Jah Screw keeps it timeless
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Jah Screw keeps it timeless
He produced ‘Follow Your Dreams’ by Half Pint and ‘Moonlight Lover’ by Levy and Bounty Killer. Both songs were scheduled for release on August 14 through Jet Star/Phoenix Music International.
While they have known each other for many years, ‘Follow Your Dreams’ is the first released song by Jah Screw and Half Pint. ‘Moonlight Lover’ is a cover of a song made famous in Jamaica during the 1960s by Phyllis Dillon.
Jah Screw said his approach to production has never changed.
“Wi looking to make quality songs that are timeless, and the same goes for an artiste like Half Pint. Dis (‘Follow Your Dreams’) song is original; all of di songs on di album are original an’ dat’s important,” he noted.
That album by Half Pint is tentatively scheduled for release in September. Among the musicians who played on its sessions is legendary drummer Sly Dunbar, who died last January. Dunbar and musical partner, bassist Robbie Shakespeare, were a big part of the singer’s success in the 1980s.
The jocular Jah Screw is a former sound system selector from Greenwich Farm in Kingston who made a triumphant transition to music producer in the 1980s. His hit songs include ‘Here I Come’ and ‘Under mi Sensi’ by Levy, as well as ‘Living Dangerously’ by Levy and Bounty Killer.
‘Here I Come’ and ‘Under mi Sensi’ were popular in the United Kingdom where he and Levy lived during the 1980s, a decade that saw dancehall-reggae accepted there thanks to regional sound systems and record stores.
It was while living in that country that Jah Screw discovered the importance of music publishing and other business-related aspects of an industry that has been unkind to many reggae artistes.
“If you get into dis business you should attend seminars an’ know di ins an’ outs. It makes no sense as an artiste yuh get up every day an’ cover other people’s songs,” he stated.
His career is not limited to sound systems and production. Jah Screw was the manager of Chaka Demus and Pliers during the 1990s when their songs like ‘Murder She Wrote’ and ‘Tease Me’ entered the British national chart.
In addition to Half Pint, Barrington Levy and Bounty Killer, he is currently working with Anthony Redrose and Little Robert.
(Photo Credit: Screenshot from ‘Jah Screw shares his story’ video)
Half Pint – Follow Your Dreams
Barrington Levy & Bounty Killer – Moonlight Lover
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