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REGGAE / DANCE HALL 43 7 www.guestlist.net IN TE RV IEW Issue 48 / 2013 CLINTON FEARON With over 40 years in the business, we caught up with this reggae legend whilst he was in town. From the foundation group The Gladiators, he has now just released his new album 'Heart and Soul' we get the lowdown on his background, living in Jamaica and the new album. HARRY | guestlist.net Clinton how are you enjoying London? It's an honour to meet a living reggae legend such as yourself. Very much man, it's been a long time, I came a couple of years ago into the yard for one gig. In and out you know. So how long are you over for this time? For one week only. So you've been in the music business for a long time, how did you get involved? I moved to Kingston when I was, actually, I was involved from as far back as I can remember. I remember at the age of like eleven you know, I made my first guitar, then I got invited to be in the choir, and then church. I went to Kingston when I was about fifteen. Shortly after that, I put a little group together called The Brothers, right, and we did quite a few editions, but didn't get anywhere with that in that period of time. I met Errol Grandison, former member of the Gladiators, and we sung a few things together and he informed me that they'd lost a member, and that was Errol himself and said that I'd be perfect for the slot, and so about a week later I ended up joining the Gladiators for 18 years. That must have been a great period of your life to be there that whole time? You know I've learned so much, during that time, I get to meet several musicians and singers, and get to play for several musicians if you can buy your ticket, come on up, and we went back and we were there for 6/7 months and we had a good following. Then we had this idea that we'd go back to Jamaica, Kenton Roofers went down to check family, on his way back, looked at his passport, they put a red X in his book as he was spending too much time in the U.S., and sent him to Jamaica to apply in a couple of years by mail. That statement sounds kind of scary to me, at the time I was in the U.S. and figured it would probably take a year and a half. The things I'd have America to Jamaica? You know the lifestyles are very different in some ways, clothing and all that and so forth are basically the same thing you know what i mean, Americanised in certain ways, but the poverty level is still there. In poor countries, the people that are rich are spending the money elsewhere. Political, economic or anything like that is still bad, but Jamaica is a wonderful place to definitely be. I can imagine that I'd love to go. "Be positive, be strong, do the things you love, love the things you do. Be the person you can be. One love, one heart." and singers and they already did some songs like yellow car and one or two more. That they already did and I'm just coming from the country, country boy you know what I mean and so you know it was quite an experience for me. So, then you left the Gladiators and you moved to America? Yes, in '87 was the last tour of the Gladiators. When the tour was finished in Florida, and we know this bedrun in Seattle, Washington, and we phone him up and let him know that hey man, we have excess time on our visas and that we'd love to come up. And he said to go though I wasn't conditioned for that. Five years is a long time to just uproot and leave again which I wasn't too conditioned for at the time. Start to build something and the building keep on and here I am today still living there! Do you go back to Jamaica often? As often as I can, last time was last January and it was wonderful. A whole week rejuvenation, spend time with the family. They let me and my wife do nothing at all, you were totally worthless. We eat potato puddings all kind of things, and almost get fat. It was wonderful. It must be a very different lifestyle it quite a few times, an acoustic album, earlier on, actually Jerome a friend of mine, he is the first one who actually did an acoustic show with me in front a few years back and after that did some media text and we have discussions and talk about the history and so forth and that prepared me in a lot of ways to say things, when not to say things- I'm still fine-tuning that! I kind of feel things as I go along which is not always easy to control. Nevertheless, it is never always easy, the audience is my shoulder. Whenever you can, I'm sure you will enjoy it. So you played a show in London last night, how did that go? It was great, it was wonderful, people were attentive and were right there with me, especially being there alone on stage you know what I mean, it can be frightening if you don't feel your audience with you. It felt like a family which was excellent. So your new album Heart and Soul its an acoustic album, so just you on stage- scary. In the same breath, I have done If you could get a superpower tomorrow just for the one day, what would it be and what would you use it for? To unite all people, to be one to recognise that we are one people, one race, the human race. All in one is like for all people to recognise the love they've got inside them. Let that love grow. Love yourself, love your neighbour, love modern nature, all that in one. If we can all find that peace of mind within us, that we can all be happy, nice loving human beings that what I would wish for. I respect that, thank you very much, it has been an honour. For more info check out: www.clintonfearon.com