British culture bounces to Jamaican beats

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Reggae Britannia, a documentary on the impact of Jamaican popular music on British culture, is currently being shown by the British Broadcasting Corporation . For the month of March, this column looks at the reggae scene in the United Kingdom. We start with producer Roymane Alexander of Sajay Records and Anthony Campbell, singer and president of Stringbean International Records.

Following in Junjo's footsteps

Most persons with famous relatives feel pressured when entering the entertainment industry. Not Roymane Alexander, principal of Sajay Records, whose uncle was the legendary music producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes.

The London-based Alexander formed Sajay Records in 2000 in Kingston. He told The Gleaner recently that he was inspired to do so by his uncle, who was killed by gunmen in Harlesden, England, one year earlier.

"He was and is my idol. He's the biggest influence on me musically in terms of quality and style," Alexander said.

Born in the Seivright Gardens area of Kingston, Alexander said one of Sajay's earliest productions was the 'Quickie' 'riddim', which featured songs from Luciano, Sizzla, Anthony B, Yami Bolo and George Nooks.

recent work

His most recent work has come with Rox Wayne, a singjay out of Clarendon.

Love Alone, Money Haffi Mek and Hungry Days are some of the songs by Rox Wayne that have been released in Jamaica and for the British reggae market by Sajay Records.

A flamboyant personality, 'Junjo' Lawes is regarded as the godfather of modern dancehall. His Volcano label and sound system were the toast of the Jamaican music scene in the 1980s, with Yellowman, Barrington Levy and Cocoa Tea, just some of the artistes on their roster.

The Volcano catalogue remains one of the most formidable in reggae. It was distri-buted with great success for many years by the British company Greensleeves Records.

Like his uncle, Alexander intends to assemble a stable of artistes and make music not limited to Jamaica.

"The ultimate for Sajay is to have a global reach," he said.

Stringbean keeps tradition alive

Jamaican pop music has had a foothold in Britain since the early 1960s, thanks to groundbreaking record companies like Island Records and Trojan Records, which provided that country's growing Caribbean population with sounds from back home.

Small reggae labels, like Stringbean International Records, continue to play their part by keeping the music alive in dances and clubs.

The High Rise Resurrection album is the latest release by this company, which is based in London. Stringbean distributes the set in the United Kingdom for B&M Records, a company owned by Jamaican Maurice Walker, a former sound-system operator.

popular singer

Anthony Campbell started Stringbean in the 1990s while he was still a popular singer on the London reggae circuit. The label's catalogue is a diverse one with reggae titles on compact disc, vinyl and DVD.

"We sell a lot of roots and lovers' rock because it's more popular here," Campbell told The Gleaner. "The dancehall stuff tends to promote violence."

Some of the top names in contemporary lovers and roots reggae are on the High Rise Resurrection beat, which was first released in 2006 on the Fresh Songs: Big Songs compilation.

Prezident Brown (Lions Paw), Wait For You (Lukie D) and Do It Again by Tony Curtis are some of the songs on the B&M/Stringbean 14-track set which was released in February.

One More Chance, done by emerging British singer Tiffany Vinyard, is also included.

Campbell was born in London to Jamaican parents but spent his formative years in Jamaica. He returned to the UK in 1987 and began a recording career shortly after as Donovan Campbell.

Stringbean International Records has become a leading source for reggae in London. It distributes albums by Shaggy protégé Rayvon, Norris Man, Kirk Davis and Aaron Silk.

Recently, the company opened an affiliate in Framing-ham, Massachusetts, USA.