A LARGE TURNOUT AS BARRY G AND DAVID RODIGAN ROLL BACK THE YEARS IN NEW YORK CITY!

Veteran disc jockeys David Rodigan (left) and Barry ‘G”

BACK in 1985, dancehall music was emerging from the Kingston and London underground into the mainstream. Disc jockeys Barry ‘Barry G’ Gordon and David Rodigan played major roles in that transition.

Last Saturday, the two renewed their rivalry at Resort World Casino in Queens, New York. It marked the 30th anniversary of their memorable clash at Empire Roller Rink in Brooklyn.

Both are still on top of their game. Rodigan, the affable 64-year-old Briton, hosts a weekly program on BBC Radio 1Xtra while the charismatic Barry G, 60, rules Jamaican afternoon airwaves on Mello FM.Garfield ‘Chin’ Bourne of New York promotion company Irish and Chin organized Saturday’s show, which had a large turnout.

“The David Rodigan and Barry G epic sound clash series touched the hearts of music lovers in and out of Jamaica and played the role as a stepping stone for the cheer of some of today’s legendary artists,” said Bourne. ‘Staging a celebration of their contribution was an honor. There will never be another entertaining rivalry such as the one they shared for many decades.”

Some noted personalities from the Rodigan/Barry 1980’s heyday attended the event. They included entertainers Shabba Ranks, Lady Ann and Carlton Livingston, as well as producers Gussie Clarke and Maurice ‘Jack Scorpio’ Johnson.

At the height of his popularity in the 1980’s, Rodigan hosted the Roots Rockers show on Capital Radio in London. Along with Greensleeves Records, he was a major player in dancehall’s breakthrough on British radio.

Gordon hosted the Barry G Show on JBC Radio in Kingston. That program helped expose the hip sounds from artists like Yellowman, Barrington Levy and Tenor Saw.

— By Howard Campbell

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