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LKJ- between this street 66 and sonny's lettah!






bitty mclean





peter hunningale






smiley culture





Aswad- cheated this is a medley!






My journey to reggae was via hip hop. I. was into it aged 10 in 1982/3, hip-hop, in 84 I heard cockney translator by smiley culture

I learnt that smiley was with Saxon sound- a sound system who still go today with musclehead and others - also responsible for maxi priest etc

I saved my paper round money and bouth a szxon sound system tape. they were playing a set along with Barry G ( a jamiacna dj) and david rodigan ( a white guy born in berlin but lived in oxford- again a legend.

I would send off for tapes when I could afford them.

at aged 15 I had 4 paper rounds. my momey went on everton and also music. once every school term I would bunk off on the train to london. then skip the tube to brixton. completely unaware of the culture.

i would turn up to brixton and buy sound clash and or sound system tapes from red records. i was the only white face and the only northerner and in my school uniform but they thought I was unhinged so would do me great deals on tapes. i would also liberate wehatever i could. i would take the tapes home. I would then identify the artist and the song. I would then go to penny lane records in chester which was the best locally and order jamaican music. i was hooked.as I hurtled towards 15 I got a pen pal a female in london who was into hip hop and ragga. she would record danceheall on pirate radio for me and send me tapes. I still keep in contact with her to this day.

I had now gravitated to 'trading', allegedly, red leb hashish. it was common in liverpool but lambs collie yard grass was in short supply. so i would once a month get the train to my female firneds fla on the estate- croxley house- in burnt oak broadway - I was 15 in a pub called the bare faced stag. she knew people from stonebridge park who would give me a good swap on red leb for lambs collie. i could take 4.5 ounces down and return with 6.75 ounces of yard grass. on my next trip/s I would drop the money and replenish etc etc. we used to go to red records in brixton, 4 star general clothing in camden and wendy's - I loved that shit! i would return to a kicking but i didnt care- i used to pay a fortune for triangle socks- burlingtons argyle socks, and click suits-i thought i looked ace and in london did back here less so considerably.

after a period of being unable to attend for a while I gotback into reggae hugely. i have travelled all over going to clashes, sumfest in jamaica, sting in jamaica, dances in amsterdam, munich, stuttgart, brooklyn and loads in the UK.

hairiest one was a street dancw by stone love sound system in kingston - luckily I was with peope but a guy in recognition of a great dubplate emptied an UZI full clip into the air. i think I left my arsehole not far away!

it has a special place in my heart. it drives my kids mad when i have them- too loud, too. much bass, 'why dont they play all the song' etc etc etc- but its my thing and I am hooked on it.

its a funny old game saint!

sorry to go on!