Listen
to an audio interview with Lord Sassafrass:
In the
world of horseracing there exists a lone 225-pound
jockey. Towering above his peers this jock causes
horses at the track to kick and rail upon his
arrival. Astonished, the chosen horse enters
the starting gate realizing at that instant
that this “heavy” jock is effortlessly
riding upon its back. The gate opens and this
fine thoroughbred laps the other entries with
the careful skills of its jockey who has done
this so many times before. Victorious, Lord
Sassafrass dismounts and is awarded the title.
Jamaica’s
love for horseracing and of music runs deep
and unobscured. Jamaican dj Lord Sassafrass
was the first to popularize a combination between
horseracing and Jamaican music. Although he
had dreams of being a jockey as a child, Sassafrass
never realized his dream at the track, but rather
in the dancehall.
In addition
to the “horseman style,” Sassafrass
also originated the obeah (roughly interpreted
as voodoo or black magic) style of reggae music.
Many a dance in Jamaica featured Sassafrass
pouring his obeah linked Kumina and Pocomania
lyrics over the crowd.
The following
is an interview with Lord Sassafrass:
Q: Who’s
the man with the “concrete voice?”
A: The
General. The “Younger Horseman.”
[General Trees]
Q: Did
you find him?
A: He come
from the same area. He come from Drewsland and
I come from Maverley. On the other side of the
gully bank from Drewsland you have Half Pint,
you have Junior Reid, you have Tubby’s,
and you have Jammy’s. Echo Minott and
Tenor Saw come from Maverley.
Q: Was
Trees djing when you met him?
A: Yeah
man, me find him. He was a lickle youth in the
area at the shoemaker work. I tell him come
hold the mic. That time ’83, you know.
Then I leave to go a New York. I jus’
give him a mic and tell him seh, “Yo,
control Black Scorpio and make sure every night
you work you have new lyrics; don’t stop
write them.” By the time ’84 come,
me call him, him mash up the place. The “Younger
Horseman.” It we that start the harmony
business pon dj. We bring the two mic, the three
mic business. Me, Echo Minott and Trees first
started it. Inna dancehall. One singer, two
dj pon it.
Q: Now,
did you dj with General Echo for quite a period
of time?
A: Is
like dance a politics, a politician dance, inna
my area. A man she, “Listen our dj, hear
our dj dj the mic.” Echo gimme. Echo chat
a lyrics: “Bend your back, pull up your
foot, lie down gal, mek me push it up.”
An’ me she: “Bend your back, touch
your toe, Sassa round a back and play tic, tac,
toe.” Then Echo come back again an start
talk ‘bout underwear with jus’ brassiere
business. Me jus’ draw a next one bout
jolly bus (transportation bus). Tell them “yeah!”
Echo seh, “You come with me, we start
parring (sparring, singing together) and then
jus’ branch off to Desmond (the producer
of Sassafrass’ first recorded song, “Story
of Roots”).
Q: What
happened before you went to Desmond?
A: Echo
was down at the West End (of Kingston) man.
Pure gunshot, was bad in there.
Q: And
you didn’t like that.
A: No,
so me stay inna my area. Play a lot of football
an those days. Me live a Marverley, Desmond
live a Patrick City. He have a sound in Patrick
City. So we jus’ tek over the sound and
the road block.
Q: The
sound?
A: Soul
Expert.
Q: Was
he (Desmond) the background man or was he the
front man?
A: He
own the sound.
Q: But
he didn’t select or dj?
A: No,
him brother. John Saddlehead.
Q: Saddlehead?
As in a riding saddle? He must have quite a
head, huh?
A: Saddlehead.
[laughter] An one time now we a play pon de
street an Echo playin’ behind me. We right
here and Echo playin’ behind us. An everybody
she, “Yow what’s gonna happen now?”
Echo roun’ dere, 10:00, 11:00 they cyaan
see Sassafrass come. Dem seh, Yo, Sassafrass
runnin’ man! He’s sherrifin’
chicken out.” Me jus’ ride a horse
come.
Q: Where
did you get the horse?
A: Me
fadda train horses.
Q: So what
were you thinking as you rode down the street
before you hit the crowd?
A: Me
tinking. True Echo have a name, I won’t
turn up. Me turn up and everybody come my dance
cos the horse was an attraction.
Q: OK that
was ’72 when you started out with Echo?
A: No,
before that.
Q: OK,
so this was probably ’72, ’73 with
the horse. What happened that night?
A: We
have the most crowd. Our dance have the most
crowd. From that now on Soul Expert jus’
rule the whole place. It rule Patrick City,
Duhaney Park, Washington Gardens.
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Lord
Sassafrass :
