INTERVIEW : CHRONICLE
Interview by : Benoit Georges
Pictures by : Ben
on Monday, March 21st 2005 - 12 139 views
Chronicle has already come to France several times for concerts. This singer, whose voice is close to Barrington Levy's, is best known for his tracks on the Massive B label and more recently with Heartical. What is less well known is that this great sound system fan played an important role with the Black Kat sound, which he saw develop with the selector Pink Pantha. While staying in Paris between dates with Guiding Star, he tells us, in patois and without frills, about his career, Black Kat and a few Jamaican specialities.
Reggaefrance / Welcome Chronicle. We actually know little about you. Could you tell us where you come from?
Chronicle / I was born in St Ann, “the garden parish”, I grew up in town, I went to school in town and I started singing in church, in the junior choir. I’m not a Christian, I just sing. My mother told me I was good. She said: “you can’t just stay singing like that in the choir!” Primary school, secondary school, I was diligent and I graduated. Then I started singing for the Small Axe sound system and then for Black Kat.
How did you get started in reggae?
Reggae began one night when I went to a dance: Lighting and Small Axe, a clash. But in those days, they were clashes with singers and toasters.
What year was that?
’88 or ’89. So, I went to that dance, at first I wasn’t going for the clash, just to have fun, me and my girlfriend. And Redrose, Mantis, Jonathan Wolfman, Stitchie were there for Lighting and Brigadier and Monthy Blines for Small Axe. I just went, I took the mic and I said: “yo, my name is Chronicle and everything, run the riddim!” I started and I didn’t stop because Brigadier didn’t want me to leave, because it was real vibes. That’s how it was, and the sound bosses in England called me, telling me not to let go of the sound, and I told them: “a singer doesn’t let go of his sound”. So I started putting a few pounds in my pockets and everything. It started like that and I’ve been “bad” ever since.
I suppose one of your big influences is Barrington Levy...
Definitely! Yeah, Mister Barrington Levy, Mister shibidibop.
Bobby Konders says he first heard you on a dubplate played by Metromedia Skyjuice...
Yes, and it drove him crazy. He wanted to know who I was, he was looking for me. He asked artists, they didn’t know me. He wanted to bring me to New York to do dubplates and give me money. Massive B came all the way to Jamaica to find me. Barrington Levy is his favourite singer, so Chronicle automatically became his favourite singer. It started from there.
By then, did you already have official recordings?
Yes of course, I had already recorded before. I sang Woman a samaritan for Sinbad. I recorded for Niney the Observer. In the name of the lord for Roadblock. In the name of the lord again for Steely & Clevie. I recorded for a little brother, Moonlight inna Spanish town. I recorded for brethren in England. I’ve been recording for a long time, it’s not a recent thing.
Black Kat still plays at least one of your dubs in the dance...
Those are anthems.
Yes, and you’re considered a Black Kat artist. More precisely, what is your relationship with Pantha?
He’s a brother. We knew Pantha in town, he was selecting for a small sound called Russo International. At the time, Black Kat needed a really good selector. We had selectas but they weren’t “bad”, so we recruited a new one every week and after the dances, we’d change them because we didn’t really feel them. But Johnny from Bodyguard knew someone, he told me about Pantha and I had heard of him. We went to Seaview Gardens to meet him. And that was it, and Pantha has been playing for this sound ever since. Lots of people bid to get him: Stone Love made an offer, King Addis too, sounds from England. Lots of people, they offered him lots of money to go and play for other sounds, houses, cars. We saw a guy who sent money, came to Jamaica and bought four tyres with rims for Pantha’s car! All that to make him leave Black Kat. But you know, we’re “tuggies”. Pantha knew he couldn’t leave Black Kat until we allowed him to leave Black Kat. We’re “tuggies”, we have our law. A guy can’t just arrive in a sound, make a name for himself on it and leave it, are you crazy? If he does that, we won’t hear any more about him. You understand? It’s not like Jaro and Trooper, it’s nothing like that. They said Trooper left for the money, but he should have had money. Have his money while carrying on playing for Jaro. Pantha can’t do that, he can’t leave Black Kat. If he asked, he could do it but he doesn’t want to anyway, he loves Black Kat. And from all the tunes Chronicle has brought him, he knows it’s him we want. When I go and see him at a dance in Jamaica around 2am, I always have a dubplate in my hand and I tell him: “Pantha, play this dub, it’s going to kill their sound tonight!”
You’re in France for a while. Can you tell us about the tunes you recorded just before leaving?
Yes, I recorded for David “Dubwiser”, Mark “Top Secret”, Moonie (Steel Pulse’s guitarist) in England, for Sergio (Heartical) and I did two combinations with two French artists: Shakka and Reda (Kawulé crew). I don’t know if those tunes will come out, but they’re good tunes.
Do you have new tunes for an upcoming album?
That’s for my album, straight. I have an album for myself but there’s also another album planned with Massive B.
Is that album ready?
You can’t say it’s ready, but every time I record for Massive B, we keep the songs for my album. I think it will come out in 2 or 3 months, there are still a few songs to record.
My last question has nothing to do with music, but going by your name you seem to be a ganja connoisseur. What’s the best ganja you’ve smoked?
The best variety: the “most wanted”, the “combolan”. We have plenty of good varieties but the “most wanted” is the very latest one to appear in Jamaica. We have pineapple, mango. But when I say pineapple or mango it means the herb grows with the pineapple or the mango tree, so when you burn that herb, there’s a taste and a smell of pineapple or mango.
I believe you have a message for the French public.
My final message is for France and only for the French public. Keep on living with love, with care, in unity and peace and France will be even more pleasant. But on 26 March, there will be Guiding Star, Pow Pow, Queen Omega and Chronicle. It gonna be a boom! France, Chronicle love you! A special thanks to Jacob from Guiding Star.
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