Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Welton Irie performs at the Digicel Media Party, held at Countryside Club, Eastwood Park Road, St. Andrew, on January 7. Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Many entertainers have slipped through the cracks of time, fading memories of when they were on top of the game all that remain for those who reminisce on their youth. In 'Glory Days' The Sunday Gleaner helps jog the memory along and this week Welton Irie takes us back.

Sunday Gleaner: How did you get started?

Welton Irie: The bug first bit me in 1976. That was when I was here with Ranking Trevor; he was my idol. I decided to become a DJ, then I used to go around the various dances begging mic to get a chance to deejay. Sometimes dem run yuh, sometimes they give yuh a chance. I started my career on this set, Surge on The President.

What was your big break?

I left Surge on the President and went to Gemini Disco in 1978. That was where I buss. I got big on Gemini 'cause Gemini was a number one disco then. So when I came on, that blew me up. That was when peace times just came in, that allowed me to go lot of places one couldn't go first time. You could go up Tivloi Gardens and before peace time that wasn't possible. That was what helped my career. I could go all over. After that I went to Virgo Disco. By then my name had blown up, so any disco I went on I could build it.

How did you get your name?

It was given to me by Clement Dodd of Studio One at my first recording. When I was finished he asked me what name to put on the record. I told him Welton and he said 'I can't just put Welton. You sound Irie, yuh know'. I am the first Irie to ever be used in the reggae industry. Irie was a slang back then, but no artiste ever thought of using that word in that way, shape or form. Welton 'Irie' was the first Irie to be used in music. I didn't like it when I first got it, but Clement Dodd gave it to me.

Did you do a lot of shows?

We were playing seven nights a week, sometimes twice on Saturdays. That's how popular I was back in those days. But the thing is in those days when you

were deejaying sound you didn't think about recording, you were just big all over in the dancehall. The DJ dem just love the music. We never thought about the business of it. You only had few studio DJs at the time, like Trinity.

What are some of the singles you released?

In 1982 I got my number one song, Army Life. That's still being played now. Any retro dance you go to you still here that now. There was Chase dem Crazy with Lone Ranger and myself back in 1979. There was Hotta Reggae Music that I did with Sly and Robbie. I had songs that were big in Europe that wasn't big here. Wicked Tumbling, very big in Europe, up to the other day I got royalties for that, that was done in 1982. Sound owners from Germany and France still come down here to dub plates from me and other artistes from my era.

So were you a big seller back then?

Back in those days money wasn't like what there making now. Back in those days royalty was like 10 cents per copy. Army Life sold like 30,000 copies in three months, More records were selling back then than now. If you were a DJ and you weren't big in the dancehall is like you weren't big at all, you weren' t recognised.

What are you doing now?

I'm playing on the radio, Mega Jams 98 FM, every Sunday from 12 midday until 4 - vintage - and I play at a lot of retro parties. What I mainly do now is selecting.

Why did you come out of the dancehall?

The vibes just wasn't there anymore and the music was changing too. Lyrically it was changing; it's always evolving. 'Cause when I took it from Ranking Trevor, it was more easier, laid back lyrics, lyrics that DJs used to build on the top of their heads. Than I came in and started writing lyrics, that eased out DJs before us in the dance. New lyrics now started getting more forwards in the dance. Its always evolving. If you notice you used to have a Yellowman, Josey Wales, now its like a Elephant Man, a Bounty Killer and even those guys are kinda being squeezed out by the likes of a Busy Signal, Aidonia. Every generation of DJs is always bringing something new to the table. So I didn't wait for people to say they don't want to hear me anymore. You look around and see what's being said in the dance and the response its getting. I love music anyway.

What is your signature as a sound man?

When it comes to retro no other DJ can play it like me because I lived it. That's the difference between me and those others. Give credit to the young guys who are playing it now, but I lived it. So when I bring it to a retro party people can relate to it, how its being played, what I say while playing it cause I can relay certain events to bring them back. I can play some dancehall as well, the latest things.

After you left the dancehall what did you do?

Straight selecting with Gemini. Gemini had just returned from tour and didn't have a selector at a time. I went on tour with them in 1983 when I was dejaaying, it was me, Johnny Ringo and Squiddley Ranking. We toured for three months - London, Birmingham, Manchester and more. That was massive.

SG: What was your fondest memory from that tour?

The first dance they had to call out the mounted police to try control the crowd. Jamaicans who had migrated for a very long time, they always want a little piece of Jamaica. So when they heard about Gemini Disco, they turned out cause they wanted to hear Gemini, they wanted to see us. People always want to be at the dance first. Nobody want to be told what happened, they wanted to be there live. The response was like it was Sunsplash. I can't forget that. We started turning away people and we had to call the police.

Why did you leave Gemini?

Well, after a while you had to move on. Sometimes you get a better offer from someone else, sometimes you just want a change, With every sound I ever left, there's a good relationship right around.

What was it like when you were a live DJ on mic?

The selector would play the version, that's when you would work. At some times you would have no rest time. You have to start deejaying from 7 o'clock. Until you hold that mic no one comes into the dance. They would stand up on road side then when dem hear mic check 1, 2, dem go inna dem pocket for money. I must let you know the first money I got for deejaying was $2.00.

Have you ever thought of coming back, deejaying now?

Sometimes it cross my mind. I get up and seh I gonna do it but then I can't bother. I know the producers real well, so I know I wouldn't have a problem. I guess the mad spree don't get me yet.