Q: Tell me about the sudden success with your Jet Star single, 'Rent A Tile', how did it come about? A: 'Rent A Tile', it went well for me, man. It went well, it went well. The unfortunate side about it is that you didn't achieve what you should've achieved out of it because of the way the business is. Q: It came out in the UK on the Charm label I think. A: Yeah, it's Jet Star. Because originally that song wasn't supposed to be on a 7"-inch at all for Jet Star, it was supposed to be on an album. We did lease it for... Q: It was one album called 'Leroy Brown & Friends'? A: Yeah, that's mine, I produced that. What happened is that, Jet Star, when he (Mr Palmer) got the album he listened to it, 'Leroy Brown & Friends', and he picked a couple of songs that he liked and would like to work with, not the entire album. But it was supposed to be on one of the 'Big People's Music', I think volume ten. And what happened, he ended up puttin' it out on seven-inch also. So to my surprise he already gave one copy out in Jamaica, all access to release it on 7"-inch. This is how the business run you away. So, 'Rent A Tile' is a tune where a lot of people think that, when I wanna tune up with it here in Canada, it's still one of my best songs until today. Q: What boosted the tune to the status it had, Jet Star really promoted it the way it should be, or someone picked it up in Canada and plugged it there? A: Oh yeah, it got a lot of airplay, and as I said before we got the JUNO which is the highest award here in Canada, it did help a whole lot. It made that song a hit song. Q: JUNO, it's the national music award over there? A: Yes, it's like the Grammy then, the Canadian Grammy. Right. The fact that it won that, as I say it did make a big difference, I got a lot more shows out of it.

Q: What was your reaction then? A: That I won? Q: Yes (chuckles). A: (Laughs) It was the most... Q: The heart skipped some beats there, huh? A: Oh, my God, I never thought I was gonna win! Ca' the year I thought I was gonna win, was with the song 'Heartache'. That was so popular and everybody thought that oh, gee, nobody can beat that song. But to my disappointment I didn't win that year, no. But I was still gonna attend it, it was way out of town but I made my way out there, and it was a shocking experience, man. Shocking, but good shocking experience. Q: And it was on national tv? A: Yes, it was, a lot of people saw me on television. It was really great. You have one reggae category, 'Top Reggae Recording of the Year', apart from the pop music, R&B, all different categories. Q: The song 'Perfidia', is that something you did with Robbie? A: Yeah. Yes, I did that with Robbie and Willie Lindo. Q: Did it take off, did it do you any good? A: That song, well it's gonna be on this new album that I'm coming out with now, it's released now in March. Ca' what happened with 'Perfidia', I think it was recorded in three different countries: Jamaica, Florida and Canada. It was an idea of... At first that riddim track wasn't meant to be 'Perfidia', and when I heard it I thought 'Perfidia' could be sung over that track. So I played it for Robbie and he said: "OK, send it back to me. I'm gonna change the bassline and make it 'Perfidia'". So he redo the line and he took it into the studio, Heavy Beat studio in Florida, Willie Lindo's, and they redo what they had to do in there. But the drums was already played in Jamaica, and the bass with Sly & Robbie, he changed the bass in Florida and sent it back to me, and I revoiced it and add the horns to it and add another keyboard here, and sent it back to them down there in Kingston. Was like a travelling song. Q: What's ahead for you now, it's the lovers rock album you have to complete? A: Yes, yes, that is my mission right now. Because we did have an album planned called... forgot the title, but it was a different album completely from this one now. But ahead for me right now, I would like to have this lovers rock album released. Then I would like the people to see what Leroy Brown looks like on your side of the world, so I make myself available to promote the 'Color Barrier' album. 'Cause that is what is out there now, and I put a lot of emphasis on that album too.

Leroy Brown (Photo: Reggae-blog.com).

Q: What has the response been so far to that reissue? A: The reissue? Couldn't be any better. Could n o t be any better! Across the board, the views that came out of Europe, they're greater than here in North America, 'cause a lot of people have seen it and been reading about it, more aware to what's happening. Lot's of e-mails and phonecalls, even people from radio stations are calling us about it. Sometimes you had to beg the guys to play your song, now they're beggin' for the album. All that's been very nice to me. Makasound, I would say they really did an excellent job with designing it, the way they presented it and the mastering of it. They did it very well. Q: Seems like they have a lot of belief in the album. A: Yes. Robbie said that when he came here wth Sinead O'Connor that these guys believes in this album, that they had done a lot for this album. When he came from the hotel in Paris they had spotted it somewhere and felt very impressed with it. It's a great step. Q: Are you surprised at the reception for that album, so many years after? A: I'm not surprised, to be honest with you, I'm not. Q: The audience out there are hungry for this music again, simple as that. A: Right, same thing are happening, people can't have enough of it. People want them badly. 'Cause the reason I say I'm not really that surprised, 'cause a lot of people been sayin' it to me over the years, "Leroy, you should re-release those materials, you should, you should!" Willi keep reminding me, "Leroy, you should!", R. Z Jackson - people who seem to know what's happening in the business always seemed sure, said that I should reissue the album. I said: "I don't think I have time for that now, I'm moving forward". Like, without Makasound steppin' up to the plate and sayin': "OK, I would like to put out this album again" and so on, maybe it would be there sleeping just the same way. Because I would just be moving on! I did have a part of this album just now that we're about to release, called 'Leroy Brown: Now & Then'. So it did have most of those other songs that I didn't use, like six of the new songs, 'Rent A Tile', etc, and some of the old songs. So it did comprise of some of the older songs. Since Makasound stepped forward and said they want to put out the album, what we do we stopped that album. So what happened to it now, we finish the other - ca' we did have lovers rock on that album along with the cultural stuff. So we give Makasound the glory of dealing with the cultural stuff and add to the lovers rock side by adding another six or seven songs to that, until we had a full lovers rock album. So that is the album that is coming out now. Q: Let me ask about a few 45s, I don't have these myself but let me check with you what you can remember from those titles, the recording details, etc. Perhaps some of them could be compiled for a future album, if they remain uncollected up to this day. There's one titled 'Dancing Shoes'. A: Yeah, I did that. Q: And the label? A: It was on the G-cliff label. I'm lookin' for it too, I need a copy of it myself (chuckles). Q: When was it released? A: That was back in the seventies. That was this producer here, he was one of the strong producers here but he produced Nana McLean also. He was going to Jamaica to do some recordings and I hook him up with Sly & Robbie then, and he say he want to do this song 'Dancin' Shoes', and 'Careless Hand' - you remember that song, the old song, 'Careless Hand'? Q: No. A: 'Careless Hands', the way how that happened. I asked him to do those two riddim done while he was doing his session, so he's a part of that also. We went to Channel One and got the proper musicians that I arranged from this side for him in Jamaica, and with those recordings I put on the vocals when we came back.

Leroy Brown (Photo: Reggae-blog.com).

Leroy Brown (Photo: Reggae-blog.com).

Q: You had 'Fades Away'. A: Fades Away', yes. Q: On the Kismet label. A: Yes, I did that. Seventies again, yes. Q: Another one titled 'Help Us Oh Jah' on the Hard Worker imprint. A: I don't know it, Hard Worker? Q: Yes. Could be the other one. A: The other person. Q: Then you did 'In the Book'? A: That's me. Was just ready to re-record 'In the Book' for - we just produced that song again. Yeah, that was my original song. Yes, seventies again. That was late, late seventies, late like '79, '78, somewhere around there. Q: You had, perhaps, 'It's All Right' on the Creole label? A: The Creole? Q: Yeah. A: No. Q: Never done a song titled 'It's All Right' then? A: Yes! 'It's All Right', oh yes! I thought you said it's 'Creole', sorry.

Leroy Brown (Photo: Beth Lesser).

Q: The UK label was Creole. A: For 'It's All Right (With Me)'? Yeah I did that. Q: There's another tune with the depressing title, 'It's Raining'. A: Yes, me again. That was done on the session, I think, after 'Color Barrier', around that time. Q: Did it end up on the 'Face To Face' album? A: Oh, 'It's Raining'? Q: Yes. A: No, 'I'ts Raining' didn't end up on an album. Q: OK. 'My Woman's Love'? A: Yeah, that's me again. Seventies. Q: And 'One Woman Man'? A: (Silence) No, don't remember that one.

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Article: Peter I (Please do not reproduce without permission)