TWO weeks ago when the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) honoured the Mello Canary sound system at its annual awards ceremony, selector Denver ‘JAMUSA’ Silvera stepped up to collect the plaque.

Silvera, a popular disc jockey in South Florida, has been with Mello Canary since 1975. Minutes after leaving the stage at Emancipation Park, he spoke to the Jamaica Observer about how some Jamaicans view reggae negatively but support other forms of music.

Selector Denver ‘JAMUSA’ Silvera

“While it is good to see that reggae is very much supported by other countries it is sad that our nation isn’t that supportive,” he said. “Even in Trinidad, reggae is a big part of their culture although they have soca. It is our responsiblity to secure the art by supporting it,” Silvera added.

He noted that many stalwarts are also not given their due.

“I respect and love Bob Marley but not a lot of attention is given to others who have helped to pave the way for reggae. Persons like Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller and the ‘sound men’ have all contributed but there is barely any medium here to honor them”

Silvera says the role of a sound system selector has changed drastically over the years.

Apart from entertaining the audience, he said ‘sound men’ of yesterday took on the job of breaking artists.

“It wasn’t about playing only the popular songs but sound systems were mostly about spotting the next big artiste and making them into a star. This isn’t the case nowadays, sometimes the selectors now are more popular than the artists,” he said.

Mello Canary was founded by owner/selector Sammy Chong in St Thomas in the early 1960s where they played most of their gigs until late that decade when it relocated to Kingston.

The ‘sound’ is now officially known as Mellow Canary USA.