Michael Baxter | Trinity - Jesus Dread / Yabby You Sound - Grove Music - 1978 @mickeypenguin | Uploaded April 2021 | Updated October 2024, 10 minutes ago.
Rest In Peace DJ Trinity.
From that golden period in reggae music towards the end of the seventies, this 7" single is one of my favorites (and not just because he mentions clubs in Tottenham and Dalston). It's just perfect.
The interview below taken from the reggaeville blog conducted and written by Angus Taylor.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST TOOK THE MIC?
Yeah man. It was 1973-74. That's when I first took the mic on a sound system. At the time it was excitement, you know? Because I used to love the deejay business. I used to love to sing and when I went to school at Boys Town School I would usually sing. But I found I started to like the deejay thing and Dillinger took me to the studio and from there on from the sound system to the studio.
IS IT RIGHT THAT THE FIRST TUNE YOU RECORDED WAS FOR ENOS MCCLEOD?
Yes. Well he knew my mother and they were in the lane. Because we used to live in a lane in Two Mile Kingston 13. And he would usually come there and smoke his weed and he heard me deejay in the yard and he said “I'm going to record you, you know?” And we made an arrangement and went to a studio named Dynamic Sounds. Dennis Alcapone was in the studio too. I did a tune named 'Believe In It' for Enos McCleod. That is my very very first song.
TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH DILLINGER AND HOW HE BROUGHT YOU TO CHANNEL ONE STUDIO?
Well, me and Dillinger lived in the same vicinity. And he would usually come and check me in the day. And through him seeing my potential and deejaying on the sound system, one day he was going to Channel One and he said to me “Boy Toto” - because that's what he called me - “I'm going to carry you to studio with me today”. And I said “All right". And me and him went to Channel One and he was voicing the tune named 'Cocaine'.
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT THREE PIECE SUIT. HOW IT HAPPENED.
It was just like we were at a dance. And in those days a lot of three piece suits we’d usually wear. In the '70s. And there was a man in the dance dancing with a girl but he had on his three-piece suit and the girl was fat. So I looked at it and I thought “I could make a song of that”. And I started practising in my mind. I didn't deejay the song in the dance. Because I didn't want other deejays to hear it and steal it. So I secretly went where Dillinger usually recorded for Joe Gibbs and he took me to the guy named Errol Thompson. Errol Thompson said he didn't want a new deejay but Dillinger just said “No man, he’s bad, man. My apprentice, what you say Errol?”. Dillinger just said to me “I hope you don't let me down, you know?'' I said “No man. One cut me a go take man”. Errol had the tape on the machine already waiting. Sitting down because he knew he had got a hit tune. And when I went there I took one cut, one take and a guy was in the studio named Stafford from England who usually buys export records. He said he wanted 500 of this song. Because he knew it was a hit too. And the tune came out a hit tune and it got song of the year. It did well and Althea and Donna did a little thing…
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOUR WORK WITH YABBY YOU…
Well, Yabby You was a little small man with his little bike and nobody usually respected him like that and recorded for him. But I know that sometimes you can't watch what a man has or what he is like, if he doesn't look like a big producer. You can do a thing to really help him or help yourself because you never know. So I just voiced for him because he is a spiritual person and I like those kinds of things there. So me and him got together and did things together and lived at the same place and that's how we built up a relationship. So every time he had a good rhythm and wanted to do a disco 45 he wanted me and me alone, the only deejay who deejayed on his rhythms. I worked with him because me and him would go to studio and work at King Tubby’s sometimes. We’d do the rhythm at Channel One and then we go to Tubby's to mix and voice. But Yabby You was a producer where I loved to work with him because he always had some good ideas. And today a lot of his songs I have to do them on stage because his songs are an inspiration.
TELL ME THE STORY BEHIND ONE OF THE MORE FAMOUS SIDES FOR YABBY YOU - JESUS DREAD?
Well Jesus Dread, Yabby You was a man who would deal with Jesus. He was a Jesus dread. He was a man who would read his Bible a lot and talk about Jesus. So I just took the idea and said “Boy, I'm going to make a song named Jesus Dread” because Yabby You would talk about Jesus Christ and Christ and Christ and I grew up under his wings I was just inspired to do that song. Because I did that song after Yabby You. It is him that is why I did that song. Because it's him who gave me those vibes to make that song because we were together and he was Jesus Dread and then we started and I said to myself “I'm going to make a song off him.'' So I just said “Yabby You sound are the general sound” that means it's really not a sound system it's just his musical sound.
Rest In Peace DJ Trinity.
From that golden period in reggae music towards the end of the seventies, this 7" single is one of my favorites (and not just because he mentions clubs in Tottenham and Dalston). It's just perfect.
The interview below taken from the reggaeville blog conducted and written by Angus Taylor.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST TOOK THE MIC?
Yeah man. It was 1973-74. That's when I first took the mic on a sound system. At the time it was excitement, you know? Because I used to love the deejay business. I used to love to sing and when I went to school at Boys Town School I would usually sing. But I found I started to like the deejay thing and Dillinger took me to the studio and from there on from the sound system to the studio.
IS IT RIGHT THAT THE FIRST TUNE YOU RECORDED WAS FOR ENOS MCCLEOD?
Yes. Well he knew my mother and they were in the lane. Because we used to live in a lane in Two Mile Kingston 13. And he would usually come there and smoke his weed and he heard me deejay in the yard and he said “I'm going to record you, you know?” And we made an arrangement and went to a studio named Dynamic Sounds. Dennis Alcapone was in the studio too. I did a tune named 'Believe In It' for Enos McCleod. That is my very very first song.
TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH DILLINGER AND HOW HE BROUGHT YOU TO CHANNEL ONE STUDIO?
Well, me and Dillinger lived in the same vicinity. And he would usually come and check me in the day. And through him seeing my potential and deejaying on the sound system, one day he was going to Channel One and he said to me “Boy Toto” - because that's what he called me - “I'm going to carry you to studio with me today”. And I said “All right". And me and him went to Channel One and he was voicing the tune named 'Cocaine'.
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT THREE PIECE SUIT. HOW IT HAPPENED.
It was just like we were at a dance. And in those days a lot of three piece suits we’d usually wear. In the '70s. And there was a man in the dance dancing with a girl but he had on his three-piece suit and the girl was fat. So I looked at it and I thought “I could make a song of that”. And I started practising in my mind. I didn't deejay the song in the dance. Because I didn't want other deejays to hear it and steal it. So I secretly went where Dillinger usually recorded for Joe Gibbs and he took me to the guy named Errol Thompson. Errol Thompson said he didn't want a new deejay but Dillinger just said “No man, he’s bad, man. My apprentice, what you say Errol?”. Dillinger just said to me “I hope you don't let me down, you know?'' I said “No man. One cut me a go take man”. Errol had the tape on the machine already waiting. Sitting down because he knew he had got a hit tune. And when I went there I took one cut, one take and a guy was in the studio named Stafford from England who usually buys export records. He said he wanted 500 of this song. Because he knew it was a hit too. And the tune came out a hit tune and it got song of the year. It did well and Althea and Donna did a little thing…
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOUR WORK WITH YABBY YOU…
Well, Yabby You was a little small man with his little bike and nobody usually respected him like that and recorded for him. But I know that sometimes you can't watch what a man has or what he is like, if he doesn't look like a big producer. You can do a thing to really help him or help yourself because you never know. So I just voiced for him because he is a spiritual person and I like those kinds of things there. So me and him got together and did things together and lived at the same place and that's how we built up a relationship. So every time he had a good rhythm and wanted to do a disco 45 he wanted me and me alone, the only deejay who deejayed on his rhythms. I worked with him because me and him would go to studio and work at King Tubby’s sometimes. We’d do the rhythm at Channel One and then we go to Tubby's to mix and voice. But Yabby You was a producer where I loved to work with him because he always had some good ideas. And today a lot of his songs I have to do them on stage because his songs are an inspiration.
TELL ME THE STORY BEHIND ONE OF THE MORE FAMOUS SIDES FOR YABBY YOU - JESUS DREAD?
Well Jesus Dread, Yabby You was a man who would deal with Jesus. He was a Jesus dread. He was a man who would read his Bible a lot and talk about Jesus. So I just took the idea and said “Boy, I'm going to make a song named Jesus Dread” because Yabby You would talk about Jesus Christ and Christ and Christ and I grew up under his wings I was just inspired to do that song. Because I did that song after Yabby You. It is him that is why I did that song. Because it's him who gave me those vibes to make that song because we were together and he was Jesus Dread and then we started and I said to myself “I'm going to make a song off him.'' So I just said “Yabby You sound are the general sound” that means it's really not a sound system it's just his musical sound.
