Highlight On Roots Overground Artist : General Plough
redlion dj
here is a link to a veteran artist and a likkle interview from the man
Contact me for bookings and a dubplate session will happen around March
April in Jamaica.
http://zionkeep.free.fr/plough.htm
Guidance
Greetings General
Greetings my friend
I'm going to ask you a few questions to make the people know more about your
experience in reggae music.
Let's begin with how you did start with ?
Allright my friend.It all began thanks to my aunt : Moley Isachar, please
quote her name and make the people know about her doings for the community
because this woman is an angel. I was hanging around her place while a youth
because i never knew my mother (she died while I was 6 months old and I saw
her only on a picture - she is the most beautiful woman to me still ) and
father, so my grandma and people from my family used to take care of me.My
aunt is a member of the twelve tribe and a cook : so she used to cook, bake
cakes and prepare ital juices for the whole community living in the
neighborhood of trenchtown (she still takes care of her other place in kings
house road). The wailers used to play ball not far from there and when they
needed force again that's where they used to gather round : that's how I got
into music ! I was around 7 at that time and was interested in what they
were doing. They used to like my voice so they were willing to teach me how
to sing. At that time they were not really big and it meant singing in
candence cans to add echo voice or use buckets and cheese pans for drums.
The wailers were not the only people I learned from.
Amongst the people that used to come by my aunt there were many soundmans :
like E.T, Bob Andy, Marcia Griffith, Jacob Miller.
Jacob Miller is the next man I learned from : he was also a member of the
twelve tribe and bigger than Bob Marley at that time.
Even Bob used to sing using his band : Inner Circle. Jacob Miller taught me
to sing and same time he liked to sing the songs I was writting : one of
them got a big hit : "jolly joseph". I was going to get opportunity to sing
for his band as well but he left us same time. After him I linked with Larry
Marshall in the same community around barbican. He is, my friend, the first
reggae writer, singer and star in jamaica : i'm giving it to you like it is
: the truth.
With Larry Marshall I had the opportunity to learn play guitar. And those
are basically the people that made me come into music and that I used to
work with in my beginnings.
Where does your name come from ?
Well that name came later on when the wailers moved from trenchtown to hope
road (thanks to Chris Blackwell). I was then the youngest element of their
camp. I used to be there and learning from them. One day they were building
a fence in the back yard. People like familyman, ranglin, frayta (that man
had shaking hands and mimics but he was a wicked guitarist) were around.
I was between 7 and 9 and I grabbed a big metal bar to dig a hole like I saw
them doing.Tosh said "wha - the likkle man can plough the ground - so gwaan
plough man". I never did it before and the metal was so heavy that I just
fell down with the bar upon me. Tosh gave me a hand and started to call me
plough from that day ironically. At the same time he had much affection for
me. I asked him why he kept on calling me plough after a while : he told me
"because you re just like that :
P for people - L for love - O for observation - U for unity - G for
generation (I was the next one) - H for the healing of the nation ."
From that day on I honored that name.
What are your first recordings ?
My first recording is back biter for musical ambassador in 1979 I was
between 7 and 9. And this first tune hit the charts ! It took me some time
to be able to record my first tune but it finally paid. I recorded then a
next tune : "this society" ! It hit the charts again but they banned it from
the radios because of its content. It was still allright because i made a
buzz allready and lots of producers were willing to work with me. I recorded
"armagedeon war" for aquarius (herman chin), "she's gone" : 2 big hits for
the label, Golden chalics : produced and released on 45 and 12 inch. " I
need your love" produced by myself and distributed by King culture in
Canada. I had many international links : like Clappers that did release one
of my LP.
That is allmost the same as Midnight Rock - Can you talk about that CD ?
Yes : that is the first LP I recorded - I was 9 at that time .
But you look older on the cover ?
You'll see an actual picture of me on the other side . That is an artwork of
Jah Wise the brother from Cornell Campbell and the man that helped me get
this album all together.
Lot of people helped me at that time and that was my real beginning. I was
the next generation from the wailers camp. That's how I show them a tribute
with a picture of Bob Marley on every LP that I make (u can notice the one
cartoon representing Marley on this LP). And with the cover of bob marley's
tune : "keep on moving". I was there when he recorded that tune. Junior
Murvin was the guitarist when Bob began to sing that song. I was young and
could not get the meaning of that tune but I was feeling like really moved
by that tune. It has been my motto after Bob and many other friends left us.
What have you been doing next ?
Well like I told you I was really close to people like Jacob Miler and Bob
Marley. Those are the people that were to push me forward. But unfortunately
they disappeared some times after I began to step in the place.My songs
remained 6 months in charts and were taken off by Black Uhuru with "shine
eye gal". I still then kept on recording and working with the same Michael
Rose from Black Uhuru for example but things went slower. I could have
linked up with somebody like Chris Blackwell during Bob's time but I never
wanted to show disrespect to the Wailers and was waiting for my time. I
still had the opportunity to work in the music businness and did allmost
whatever I could do because of my knowledge of this music. That made me keep
on working with Peter Tosh at Dynamics, Beres Hammond, Sly and Robbie at
Channel One studio : Jojo and Ernest Hoo Kim gave me access to all their
materials to build riddims for people like Barry Brown, Brent Dowe, Michael
Prophet, Sugar Minott, Sammy Dread, Philip Frazer, Max Romeo, Peter Ranking
and General Lucky...
What are the outstanding songs of your repertoire ?
Hmm. I have allready quoted "armagedeon war" that is a dubmaster. I think
about "Oh Jean" : big hit written by another person (i dont remember his
name) and me. "One more river to cross" recorded at tuff gong (thanks to the
Marley family) for Black Originator Label. It was owned by me and Mr Epp : I
wished I could see him again and that he never died.A true friend. He was
giving me help when I got my first baby.
I was working with my friend Anthony Blackwood and Larry Marshall for him.
And that's under this label that I recorded my other dubmaster : "the
toughest".
Cut on the cuss cuss riddim when you became "the toughest" at that time ?
I'm still the toughest my youth. Yes sly and robbie built that riddim. It
has been recut lately for Dave Kelly under Shocking Vibes. That tune remains
but a cultural tune for me. I still represent the next generation at that
time. It was to show the youth how strong you can be and how far the
almighty can make you reach.
It has been covered many times but mine is the original !
What are you doing right now ?
Well As you can see it's 2008 and i'm still there doing my things. I've done
many things during the while : I helped to build several places (bars,
restaurants). I built my own sound system : ruckus sound and I kept on
recording. I finally managed to get in touch with musical ambassador my
first label in order to release a LP called the "great hits" (the greatest
hits to follow). I intend to write a book about my history in reggae music.
And like you see i'm still building a next place with these youths.I Plough
the soil and plant a lot of food. That is great my friend.
Give thanks General