Sam Carty finally takes aim at career

A reflective Sam Carty gives his version of an unrestrained grin when he told The Sunday Gleaner he feels he is now ready to go into music full-time. It has been a long time coming, as Carty has an extensive music history before Festival Jamrock and an even longer one subsequently.

"I am referred to as an enigma (in the Lee 'Scratch' Perry biography People Funny Boy)," Carty said.

He started at an unlikely place for someone eyeing a run on popular music, Munro College in St Elizabeth, where he was in the student band. He had not yet learnt an instrument and was the band's singer. 'The band did not go out with performances. We performed mostly for the Hampton girls," he said.

He did fifth form at Titchfield High in Portland and, as a member of the band there, did not only school concerts but also sang with musicians in the Portland capital.

After fifth form, it was back to Brandon Hill, Clarendon, where Carty was from originally, and an instrument came into play - literally. "I started playing guitar and did acoustic performances. Sell off, every time," Carty said.

"I loved Neil Diamond, Johnny Nash, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Ernie Smith's musical arrangements. I was also influenced musically by Fab 5."

He got a job with the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), moving to the city because, "I wanted to highlight myself musically". He got the chance when he met Junior Byles (Curly Locks and Fade Away), who was recording for Scratch Perry.

Byles came to the KSAC and Carty, who always had his guitar nearby, promptly "sang a bit for him. I thought I was an ordinary guitarist, but he thought differently. So did Scratch. He said 'we have to get some international sounds to go behind fe him songs. Him have that Johnny Nash international sound deh'."

Carty's first release was Brother Man, followed by If I See Tomorrow, which was actually his first composition when he was in Brandon Hill.

However, there was some renaming of songs and Carty found out much later that material had been released abroad.

And he was also wary of going into music full-time.

"I had seen too many artistes come and go. They had popular recordings, but I did not see the commensurate financial good standing. That was not so encouraging. You are a young man, qualified, you are looking at academia and your family is looking at the choices you are making. I kept a foot in the business and a foot in academia," Carty said.

So he went to Church Teachers' College in Mandeville, doing secondary-level education specialising in sports and English, then the University of the West Indies, although he did not complete that English programme.

At all times, he was involved in music, using it as a teaching aid while doing internship at Knox College.

Controversial

There was also a Pantomime stint, Carty playing Periwinkle the Prince in The Honourable All-Purpose and the Dancing Princesses, then Sam Power the overseer in Jack Mansong, the strength of his singing making the difference on both occasions. As his Pantomime run wound down, Carty went deeper into music, starting with Festival Jamrock.

His first album had two titles, International Slackness and Stand United, as the former was deemed too controversial. His Invasion album came about three years ago, the tracks including Gorgeous Woman, He Flew Over Beijing and City of Justice.

"We are looking in the direction of tours now ... If there would be any time I am ready for full-time entertainment it is now. I think I have learnt a lot and I am in a position to wield a lot more influence over a career," Carty said.

- M.C.