By Mandingo/Afrikan Music Historian/UK
FREDDIE McGREGOR THE WINNER… DELIVERED AN AWESOME EMOTIONALLY CHARGED PERFORMANCE AT THE ELECTRIC VENUE IN BRIXTON, SOUTH LONDON, ENGLAND, Sunday night August 13.
For almost one hour Freddie McGregor, the Captain of the Big Reggae Ship, steered clearly and emphatically with the loving and most supportive audience on board.
Some of the hits we of the circa full capacity audience of 1200, sang and danced to and roared approval were of course ‘Big Ship’, ‘Push Come To Shove’ ,’Let Him Try’ with Christopher Ellis (in lieu of his father Alton Ellis the Godfather who did the original Jamaican rendition) ‘Loving Pauper’, ‘Prophecy’, ‘Seek And You Will Find’ and his other Reggae classics.
The zenith of his high powered performance was when Freddie did ‘I Was Born A Winner’ because as Freddie just told me in a phone call, while on board the plane awaiting departure for his flight to Florida, he stood up out of his chair “….with the help of the ancestors.” Freddie’s band played excellently and was supported vocally by his sons Stephen McGregor aka Di Genius, Chino McGregor and Yashemabeth, his daughter with Reggae queen Judy Mowatt, and another female singer.
The show started with a PA by Leroy Simmonds the singer from Peckham, South London and was followed by Christopher Ellis and his Inheritance band. Christopher Ellis began his career when I introduced him on stage at the Hammersmith Palais, West London when he was about 11 years old, a show featuring his father Alton Ellis. Stephen and Chino McGregor then performed together and set the stage for the headlining performance of their father. Thanks to BJ Promotions who did a superb job in promoting the show. Errol Dunkley Jamaica’s second child recording star in the 1960s and singer Keeling Beckford of ‘Combination’ fame, were a part of the appreciative audience.
My parting words to Freddie McGregor, was that he had a choice of working as a singer or giving up his career, he made the choice by choosing to work and he accomplished his mission by performing superbly, despite the obvious effects of the stroke he got a few months ago. Freddie said he agreed with me and that he will continue to work on getting better and better. He said he will continue because Jah the Creator has given him the ability and capacity to continue with his lifelong profession of singing and promoting Reggae music.
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