THE RETURN OF TIGER!

By Marlon Burrell—

There have been many reports of dancehall artist Tiger’s demise and failed comebacks since he had a near fatal motorcycle accident in 1994. When word came this past summer that there was a tour scheduled with Anthony Malvo, Johnny P, and Admiral Bailey among others, there was some genuine excitement from the public about seeing Tiger. The buzz was more about seeing him and the curiosity about his ability to perform on stage than genuine anticipation of his performance. I was elated when I learned that there was a performance scheduled for Fort Lauderdale. I must admit I was only curious about Tiger’s ability to perform as well. I was also enthused about seeing Johnny P and the Admiral in action as I have not seen either of them in quite some time. The tour got going in Hartford, Connecticut on July 16th. After viewing a video clip on social media of Tiger’s performance on the initial show, my curiosity turned to immense anticipation as he was in fine form.

The highly anticipated Fort Lauderdale show took place on the night of September 13th to a full house at the Entertainment Warehouse. No one on this show disappointed. The lineup also included Leroy Sibbles, Admiral Bailey, and Lieutenant Stitchie. Johnny P took the stage to the delight of the capacity crowd. His energy was high and he had the place in a frenzy. When he called Anthony Malvo and Tiger to the stage, the place erupted. Fans at the front made a point of reaching out and shaking the hands of of the artists, especially Tiger. The trio could do absolutely no wrong on that stage. They had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. The cheers were significantly louder when Tiger took the mic and he especially could do no wrong in the eyes of the audience. He was able to show his adoring fans that he was capable of performing his big hits. He might not have been 100% the tiger of old, but he was able to show that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

I was recently able to catch up with Johnny P and his manager Harold “Biggs” McLarty who also manages Tiger. Johnny P revealed that he has not been working the stage show circuit very much in recent years because many promoters don’t show a lot of respect for the foundation artists. They would want to book him and his peers to shows as add-ons and opening acts and not as featured artists. He also reported that he reunited with Tiger several years ago in Jamaica at a studio where Tiger was voicing dubplates. Upon greeting Tiger, he realized that his fellow artist did not recognize him until he told him who he was talking to. He was able to relate to his friends situation because of his own personal experience. He revealed that in 1985 on his way to Montego Bay he was involved in a bicycle accident at Mt. Salem Hill. He was in a coma for seven days and it took him a while to become himself again. He felt that he could provide motivation for Tiger to find himself again. He also felt that a necessary link to their past was the key to pulling it off in person of Biggs who heads the Authentic Reggae Agency (ARA) and its parent company Vibes Promotions. Biggs began managing Tiger in 1987 and released his debut album “Me Name Tiger.” He began managing Johnny P’s career in 1988. He then went on to guide them to the most successful and productive periods of their respective careers to date.

This subsequent tour of the east coast of the U.S. was set up and kicked off in Hartford Connecticut. With Anthony Malvo in tow they performed to rave reviews in Boston, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, and South Florida. Johnny P reports is that since the beginning of the tour, Tiger’s speech and memory has improved and continues to do so. Working the stage again has been therapeutic for him. He also states that Tiger is growing more confident with each performance. He and Anthony Malvo has been performing together with Tiger while he gets used to the stage again. Appearances in California are scheduled before the end of this year. There are plans for new recordings as Johnny reports is that he wants to be relevant in today’s market without lowering the standard of the music. In addition to new recordings, Biggs stated that there will also be music videos and the remixes off some of their classic material. He also wants a European tour and a tour of Japan in the near future. There are current negotiations to appear on a major South Florida festival next year. It is quite refreshing to see these veterans work. Watch out, they may be performing in a city near you.