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Robert Russell
aka Brigadier Jerry will be
returning to the Sierra Nevada
World Music Festival again
following his outstanding stage
performance in 2004 as well as
his set in the dancehall in 2003
with King Stur Gav Hi Fi Sound
System alongside Daddy U Roy &
Sister Carol. This performance
was the kind of treat the Sierra
Nevada World Music Festival has
become famous for: a rootical
outing in an authentic Jamaican
style and fashion!
While his
introduction to an American
audience probably came from his
1985 release of "Jamaica
Jamaica" on the RAS label, the
General had been building a
major following in Jamaica by
appearing live on the mike,
first on the original King Stur
Gav Hi-Fi system and later over
the Twelve Tribes' Jahlove muzik
set and releasing occasional
singles for the local market.
Chief among these early releases
were "Every Man Me Brethren" and
"Dance In A Montreal", both for
the foundation studio and label,
Studio One. Then in 1982 he
borrowed the Studio One riddim
used by Slim Smith on his song
"Never Let Go" to record a
single called "Pain" (actually
using a Don Mais produced recut
of the original). Many have
called Briggy's take perhaps the
best use of the riddim ever and
it certainly stands as one of
the best songs to ever come out
of the deejay style. Later he
would reprise this riddim with
the story telling "Jamaica
Jamaica", which relates the tale
of a man going in search of
groceries in his homeland, only
to find out the vendor "never
have no sensimilla" even though
they have "whole heap a
sweet sweet Casaba" and plenty more
fruit and vegetables.
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But his true
impact would not be felt in the
record shops, but in the
dancehalls and lawns of the
ghettos of Kingston. In fact,
these local appearances served
to spread his fame far and wide;
surreptitiously recorded and
then distributed worldwide in
the form of "sound tapes", those
in foreign lands thousands of
miles away got a chance to
experience Briggy on the
microphone via these recordings
and subsequent official releases
of some of the same sessions.
So when he finally toured,
supported by his American record
company RAS, he was well
received by knowledgeable fans
the world over. On one such show
this writer attended, Briggy,
Charlie Chaplin and Sister Carol
accompanied by the High Times
band, drew a packed house to a
venue in San Francisco, and in
many people's view, Briggy took it all
with his sing-jay style,
expressive performance and
conscious lyrics, not to mention
his unique rolling vocal style
(you will see what that means
when you witness it for
yourselves!).
One
thing about Brigadier Jerry, he
chats pure consciousness on the
mike, even when the prevalent
vibe in the dance was slackness.
A longtime member of the
Rastafarian Christian sect
"Twelve Tribes of Israel",
Briggy takes every opportunity
to teach the youth about
righteous runnings and has
recorded many tracks pointing
out the error of certain ways.
In fact, at some point some
other deejays derided him as
being too reverent, but that
never seemed to deter the
General from teaching the right
from the wrong.
On
the recording front, Briggy
released his latest album
"Shower of Blessings" a couple
of years ago on the Virtuous
Woman label. SNWMF is
pleased that Brigadier Jerry
will be performing both on the
stage and in the dancehall at
this year's festival.
- JB Welda
Listen to Briggy at SNWMF 2003
Brigadier
Jerry Links:
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