Larry
Marshall
Perhaps not well known to
those more casual reggae music fans, singer Larry Marshall
played a pivotal role in the genre as artist, talent scout,
arranger and de facto producer at Jamaica’s #1 hitmaker, Coxsone
Dodd’s Studio One.
Sharing
that distinction with the Soul Vendors outfit who will back him
at SNWMF 2006, Mr. Marshall produced crucial output at Jamaica’s
most prolific studio, nurturing and championing then-upcoming
artists as well as performing on some of the studio’s biggest
hits like his signature tune “Nanny Goat”, “Throw Me Corn”,
“Mean Girl” as well as many others. A number of these seminal
riddims continue to define reggae music down through the years
right up to today’s latest releases by current dancehall
artists.
Born in
1941 in Lawrence Hall, St. Anns Parish, Larry Marshall
immigrated to Kingston in 1957. In 1960, he made his performance
debut at the Ward Theatre backed by the Rhythm Aces. Through
this performance, he was brought to the attention of Phillip
Yap, producer for the Top Deck label, who recorded his first
single, “Too Young To Love”, at Federal studio. He later
recorded “Snake In the Grass” for Yap and this became his first
big hit.
During his
time with Top Deck, he, as so many other talented singers did,
aspired to work for Studio One and its owner, Coxsone Dodd. He
managed to gain an audition there and Mr. Dodd recorded and
released Marshall’s first Studio One single “Please Stay”. That
song, however, never really gained any ground for the singer, so
he returned to Yap and Top Deck for a period but, unhappy with
his pay there, returned to Studio One, where Mr. Dodd placed him
in the lineup of a vocal group called The Checkmates.
This
arrangement didn’t work out well for Marshall though, so he
again left Mr. Dodd and recorded some sides for Prince Buster
(“I’ve Got Another Girl” among them) and Clancy Eccles as well
(including a recut of “Please Stay”). Again things didn’t pan
out financially quite how Marshall would have liked so he
returned to Studio One to continue his career there.
It was at
this time that he and brethren Alvin Leslie recorded what was to
become one of Studio One’s greatest singles ever, “Nanny Goat”
under the name Larry & Alvin. Mr. Dodd expressed displeasure
with the song and was reluctant to issue the single. Marshall
recalls, “When me do all tune named ‘Nanny Goat’, Downbeat (Mr.
Dodd’s nickname) said, ‘This don’t sound like it could go out,
Larry, because this sound empty.’ I said to him, ‘No, man –
empty? The people await ‘pon this,’ and me just take a dub from
him and go to a sound man in Barbican named Duke Anjo. The man
want to buy away the dub from me. Alvin Leslie, him play a
little set named King Victor at Stanley Park [in the East
Kingston neighbourhood of Papine], and it’s there ‘Nanny Goat’
bust out of – all roads lead to Papine off of ‘Nanny Goat’. Fi
five months him crash every set, and then people start to ask
all about – Duke Reid and everyone – where they can get it. When
you look at Tommy’s Lawn inna Papine Square, they’re so ram with
people, yet me cook up in a one corner with one little piece of
boot ‘pon me foot, all the bottom broke, and Alvin and me have
number-one tune named ‘Nanny Goat’!” (Quote courtesy of David
Katz’s “Solid Foundation An Oral History of Reggae”)
“Nanny
Goat” is often referenced as the first song to use reggae
musical patterns after the short-lived period of popularity for
its predecessor, rocksteady. For all its success and foresight,
Marshall claims all he ever got out of it was 29 pounds
payment! |
Despite the
lack of financial reward at Studio One, Marshall spent quite a
period of time there in this period and it was there that he
most helped shape the future of reggae music. He arranged
Freddie McKay’s “Picture On the Wall” smash hit, had a hand in
the upcoming youngster Horace Andy’s early career (including
serving as recording engineer for the taping of the hit
“Skylarking”) as well as singing on his own hits including
“Throw Me Corn”, “Mean Girl” and “Your Love”. Many of his
singles as well as other freshly recorded tracks were included
on his first and only record album for Studio One, “Presenting
Larry Marshall”, released in 1973.
Perhaps his
biggest coup though was when fellow St. Ann’s resident Winston
Rodney approached him and asked for an introduction to Mr. Dodd.
Marshall told Rodney to rehearse and then meet him at Studio One
and he would see what he could do. When Rodney appeared at the
Studio One gates with the Soul Defenders (aka Soul Vendors),
Marshall “show him how to sing and portray this African sound”.
Of course Mr. Rodney went on to be better known as Burning Spear
and in many eyes the albums he cut for Mr. Dodd, “Presenting
Burning Spear” and “Rocking Time”, remain at the forefront of
his vast catalogue (that’s true for Studio One’s catalogue as
well as Burning Spear’s own catalogue!)
Other
notable achievements at Studio One were suggesting the title for
the Gladiators’ hit “Hello Carol” (previously they were
auditioning it under the title “Hello My Love”), as well as
serving as co-engineer with Sylvan Morris and doing the actual
taping of a young Dennis Brown’s “No Man Is An Island”.
Following his lengthy stay
at Studio One, Marshall again felt the need to try the waters
elsewhere. This brought him together with producer Carlton
Patterson and his Black & White label. There he teamed with
Patterson to record “Not Responsible” as Carlton & Leroy (sic)
at Randy’s studio in Kingston as well as “Can’t You Understand”,
also in combination with the producer. He recorded “I Admire
You” (single, then album by the same name) shortly after, which
had a further distinction of becoming the first dub side
actually credited to “King Tubby’s” when it was remixed at
Tubby’s famous mixing studio in 1974 (“I Admire You”s flip side,
“Watergate Rock”). (This track as well as other heavy dub
workouts based on tracks from the album “I Admire You” can be
found on Motion’s 2003 release, “I Admire You In Dub”.) Other
widely acclaimed tracks featured on the “I Admire You” LP
included “Thelma”, “Heavy Heavy Load”, the heartbreaking “Can’t
You Understand” and the self-explanatory “Is Whey Deh Money Deh”.
Some time
later Marshall went back into the studio (primarily Channel One
in this case) with Neville Beckford (aka Jah Woosh) and
rerecorded a number of his earlier songs as well as some new
tracks with musicians including members of Roots Radics, the
Gladiators and We the People band. This release, titled “Throw
Mi Corn” was released on Woosh’s Original Music label and saw
limited distribution, mostly in the UK. It is truly a release to
seek out; it offers a heavy rockers-style revision of the
“Throw Me Corn” anthem as well as showcase versions of “Heavy
Heavy Load”, “Bird Song”, and a particularly crucial “Ark of Jah
Covenant”. All tracks are accompanied by dub versions remixed at
King Tubby’s studio and presented in clean clear dynamic sound
and pressure!
In more
recent years, Larry Marshall has remained in the background
musically, but his legacy has lived big and broad: hardly a
month goes by when a new hot single isn’t issued that utilizes
the “Nanny Goat” or “Throw Me Corn” riddims. And a smile must
cross Marshall’s face every time he hears the latest dancehall
hit version one of his venerable songs! Personally, this writer
thinks its high time Mr. Marshall reprises his own material for
a modern audience and hopefully this time he can reap some of
the financial reward he so justly deserves!
With a
background so fundamental to the development of reggae music,
it’s no wonder we at SNWMF are very excited to present Larry
Marshall backed by original musicians of the caliber of the Soul
Vendors. This promises to be yet another milestone performance
for Mr. Marshall and a real treat for all roots music fans in
the audience at this year’s festival!
-
JB Welda
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