“Dubplate playing in the ghetto tonight

We gonna rock it tonight”

— Johnny Osbourne

On Sunday, nearly one thousand persons made their way to the National Sports Centre complex in Prospect, Devonshire. There were no sports activities going on, unless one considers “making the run” to the bar as a sport. What they did come to witness was an unprecedented moment in Bermuda’s history.

Lloyd James, aka King Jammy, some of his immediate family and three of reggae music’s foundation artists — Lieutenant Stitchie, Johnny Osbourne and Little John — graced the stage. In the case of King Jammy, it was his first visit to Bermuda. Without a doubt, he was the royalty that brought out hundreds of loyal subjects.

The early segments were filled with a host of multitalented Bermudians showcasing their skills as live performers and party DJs. Included in this line up were the following First Choice, Pappa Lenny, OGS Genesis, Jugglin’ Jason, Arijahknow Live Wires and a young vocalist by the name of Lijah.

Star time

A special shout out to OGS Genesis, who hyped up the crowd with about one hour of excellent mixing by Jason Rayno, combined with an unforgettable performance as MC by Alafia Toriano Henry, aka “Big Man Laffy”. He mixed in comedy and stage presence to have the crowd eating out of his hands. Kudos for perfecting his craft over the past 15 years.

Stephen Jones, of Jonestown International Sound System, had the honour of introducing his mentor, King Jammy, to the stage where he was escorted by the Gombeys. There, Mitchelle Trott, aka Live Wires, presented a Bermuda cedar plaque to King Jammy for his lifetime contribution to reggae music.

After that, it was a musical showpiece equivalent to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

One by one and as a trio, Lieutenant Stitchie, Johnny Osbourne and Little John showcased more than an hour of live performances of King Jammy-produced classic reggae tunes of the 1980s. There was a standout performance by Little John, who sang a host of cover tunes and his own original lyrics with a voice that has not changed over four decades.

Mature adults of all backgrounds were transfixed and transported back to the carefree days of riding from session to session around the island. Often, the music was lowered to allow the crowd to sing the lyrics as a collective choir. Anyone walking around the arena would have witnessed people skanking like they have not skanked in 40 years. For sure, there were quite a few folks who would have needed Bengay on Monday morning.

After the show ended, there was an endless line of fans wanting to take pictures with King Jammy and the trio of entertainers.

Up close

On a personal note, the day after the show, promoter Jamal Hart invited me to spend a few hours with King Jammy and his family, inclusive of his beloved Ms Iris, son John and daughter-in-law Karen. We had a chance to take them around the island, stopping at points up west, in the City and in Warwick.

A memorable moment was witnessing a deep conversation about cricket between King Jammy and Dexter Smith, a Jamaica, West Indies and La Liga supporter outside of the Editor’s offices at The Royal Gazette. Additionally, during a pitstop at a petrol station, quite a few people were excited to see King Jammy and gave testimony to what his music has done for their lives.

Later on, we spent some time at the guesthouse speaking about some of the highlights of the sound system culture, the finer art of cooking, and everyday talk.

It is not often that one is blessed to spend time in the company of legends and their families. For that I am grateful to Mr and Mrs Hart, and King Jammy and family.

Long live the King.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com