Jah Speaks From The Center Of The Fire:
Burning Spear
by Dean Bonzani
8.10.04
As an artist, Burning Spear is pure. His is a message untainted, delivered with humble power. He is the carrier wave of a deep pulse straight from the heart of Jah.
In more pedestrian terms, Burning Spear was born Winston Rodney in 1948, in St. Ann, Jamaica, which is also the birthplace of Bob Marley and Marcus Garvey. It was Marley who recommended that Rodney seek entry into the music business through Studio One, when approached by Rodney in 1969 in the hills above St. Ann, as Marley was “...going to his farm with a donkey and some buckets and some plants,” (http://www.flagpole.com/issues/08.23.00/burningspear.html).
Rodney did, and with singing partner Rupert Willington, ended up recording a number of songs with famous reggae producer Sir Coxsone Dodd. Before the release of their first single, “Door Peep,” Rodney chose a name for the duo, “Burning Spear,” based on the name given to Mau Mau leader, Jomo Kenyatta, who became president of Kenya. Shortly after the release of “Door Peep,” the duo became a trio with the addition of Delroy Hinds, and a series of singles ensued, including “Joe Frazier (He Prayed),” which was a big hit in Jamaica. Burning Spear followed up this successful string of singles with their first two full-length albums, 1973’s Studio One Presents Burning Spear, and 1974’s Rocking Time, which became enduring classics, and launched a brilliant career that has spanned over 35 years.
By 1975 Burning Spear’s talent and vision were outgrowing the confines of Studio One, and they bid farewell to producer Sir Coxsone Dodd. Under the direction of producer Jack Ruby (aka Lawrence Lindo) they recorded one of the most influential albums to come out of Jamaica, Marcus Garvey. Backing the vocal trio were the Black Disciples, a studio band made up of some of the richest musical talent Jamaica had to offer.
It was during this time that Island Records had noticed the group, and with Marcus Garvey enjoying considerable success all over Jamaica, Burning Spear was signed to that label, which promptly re-released Marcus Garvey. Unfortunately, Island decided to remix the album for a white audience, infuriating the trio. A subsequent dub remix, entitled Garvey’s Ghost, did little to soothe the ire of Rodney and company, as it lacked the original’s intensity, purpose, and vibe. 1976 saw the release of a second record for Island, Man In The Hills, with the Black Disciples again providing strong backup, and Jack Ruby producing. Rodney parted ways with Ruby shortly afterward, and also split from his former bandmates, Willington and Hinds, taking the name “Burning Spear” with him, to carry on as a solo act. He released Dry And Heavy in 1977, with the Black Disciples.
As a solo act, Burning Spear has released 35 albums, including greatest hits, compilation (some of notably dubious quality), retrospective, dub mix and live albums. He’s bounced around from record label to record label, including Heartbeat and Slash, and seen his 1999 Heartbeat release, Calling Rastafari, win a 2000 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. To date, he’s been nominated for the Grammies a total of eight times, and has amassed a rabid following worldwide.
Ever true to the calling of Rastafarianism, Burning Spear’s music is an act of devotion to a loving Jah. Dwelling on themes of unity, liberation of the oppressed, peace, and simplicity, Burning Spear’s mission is to educate and buoy up the downtrodden, imparting wisdom, while inspiring the dejected. A teacher in the tradition of Marcus Garvey, pan-Africanist and father of contemporary Black Nationalism, who dedicated his life to social reform, Burning Spear seeks to impart a vital message of equality of the races, and justice for all people to his listening (and dancing) audiences. Gracious, stately, and lean from a lifetime devotion to physical fitness, Burning Spear is an imposing, yet genuinely warm and expansive figure, whose shows are legendary for their duration and intensity. Hypnotic and trancelike, his rich arrangements underpin profoundly meaningful lyrics drawn from the depths of his soul and sung with unmatched feeling and honesty.
Marcus Garvey died in near obscurity in a cottage in West Kensington, England, in 1940, after failing to win political office in Jamaica, where he had been deported by order of American president Calvin Coolidge. His dream of an African nation-state never materialized during his lifetime, but his messages live on in the words of believers like Winston Rodney, who pray for the day that all men and woman should be equal under Jah.
(Sources: All Music Guide, Craig Harris and Jo-Anne Greene; flagpole.com, Dawn Maynor.)
____________________________________________________________________
Burning Spear, at the Orpheum Theater, Thurs., Aug. 19th. Doors open at 7:00 P.M.., show starts at 8:00 P.M. For info, call 928-556-1580. www.orpheumpresents.com
©2004 by Dean Bonzani, All Rights Reserved