INTERVIEW
Interview by : Benoit COLLIN
Pictures by : Karl Joseph
on Monday, September 20th 2004 - 13 490 views
Author of the best performance of the 2004 edition of Jamaican Sunrise, Beres Hammond is a great gentleman of Jamaican music in all its breadth and depth. We could not miss the chance to exchange a few words with this emblematic figure of reggae. Smiling and affable, Beres Hammond answers us in a measured, calm and deep voice. A meeting with one of the nicest and most humble artists we have ever been allowed to interview.
Reggaefrance / Beres Hammond, hello and thank you for agreeing to take a little time to talk with us. Can you start by telling us when and how you started singing?
Beres Hammond / It's been a long time… I started when I was a child. We all started in church. Jamaicans are rather religious people. Myself and many others, we started in church. Then, later, we started singing at school, and I was lucky enough to take part in what's called the Amateur Talent Show. That was in 1973, a long time ago… And since then there have always been ups and downs, good and bad, but mostly good, because I've always taken pleasure from it.
What are your influences, your musical influences?
I draw my musical influences mainly from American rhythm 'n' blues and from a few English singers too. My influences come mostly from Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder. They are my main influences.
And when did your first recording take place?
My first recording was made when I was about 11, but it wasn't released until the 90s. And it was really a shame for me at the time, because at 11, I wanted all my friends to hear me… And they didn't hear me, so I was very disappointed. In fact, I got my first recognition thanks to a song in 1977, that's when I became really well known in Jamaica.
You were very productive in the 70s and 80s, but the real boom in your career came in the 90s. How do you explain that?
I think everything takes time, but I'm proud that it happened that way for me, because over those long years you learn so many things, and above all you learn to become humble.
Was it thanks to certain producers you met that all this was possible? Who helped you get to where you are?
Not only the producers, but people in general, over time… All the people who encourage you and tell you not to stop what you're doing, because what you're doing is good. So, not only the producers, but the people, the good people who encourage you along the way. And with that kind of encouragement, I started to believe them, those who wanted me to carry on.
You had signed a contract with the major Elektra. Why didn't it work out?
I don't know… When my project came out at Elektra, they were just in the middle of going into Murderate East West Records, and my album came out the same week… It was chaos! People got fired, others got moved to different posts, some moved to other labels, it was just a big mess! But I wasn't the only artist caught in that trap, there were many others. Anita Baker and quite a few others were caught in the same mess.
What led you to found Harmony House?
I wanted to go out on my own. I wanted to learn more about the "business" side of music. So I set up the label. And thanks to this label, I've learned so much…
Which artists have signed to this label?
You said you met Ginja, so… We have Sugar Black, Lebanculah, Nicky Tucker, AJ "Boots" Brown, Natural Black… that's only a sample. There might be 3 or 4 dozen… We have a few from Black Uhuru, Mykal Rose and the others…
What do you have to say about the Harmony House style? Is there a Harmony House sound?
Once you hear the song, you know it's Harmony House. I try to concentrate on quality, which means I concentrate on the arrangements, on reggae music. I don't just like riddims, I like arrangements. So, I try to stick to that and it sets the Harmony House sound apart from other sounds. When you hear Harmony House, you hear organ, guitar, cello... I like the warm sound, I'm not too keen on electronics.
Can you tell us about your relationship with Marcia Griffiths?
I've known her for quite a while, maybe about 15 years, and she's magnificent. I've written a bit for her in the past… Over the last 10, 12 years, I've written songs for her. She's someone who's great to work with. There's a lot I can say about Marcia. We work well in the studio and when we're lucky enough to be on stage together, it's magic!
You write a lot of love songs. Which one would you choose to sing to your wife? Could you pick one?
No, you see, my songs are like my children to me: I love them all and I've never preferred one to the others. So it's hard to say which one I'd sing, the others would be jealous…
What are your plans for the future?
I try never to plan. My only hope is to keep my health, to go back into the studio and to carry on doing what I do. Usually, with a song, when you write a song, it's that song that will probably tell you what comes next. So, I make no plans for the future. The only thing I have planned right now is that we're building 3 different studios, Harmony House, As We Speak too… The studios are under construction and, all being well, they should be ready for January. In January, we'll have the 3 studios up and running, and more artists will come. That's the only plan I've made!
What do you think about the development of the internet, and in particular music sharing?
It's a new day, a new era, everybody has to adapt to any social or economic change, so I try to adapt. Actually, there aren't many things that bother me… War bothers me.
To finish, can you look back on your time at Penthouse? You did a lot of good things with them…
It's more or less the same as what I do with Harmony House, it's just different people and different projects, but it's the same Beres, the same approach. I've never changed my approach to making music. What certainly makes a difference is the producer, the kind of producer, the nature of the person, because sometimes more comes out of you if that person is someone who is spiritually free, and then the song is freed too. That's a good point. Respect!
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