INTERVIEW
Interview by : Benoit Georges
Pictures by : Ben
on Sunday, December 05th 2004 - 11 152 views
From Clarendon, Glen Washington had a first hit in 1978. But it was ultimately in the United States, towards the end of the 1990s, that his voice would be heard with the most force. Now a safe bet with lovers fans, the singer, who was also a very good drummer (he played for Stevie Wonder, among others), receives us in New York at the VP offices on the occasion of the release of his new album.
Reggaefrance / Hello and thank you for answering our questions. Let's talk first about your beginnings in music...
Glen Washington / Greetings, nice to be here too. Give thanks for the blessings. I started music early, at the age of 7. And at the start it was just for fun, just for the pleasure of being in the business, of recording a song and then hearing it on the radio. But it intensified over the years, it became serious for me, so serious that I lost my family over it... But I regret nothing.
What were your influences when you started?
First of all, my vibe and my influences come from the Almighty, from the Creator. Then musically, I listened to a lot of radio at that time and it was Otis Redding, Sam Cooke. Then after that came Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne. Those were artists I tried to imitate, I practised singing their songs. And even today they are my favourites, artists who strongly influenced me...
What was your first recording?
My first professional recording experience dates from 1973, you probably weren't even born yet... So in 1973, I wrote a song for a singing and dancing contest held in my parish in Jamaica. So I competed with a song called Suzie, which I'd written about my girlfriend. I was lucky enough to win at every stage: from the first elimination round to the final. And part of the prize was being able to record your song in the studio with a band called “Names and Faces Band”. And since that day I have never stopped. My first hit was a song I recorded in 1976 for Joe Gibbs, “Rockers no crackers”, which came out in 1979.
How did you end up recording on the vintage Studio One riddims?
Oh, it's a funny story. I knew a brother, Tony Screw, who has a sound called Downbeat. He liked my voice and wanted me to record for him. But he specialises in the Studio One sound, so he wanted me to go there to record his dubs. So I came to the studio, the one that was here in New York on Fulton Street. So for me it was a chance to meet Clement Dodd, who is the Godfather of reggae. He heard me recording dubplates and he wanted to talk to me. I was surprised! He said to me: “Jackson (he called everybody Jackson, you know), I like your songs and I would like you to record on my riddims.” And I answered him: “Mr Dodd, I've been singing on Studio One riddims for as long as I can remember, that's how I trained myself!” He was fine with that and we struck a deal. I would come and record two or three songs every evening, and when there were enough he said to me: “Jackson, we have to make an album with this.” We compiled the songs and I called the album “Brother to brother” and that album was a hit, it launched me. In New York, at that time, I met a very good friend, Lloyd Campbell, and that's how I ended up at VP. I had recorded a song for Lloyd Campbell when I was 16, the song “Tighten up” which you now find on my new album, I re-recorded it for that album. For VP, we recorded the album “Get next to me”, and it did well.
Recording for Studio One is an essential step for a reggae singer. Where does that event stand in your career as a whole?
I would say it's a very great honour to record for Studio One, and it then allowed me to work with VP. I think I've been truly blessed.
You have a new album coming out. Could you tell us about it?
I have a new album that has just come out. It's called “Wanna be loved” and it's out on VP Records in collaboration with Joe Frasier's label. You have hits like “Viper”, because some songs are already hits where I live. “Wanna be loved” is what gave the album its title, “Roller coaster” which has been known for a while now, “Best friends”, “Ginger bay”. Practically every song on this album has the potential to be a single. And I'm really delighted about it because it's a collaborative production between Lloyd Campbell, Jason Sterling and myself.
We were able to see you in France two years ago at a festival. Was that the first time you had come to France?
It was the first time I performed in France. I played with artists like Max Romeo and Ijahman Levy, people I hadn't seen for years! And I noticed that some artists, even if we don't see them any more, keep working in other parts of the world.
Can you tell us about your plan for a tour in France?
It's still only a plan, it's not done yet. I'm trying to put together a tour with someone like Alton Ellis, Leroy Brown and me. We should be there soon, we're planning to do France, Germany and England.
What are your future plans apart from that?
Of course I'm going to keep making music for the people, and I'd also like to start producing young artists who want to get started. My advice for young artists, those who write, those who sing: if you sing, work to reach the best of your abilities, and if you write, you have to know every aspect of the business, that is, publishing, copyright, all that. Because it's at the last moment that you realise it's important.
Thank you very much, Glen Washington.
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