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Burning Spear performing at Rebel Salute 2005.

Bass player Glen Browne identifies Burning Spear as one of the persons who established reggae in Europe.

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

Having been nominated for a Grammy Award on multiple occasions and winning once, it is hard to believe that Winston Rodney, more popularly known as the Burning Spear, is feeling as proud and excited about his most recent nomination as if it was his very first time.

However, Burning Spear, who has been doing inspiring reggae for more than 35 years, says this is the first time that he is in full control of his work, under his very own independent label.

According to Spear, his Grammy-nominated album (in the category of Best Reggae Album) The Burning Spear Experience, a double disc, 25-track compilation with a limited edition bonus DVD, "has been getting a good feedback and it became an outstanding feedback because I am in my own business now, doing my own distribution (through his Burning Music Production), all 100 per cent owned by I man. And being nominated is very exciting for me and being an independent label, I feel that this album is a very strong album".

Bonus DVD

Spear says this album is different from any he has seen put out before, as he says "this is like the third release from my label carrying a bonus DVD and I haven't seen anybody else do this before. I am the first one".

He added that "it's coming across pretty good because the first time I did it the fans liked it and they asked when I was going to do more".

The bonus DVD, he says, "has live footage of performances and interviews".

But while Spear had no reservations in speaking highly of his independent effort, he was not willing to put himself above his fellow musicians and competitors nominated in the same category. "I'm not that kind of person to do the competitive thing, I'm not going to put it and say that I'm suppose to be the winner. I just do my music and do it to my best and leave it to the people," he said.

"You have to remember that a lot of people have never been nominated and there are those who have been nominated before but have never been a winner. I've been nominated like 10, 11 times now and I won only once, I think the album was Calling Rastafari (1999)," he told The Sunday Gleaner.

Outside of waiting on the big Grammy night to hear the announcement of the winner, Spear says he has cut back on touring and is now focusing more of his attention on the production side of things. "Touring is not there like before, but I choose to do a little festival here and there, but my main thing is to sell records. I'm focusing on the production. Right now, I'm in the studios working on a new CD for next year and it will be called 'Jah Is Real'. Over past years Spear music been selling, but I feel that it can sell more and now that I'm not with any record label or distributing company, I'm trying to keep all Spear work under one umbrella," Spear said.

"It don't make no sense I'm selling Spear and other persons are too. I'd be creating my own competition, so right now no one has the right to sell Spear except Spear. Of course, there might be some earlier things out there that other companies have, but even that I'm trying to work out," he said.