Jah Wise:

Sound System Owner of Tippa Tone Sound, selector, Artists (drawing, painting, etc)
Interview by Rich Lowe, © 2004 Jamaica Way Productions
Interview in New York City
*Special thanks to Ray Hurford for his assistance in transcription.

Q: Tell me about your interest in Jazz music?

A: "From when I was little in Jamaica I collect Jazz."

Q: So do you use that on Tippatone?

A: "I win the Jazz contest in New York for three years."

Q: What is the nature of the Jazz contest.

A: "Well collectors from all over come to New York, and play for the trophy."

Q: So are people playing in a sound system setting?

A: "Yeah, Yeah."

Q: Where is it held?

A: "In Tony Ryan Record Store, then we go to the Calabash club, it's a big club. Do you know Ken Williams, the finals are held at his club."

Q: So is it like competition, 30 minute sets?

A: "People just come and sit and play, everyone come to listen - critics and judge -
everybody."

Q: What are your favourite artists Jazzwise?

A: "Gene Hammonds, a lot."

Q: Do you like any type of style of Jazz, Bebop, Cool Jazz?

A: "Progressive."

Q: I've heard you have been playing Tippatone for forty years! When was your first session?

A: "Tippatone started by Fingerman, my friend, with Big Youth, me and Wang Cho and Clive. "

Q: What was the year?

A: "It's a long time yu know."

Q: What sounds were in existence when you first stated?

A: "I was playing sound before Tippatone, I was a selector before Tippatone."

Q: So how old are you now?

A: "52."

Q: How did you get into music?

A: "Reddifusion, I use to listen to them, they play Jazz every morning and country and western. This is where I get my musical inspiration."

Q: You were a teenager then?

A: "Yeah, my brother used to sing - Cornell Campbell, and so did my sister Cissy Campbell - she came with Bob Marley on a tour and never came back. So they bring in Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths."

Q: So are you related to Al Campbell?

A: "Yeah, part of my family as well."

Q: Interesting connections.

A: "The first sound I play was Mellotone."

Q: Who was the owner of Mellotone?

A: "A guy named Roy, it never reached far. The sound business in Jamaica never too big.
You have Coxsone and Duke Reid."

Q: So what sounds did you follow in Jamaica?

A: "Sir Mike and Sir George."

Q: What made those sounds special to you?

A: "Sir George bring one of the greatest selector in Jamaica - Prince Ruff. He was my idol,
I used to follow him."

Q: What was it about him, his selections, his control.

A: "Everything."

Q: What selection did Prince Ruff play?

A: "Mostly Ska, Bob Marley.I'm a big collector of Ska."

Q: How much music do you have?

A: "I can't count them."

Q: So how do you organize it?

A: "No I don't like that, there is no adventure in that. Sometimes when you're searching you find some tune that you don't remember. It's better that way."

Q: Cause then you discover old things

A: "Yeah."

Q: So you are a big buyer of music?

A: "I go to record stores and I have my friends in Holland and Belgium,England this is where I get my music from. I'm well informed."

Q: Do you buy any magazines?

A: "Goldmine, I know a lot of big collectors all over the States."

Q: Do you buy or do you trade?

A: "Trade."

Q: When you worked for Mellotone, how long did you that for?

A: "I was going to School at that time, it was about two years."

Q: And after that?

A: "Well I went to Jack Ruby."

Q: So you selected for Jack Ruby as well!

A: "Early on, Jack Ruby was a friend, a good good friend. I used to do art work for him as well."

Q: He is a foundation sound. Where was Mellotone Based.

A: "In St Catherines, Spanish Town. I lived in Spanish Town at the time.
I was born in Kingston."

Q: How long did you work for Jack Ruby Sound System?

A: "About, all the while, because when I'm not playing Tippatone, I would play Jack Ruby.
I was a great selector so every sound system wanted me to play for them. I play for a lot of sound. Emperor Faith, I used to manage Jammys for about a year. I start up a lot of sounds - Do you know Kilamanjaro, Youth Promotion. Youth Promotion I was the selector and manager for that. The last dance I played was with Yellowman in Montego Bay.

Q: How did Jah Wise develop these skills to become a great selector?

A: "Cornell Campbell was playing drums. The music was in me a lot time. Where I born pure singer around there. Young Dennis Brown, all those guys."

Q: Was Cornell already established around that time?

A: "Yeah, Cornell sing a long time even before Bob Marley. Even before Delroy Wilson and John Holt."

Q: How old is Cornell now.

A: "Well he's older than me, but I don't know exactly."

Q: What did Jah Wise do that other selectors didn't do?

A: "I play for the people, you have some song that I don't like, but I still play them. When it come to a dance, you just play to get the people dancing. The secret of selecting is that you don't stay in once play you walk around., and see the movements in the dance. And you correct yourself. Most selectors stay in one place. They don't put on a nice tune, and walk around and listen to what the people say."

Q: So you ask them?

A: "No I don't ask them, I see their reactions. And I watch the movements. Sometimes, people say "You play good." Sometimes they say "Me don't like that tune sir." You then go back and...you know."

Q: Most sound system just stay at the control tower, and let the people come to them?

A: "Like a DJ, most DJ start in the dancehall, when they leave the dancehall they don't have the vibes. You know what I'm saying?"

Q: I know exactly what you're saying!

A: "They leave the dancehall, leave the crowd."

Q: So when your moving around the crowd, what things are telling you that you are doing the right thing?

A: "Everybody dancing, I see everybody dancing."

Q: So how about if they are not dancing?

A: "They might not be reggae fans, might be Soca fans! The people have to be happy, when I play music it might be hit music."

Q: Top Ten?

A: "No, brand new music, you hear it the first time and you know it's bad."

Q: What about if the crowd get tired, do they have to dance all night?

A: "Yeah."

Q: Do you carry your whole system out to a dance?

A: "No. just local, Washington or Boston or Philly, but if the man is keeping a dance. He rent some sound over there. As far as I ever carry a sound is Philly."

Q: How did you start Tippatone?

A: "Fingerman started it."

Q: So how old was you when you joined it?

A: "About 25. Wan Cho was playing before me, I was a boxman at the time. All great selectors should be a boxman! Most of the guys who play were interested in girls. So they left me, and when I start to play, the people them start to say the guy can play good."

Q: Is Fingerman still around?

A: "Yeah, Fingerman is still in Jamaica."

Q: Did he continue?

A: "No, he finish with sound system a long time."

Q: Did Fingerman sell the sound to you?

A: "Well the sound is in Jamaica. When I came to America I didn't bother with it. So I just come and form it back. The boxes get outdated."

Q: What were the big years for Tippatone sound?

A: "We used to play a place called 'Furnace'. You have a sound named Kentone, and one time Kentone never came. And we fill him for him, and from that time no one wanted to come back there again. (Laughs)"

Q: Where was Furnace located?

A: "Near to Spanish Town Road, behind the market."

Q: How old was you then?

A: "About twenty. From that Tippatone got big. We win sound system of the years two years on the go- straight. We were playing against Veejay The Dubmaster, Kenyatta and Emperor Faith, King Tubby's. King Tubby's and Tippatone were the two top sounds."

Q: Did Tippatone have a stable of singers or deejays at the time?

A: "Sound never have singers in those days. A guy used to pass and sing. The whole of we in one big yard. Michael Rose would pass thru, all of those big singers would sing on Tippatone - Dennis Brown.

Q: Did you have any deejays at the time?

A: "We have Buckers, we never need to have so much deejays in those times. After Big Youth we got more deejays and Big Youth was the top man."

Q: Big Youth had a big following as well.

A: "Tubby's never have enough deejay he just have U.Roy. In those days Sound never played in five different places, just in one place."

Q: So Tippatone would just play at the Furnace?

A: "No, that was just on Monday nights. At the weekend they would hire us to play anywhere in Jamaica."

Q: So were the deejays that popular?

A: "Some deejays don't like studio, they just want to come a dance and deejay. And then when they make a hit, and don't come back from the sound system again. So you have to get a next deejay to fill the position."

Q: Which deejays did you bust on Tippatone?

A: "Dr Alimantado, he was my best friend. Jah Woosh - a lot of big deejays. Tippatone was located in Princess Street, you walk around the corner you have Bob Marley's shop and Joe Gibbs, Randys."

Q: So was the location someone's home?

A: "No that was my yard, Big Youth lived downstairs."

Q: What was the address?

A: "112 Princess Street, you see Rockers movie? That is the Yard where I'm painting the bike."

Q: How did you get into the film?

A: "They wanted a painter for the film. I did all the backdrops for stage shows. All the studios I do all the painting. I used to work for Lee Perry, I did all the painting in his studio. And Bob Marley too. You know Bob Marley's place I did all those drawing too.

Q: When did you start painting?

A: "I'm a born painter."

Q: Was that something you was able to make something off of?

A: "I make more money off of painting than I have with sound. In Jamaica, I have done Joe Gibbs Records studio, Randy's. I'm a sign painter and fine artist painter."

Q: So you did the outside work as well?

A: "Yeah, Gregory Isaacs, everybody. "

Q: Did you study that in school?

A: "No. I won the Festival competition in Jamaica. The art competition. Do you know Ras Karbi? we won our scholarship at the same time. I won that Festival three times."

Q: With Tippatone you mentioned singers, I heard you worked with Gregory Isaacs?

A: "Gregory Isaacs is a good friend. I know him before he bust his first song. The Heptones. all of them have sing upon Tippatone."

Q: So who are your selectors now on Tippatone. Mark Music & Kaya Matress?

A: "I bring them in to play, they were playing Silverhawk. I polish them up. I can leave them and go anywhere to play they are well educated now."

Q: Is there anyone else who selects for you today.

A: "Ninja, Frima and Cap."

Q: Who were some of your past selectors for Tippatone?

A: "Ranking Buckers, most of the selectors used to follows. If you play good they say you are selecting wisely. (Laughs)"

Q: So they are following Jah Wise?

A: "Yeah."

Q: Do you predate Jah Love?

A: "Well Jah Love used to come to my house for records. I never produce records, but everyone in sound business used to come to me for records."

Q: So you never produced any music yourself?

A: "No."

Q: But that was an obvious move for you?

A: "I'm going to get a computer this month and set up a little studio. From there I'm going to produce some music."

Q: Are you going to produce Jazz or Reggae?

A: "Reggae."

Q: How did you get the name Jah Wise?

A: "When I was little, the big guys always have a wise youth. When I was a Rastaman now. They used to call me Wise when I was small. "They this youth is going to be a wise youth."

Q: I want to ask you, do have you any Tippatone tapes from that time?

A: "Yeah man."

Q: Do other people have them?

A: "People have them too. I know who have them."

Q: They are very rare.

A: "In the days when Tippatone was playing the people never had tape."

Q: That's true.

A: "No tape recorded."

Q: So what years did people start recording tapes?

A: "From cassette tape, me have tape of every sound.I collect them, but don't even play them because I'm more into the record."

Q: Or you following modern day sound systems?

A: "Yeah."

Q: Which sound system do you respect today?

A: "Everyone because them trying. Me and Stone Love are good friend. All of them. It was me who carried Jaro on the road yu know. I bring in Ainsley in."

Q: Ainsley being one of the original selectors?

A: "I was there and I said Ainsley I'm going to move to Youth Promotion. At one time I stop play my sound, due to the political violence. Just cool it off."

Q: When you cooled off your sound, was you able to come as strong as before?

A: "There was political violence on two sides and I was in the middle. And I couldn't get to to play."

Q: So you're talking 1976?

A: "Before even that. I couldn't get to play certain places. The biggest dance ever kept in West Kingston was Tippatone."

Q: How many people do you think?

A: "The whole of West Kingston. It was a peace treaty between the two rival parties. So
everybody want to see - and walk up and down where they have not walked for years."

Q: Why was Tippatone selected to play at the Peace Treaty dance?

A: "Only sound in West Kingston, no other sound."

Q: So Tippatone could play and other sounds couldn't?

A: "No, sometimes the violence so bad - you cannot play sound. I was playing in St Thomas, and Police came into the dance and curfew it. And tell me to tell King Tubby's that he can't play there again. And I tell Tubby's and he go there and they shoot up his sound and mash it up. From that day King Tubby never play again. He sued the Police and got a lot of money."

Q: Tell me about dance crashers?

A: "Its mostly girls who come to fight you know. They fight over man and all of this stuff."'

Q: Was you a very good friend of Bob Marley?

A: "Yeah man, he did dub plates for Tippatone. Just two."

Q: Tell me about them.

A: "They are Scratched up, me are going to fix them up when me get me computer."

Q: What was the content of the dub plates.

A: "Tired to see Tippatone face”, and “Old Pirates come to Rob I. I remember when he was living in Scratch's back yard - living. In those days you parents do like you to be a Rastaman.

Q: Were there any 'Tones' around when Tippatone was playing?

A: "Lot of Tones, Merritone, Sanatone, from Tippatone get big, everybody want to be a Tone." (Laughs) " Merritone was the original though."

Q: When did Sound Systems first start using dubs?

A: "Tubby's I think Tubby's. They were using dub before that, but they called it softwax."

Q: Who was using it?

A: "Longtime sound like Coxsone and Tom The Great Sebastian, Tubby's came and change everything and called it dub. I give credit to Tubby's he was the first man that play dub."

Q: In terms of dub what does that mean?

A: "It's some record that no one else can play."

Q: What about specials?

A: "They are not dubs you know. You get the song and then the raw rhythm. You get two tune on a dub plate. A vocal and then a dub.Tubby popuarlise it. Tubby's was a soul sound you know? Most of these sounds were a soul sound. Music used to come from America. Most of the big hits were soul hits that Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe sing over. Most of Bob Marley's tunes in those days were Curtis Mayfield. And this guy Rosco Gordon most of these guys used to do over Rosco Gordon tunes. Sing them over in Rock Steady."

Q: So when did the Special come in?

A: "It came in late, but Coxsone did it first. Coxsone had a song with Owen Gray 'On The Beach' "I was dancing with the music of Sir Coxsone Downbeat on the beach."

Q: And soundclash?

A: "Soundclash in my days, no one could win me because I have music from every producer - even from small time producer that never get released. I can remember when Joe Gibbs had no shop. I was there when Keeling Beckford started., Clancy Eccles. Did you hear that Clancy had a stroke?"

Q: What are some of your favourite rhythms?

A: "Real Rock is one of the best rhythm ever made. Satta. Did you know that they(The Abbysinnians) sing 'Satta' two times?

Q: Two versions?

A: "The first one came on Studio One. Do you know 'Swing Easy' if you play the flip side - they sing a song called 'Far Far Away' they never put no 'Satta Massa Gana' in it. Tippatone was the first sound to play 'Satta'. I love some other rhythms, but you might not know them - 'Where Eagles Dwell'. A soundman classic. All these songs the they were named by Prince Ruff. He named them in the dancehall."

Q: Who are your friends in the business?

A: "Weepo, Metro, and Mr Dodd. Channel One."

Q: Who do you miss the most?

A: "I miss Scratch. A good friend. He's opening back the studio in Jamaica. I worked with Scratch for a long long time."

Q: Do you think you might do some work with Scratch?

A: "I have a rhythm yu know, 'Billie Jean'. That was my rhythm, that rhythm is Bob Marley's rhythm? He never sing on it."

Q: How did you come by it?

A: "Me and Bob was friends. He give it to me to cut dub. He never take it back."

Q: So you had it...

A: "It was big in a dancehall. The sound guys them call it 'Chim Cherry'.

Q: You had many sources of music then?

A: I have a lot of tape here."

Q: Where did you get your records in Jamaica?

A: "Randy's I got to Randys every week in Jamaica. Clive Chin is another good friend. It was the greatest corner for musicians. It was called Idlers Rest.."

Q: So when you bought music...

A: "I never buy music."

Q: So they would give it to you?

A: "Yes, Stone Love. I get new music from a lot of people. The old music comes from Dexter, the Japanese people buy him a car so that he can go around Jamaica and find old music for them, and he find old music for me too."

Q: Tell me some more about Tippatone Dances.

A: "Lot of big dance man, when me and King Tubby's play the first time U.Roy never came it was I.Roy. U.Roy couldn't make it so I.Roy come and play. Well they play a tune named the 'Iron Gate'. Well we have 'Iron Gate' but they play it before us. And the crowd make a big response. Then we play Burning Spear, 'The Winner' and then Dennis Brown's 'If I Follow My Heart'. That was the first time you could hear a Dennis Brown tune in Jamaica. And Burning Spear no one knew about Burning Spear. Me and Burning Spear are real good friend, because he don't do no special for anyone except me. I knew him before he start to sing. I was always telling Jack Ruby to record him, Jack Ruby didn't want to do it. He send him to Studio One. Then when Jack Ruby started producing he went back to Jack Ruby."

Q: When you started were sound systems going against one other?

A: "Anytime you get two sounds play it's a sound clash."

Q: Were they doing that when Tippatone started?

A: "Yeah, I play against Tubby, I play against Emperor Faith. Which was a very good sound."

Q: Who was the owner of Emperor Faith?

A: "Mikey."

Q: Who were his selectors?

A: "He play his sound you know. But I play his sound too, and Danny Dread."

Q: What other sound systems did you compete with?

A: "Prince Patrick, Arrows, Kenyatta, Sir Daleys, Sound Of Music. The hardest sound I play against was King Twilight from Montego Bay. It was the best sound that gave me a good fight. That guy had a lot of money when he came to Kingston he rent a studio for a month his name was King Twilight., that was big sound. He was the first man that bring in sound clash like this. No 45, no LP, you have got to have pure dub plate."

Q: What years was this?

A: "The seventies, coming up to eighties."

Q: What happened to King Twilight?

A: "He finished, but it was a bad sound. He play the most Studio One."

Q: Does Jah Wise pay for dub-plates?

A: "Sometimes, in this business even if you're not paying you have to leave a money. It look weird to me."

Q: What was the dub plate you cut?

A: "Capleton."

Q: What studio did you cut it?

A: "It was done in Jamaica, at Stone Love."'

Q: How many dub plates does Tippatone have?

A: "At least a 1000."

Q: If you got back to the first dub plates you was you recording then?

A: "John Holt, all of Treasure Isle. I could walk with the Treasure Isle."

Q: So was you and Duke Reid friends?

A: "I come from West Kingston, the whole of we was right there. Coxsone, Upsetter."

Q: How did they get on?

A: "All of them were friends. Prince Buster used to live off of Coxsone box. He used to work with Coxsone. Clancy Eccles used to work with Coxsone. Lee Perry stole some of Coxsone records, Coxsone find out and he punch him."

Q: Tell me about some of the sound system you like?

A: "Have you ever heard of a sound called King Arthur, a big sound from the countryside.
I play that. The first time General Trees play on a sound. The first time he ever deejayed."

Q: Do you know Lord Sassafrass?

A: "I make Sassafrass work on Kilamanjaro. He used to play on Black Star, and Jack Ruby.
Black Star was a soul sound that break into the reggae business."

Q: What do you mean when you say soul?

A: "Slow music. Slow American music. Uptown people."

Q: So what is the response to Tippatone these days.

A: "Well it change up a lot we play a lot of soul music and r& b music these days."

Q: So it's like a standard Jamaican dance?

A: "Yeah, this is our original dance was in Jamaica."

Q:So do you go on tour with your sound these days?

A: "No, I don't like to leave my records. Sometimes my wife say I'm mad."

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