| BY HOWARD CAMPBELL— Observer senior writer— |
IT was supposed to be the project blending two exciting genres and artistes — roots-reggae by The Wailers with toasting from U-Roy. But only one song from the ambitious collaboration was ever released.
Last June, My Cup Runneth Over by The Wailers feat U-Roy was released by Tafari Records, a company owned by Gary “Dr Dread” Himelfarb. It features U-Roy’s patented deejay style on classic rhythms which The Wailers recorded with producer Lee “Scratch” Perry 50 years ago.
Kingston 12 Shuffle, a toaster’s spin on The Wailers’ Trenchtown Rock, was the only single released from the proposed album.
Bob Marley, the most famous Wailer, died from cancer in 1981; Peter Tosh was murdered six years later; while Bunny Wailer succumbed early this month to complications from strokes. U-Roy died in February.
Himelfarb told the Jamaica Observer recently that he decided to complete the set some years ago after his previous company, RAS Records, was acquired by Sanctuary and Trojan Records. That arrangement gave him access to the Perry recordings with The Wailers.
Himelfarb conducted the My Cup Runneth Over sessions with U-Roy at Music Works in Kingston. He remembers Wailer stopping by and giving it the thumbs up.
“He was like, ‘Dr Dread, dis album should have been done 50 years ago.’ People are loving this album big time,” said Himelfarb.
In 1971 The Wailers, Toots and The Maytals and Jimmy Cliff were the faces of reggae — a new, rebellious sound from Kingston’s ghettos that was catching on internationally. In Jamaica, U-Roy was moving from the dancehall to mainstream airplay by toasting to rocksteady songs like The Paragons’ Wear You to The Ball.
Released on The Wailers’ Tuff Gong label, Kingston 12 Shuffle was well-received but there was no follow-up. On My Cup Runneth Over ‘Daddy Roy’ does his thing on rhythms to Lively up Yourself, Kaya, Mr Brown and African Herbsman.
The album also contains dub versions.
Himelfarb, who once managed Wailer, worked on several projects with U-Roy including the True Born African album which the deejay did with British producer Neal “Mad Professor” Fraser.
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