste management, public relations, publishing, production and performing.

Last April, Wendis 'Flava' Williams ventured into a part of music that he did not consider previously, going from aspiring deejay to road manager for Warrior King. He has been at the business of making music from 1997, pointing out that he comes from the same Manchester community as Garnet Silk.

"Me is a younger youth, so me never have time to sit down and talk with him, but my brother them know him good. Him used to come on the ball field come play," Williams said.

Good rapport

Williams started out singing in church and says there were times when he performed and audience members paid to have him sing some more. After church, he started deejaying on High Power sound system, but says "me never go studio go record a song yet. Me do demo, but never like to do a song".

Last year, Warrior King's new manager Biggaton, a deejay who Williams had good rapport with, asked Williams if he would be the road manager. He decided to give it a try and it would seem that he has found the 'Flava' of the job.

Williams reels off a list of road manager duties, including getting videos to television stations and CDs to radio stations, selling CDs and buttons on tour, making sure Warrior King's clothes are ready and in good order and that he arrives for shows on time.

"If we go to a show and him have money to get, me see to it that it pay over before him perform," Williams said.

His first trip outside Jamaica in his relatively new capacity was last September, when Warrior King performed in Suriname.

While it was a new experience, he says "to how me work and how me deal with it, is like me a do the work long time. More time it pressuring, but from you know you have your work to do, you just do it."

All the members of the party left Jamaica together, but in Suriname, while Warrior King was in the hotel, Williams was outside selling merchandise. He also preceded Warrior King to the rehearsals, making sure that the sound was in order, and also did the same for the actual concert.

Now, he is looking forward to doing a five-week stretch in Europe, starting in mid-February, where Warrior King will perform in France, Holland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Williams says "honestly still, me proud a meself." And that is not only because he will be doing the road management job on the extended stretch, but he is also reflecting on those who scoffed at his musical ambitions.

"Over time, me hear people say 'Flava, every day you say music an' it nah carry you go noweh.' Me feel proud, although me is not the artiste, to know that music carrying me places."

Williams has not abandoned his deejay origins, but feels confident that what he is doing now will help him when he gets to the big stage.

"The two a them a music. When time me get my position in music and get a hit tune me know what to do. Is like me a learn a trade," he said.