Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

Veteran singer/musician, Paul Hurlock. -Photo by Noel Thompson

Being part of a band can sometimes require much patience and tolerance of others. Often members do not turn up for rehearsals and at times there is a tug-of-war when it comes on to creative control.

Being a one-man band eliminates all that, but takes exceptional skill, concentration and co-ordination. Over time, technology has made the work lighter for these solo bands.

Before computers were as popular as they are today in music, one-man bands were harder to operate. But with all the advancement, Paul Hurlock is still maintaining his old school abilities.

For 40 years he has been juggling among his guitar controller, keyboard, foot pedal, guitar with bass, along with the other instruments he plays.

?A lot of the other one-man bands have computerised most of what they do, but a lot of what I do is still manual,? Mr. Hurlock told The Sunday Gleaner.

If you are not satisfied with what others are doing, it is often easier to do it yourself. Hurlock did just that. He formed a regular band back in the 1970s, but the members were not as dedicated as he would have liked.

Applying yourself

?If you deal with high standard music and pay attention to what you do, you will make good money. They weren?t dedicated and so they weren?t up to scratch,? Mr. Hurlock commented.

While the musician rehearses at his convenience, he is required to apply himself even more.

?It is absolutely difficult to perform because you depend on yourself. If you make a mistake it?s gone,? he said.

Hurlock has been on tour to Puerto Rico, Spain and the United States, playing venues in states such as Texas, Florida and New York.

While Hurlock took the option to continue with his manual instruments, Ralph Holding formed his band with a lot of recorded input. He was a part of a band called Vitamin X and was touring Europe extensively. Around 1995, he got tired of touring and just wanted to be home.

He lifts his hat to Hurlock, but says the computer made his job a lot easier. Another aspect that makes being a one-man band easier for him is his musical background.

?They are many one-man-bands around, but many lack the musical background. The hotels expect you to have a wide variety, anything from Bob Marley to Bach. You have to be versatile. That?s where a lot of the youngsters fail. They can?t read music and only being able to play E, D and G won?t work,? Holding said.

Holding, the brother of former West Indies cricketer Michael Holding, had many stints in hotels on the north coast but is now a fixture at the Ritz-Carlton in Montego Bay.

He told The Sunday Gleaner that his job keeps him busy and his mind occupied with new material.

Rupert Bent, another one-man outfit, said he was inspired to form his band on one of his travels to Singapore, where he saw a man in the street with his own band. Bent said he was mesmerised and that gave birth to his own band. He began to purchase his own programming machines and soon he was getting gigs around town.

Though he is a pilot and also an engineer for News Talk Radio, he finds time for his true love. He has only one piece of advice.

Try different things

?The biggest problem is that being in a one-man band can limit you if you are not careful. Try to change up what you do,? he said.

Musician Keith Lyn said he was not limited because of his musical ability, but he migrated to Florida, He left his homeland where he was once lead singer of Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires. While in Florida he taught himself how to play the guitar, harmonica and a few more instruments, until his friend encouraged him to form his band.

Now that he is back in Jamaica, he is comfortable performing around Kingston at private functions.

Another advantage of being a one-man band is the joy of pay day; one cheque, one person.

?Jobs are easier to get if you have only one person to pay. There is a demand because of that cost factor. But it takes a lot more out of you because you can?t take the focus off you,? Bent said.

Hurlock, who now owns a restaurant in Montego Bay, said he was making $5000 per night in the 1970s and 80s and eventually commanded between $30,000 and $100,000 per performance. Holding said a one-man band can easily make $2 million per year.

But it is not a simple task, as ?you can teach a man the keyboard or how to pedal, but you can?t teach him how play in a one-man band?, Hurlock stated.