Natty Dread

[Natty Dread]

PRINCE FRANCIS
From the top of Rockfort Rock !


Prince Francis in the 70's.

Dudley Sibley taught us that, at Studio One, even the sweeper had hits. What we learn from Prince Francis is that there were two sweepers at Studio One... And that the second one has baptized one of the best riddims that ever came out of Jamaica, the Rockfort Rock. Back to the 70’s, in the middle of the night, inside the 13 of Brentford Road where Mr Dodd has just come in, with a bottle of white rum. He wants to listen to the tunes recorded during the day by Sylvan Morris. Being in a musical mood, he notes hat the sweeper is mumbling over a brand new riddim and sends him right away in the voice booth : yo, you sound good, man ! From the top till the very last drop, here is the interview of a Prince who gave the Rockfort Rock riddim its name.


When and where were you born ?
I was born in Port Maria in 1952. My parents were agriculture and farming. I was a country child but I left country at 17. After I left school, I started to learn a trade at St Mary which I did not like so I left for Kingston – I was learning carpenter and masonry.

How did you come to music ?
I went to Kingston to one of my brothers’ who lived there. He took me to another trade place where to learn electronic welding with a man called Ken Matthews, in Vineyard Town. Then one day I got a flash by the torch and my eye started to hurt me. I went to the doctor but then I never went back to that trade, I was too afraid. After that, I left and started to travel downtown by myself looking some work cause my brother told me he carried me to that trade and if I don’t want to work, I’ll have to go back to country. I never wanted to go back. So I started to shuffle around to see if I could get a job by myself. Nothing wasn’t going on too tough in the country, country was kind of rough in my youth days. And your parents, after a while say you are a man, you have to go and start do your thing. I met a guy in a record shop, downtown, which was owned by Joe Gibbs. The guy’s name was Winston, he was Joe’s salesman and selector at the shop. I started to talk to him and when I told him I was coming from St Mary, he said : woow, you is a likkle country bwoy ! A long time me boss want a country bwoy fe work, you know, cause dem country bwoys dem honest while de town bwoys you can’t too trust them. So I go tell my boss about you, come back tomorrow. He told me to pick up some records in the shop, some ska and some twist. Rocksteady was just coming on... I came back the day after.

Which tunes did you pick ?
I picked up a tune you called No Good Man by... I think The Paragons. Some new Bob Marley that came from Studio One too, some old Paragons, some Ken Boothe too, and some John Holt. Anyway, he said me know me thing and the next day, the boss said I can work. So I started to sell records for him. In the morning, I had to sweep down the shop, wipe down all the glasses and see that the shop is all right. When they saw I was doing so good with people who come to buy, they started to send me on the street now to go to the various record shop like Randy’s, Beverley’s, Studio One’s, Treasure Isle... Many more !

What were you doing, then ? Selling Joe Gibbs’ records ?
I was selling the records with some pre-releases and my book. So when I go to the record shops, I had to play the pre-releases whey Joe Gibbs had and let them hear so they can say what they want – I was taking order. I was doing very good so one day, he said : bwoy, you work very good, man. So he took me to his home to stay with him cause him find out me is a likkle country bwoy who lives with his brother but sometimes I would not reach in time at work. So, after I stayed by his home, I started to come at morning with him, opening the shop, till Winston come. Then one day Winston met into a car accident in the country. I feel so bad about that. Cause I started to do him work for Joe Gibbs and it kind of get to me head, I never feel so good about it. This guy was a good friend, like a brother to me. I used to go up and down at Coxsone, through him had a wife named Miss Dodd – and every time I go to sell, I make sure Studio One is the last shop I pick up to gather order. I left it for the last. Because I came to like Coxsone’s wife. She was a lady and I was a young youth. I always threw my gimmicks pon her : Miss Dodd, you is a nice lady, where I go find a nice lady like you ?
- Boy, mind what you’re saying, you know, my husband will kill you ! she would say. She liked me as a nice country youth so one day she get to me : tell me some, like how you like me, you nah left Joe Gibbs and come work with me ? I said : yes, man.


Prince Francis nowadays.
From his myspace.


What year was it ?
In 19...73 *. Yeah me start with Joe Gibbs 1972. I stayed about one year with him. I used to get about 3 pounds a week at Joe Gibbs. I left now and Coxsone gave me 3 pounds and 5 shillings, a likkle extra.



When you say you were going to Coxsone’s, you mean Music Store, downtown, right ?
Yes, Orange Street. To his record shop. When I go to Miss Dodd and he decided to give me a work, he brought me to Brentford Road where the studio is. Then I started to work there and then when I started, he moved out from Orange Street and brought everything to Brentford – around 1975, I think. He gave me back the same work Joe Gibbs had given me, you know. Sweep down the alley, wipe down the office where Miss Dodd was doing all the paper work with a couple more secretaries there. Me and Miss Enid... Never heard about Keith & Enid ? Miss Enid was working with me at the studio. Morris was the engineer. I started to clean up the studio, all the equipment for the artists like Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo at organ and piano, the only man I ever saw playing two organs and two pianos – and Roy Richards now, he used to blow two mouth organs, one in his mouth and one in his nose. I started to draw attraction to the studio, now. When they finish work, I would pack up everything with Miss Enid...After we finsih clean up and pack up. And any time Mr Dodd would come in to try to listen to the tapes recorded in the day and Morris is not in, I would play them for him. At the time King Stitt was around, a guy named Bim Bim who was his right hand more then even me. Sometimes at night, Mr Dodd come to listen to the riddims them and... the first time I was doing a tune, he was listening to Rockfort Rock while I was in the studio. I never told him I had recorded tune for Joe Gibbs. So me started to dance and him say : you move like you know music, man. Me say : yes, me do two tunes for Joe Gibbs. Him never knew cause Gibbs was holding up them and nah want release them. I had recorded : walking down the old New York way as I would say... And two more. Anyway, I was with Coxsone, he was playing Rockfort Rock and him say : wait, looks like you can do something man ! Go round deh make me hear you man ! Before me go round deh, he is a man who used to drink white rum when him ah-listening him tunes. So he gave me likkle shot of the white rum and it’s like it gets me... woop ! He started to play Rockfort Rock so me just lick the riddim, right away and him say : yo, you sound good, man ! Gimme one more cut deh ! So I gave him one more cut. On the same riddim. Him take that one, so... The next night him come him take another one we call Flying Machine Version, him called it Rocking Machine. He took them on a pre-release and them start to do good. So after that, every evening he would come and tell me : come, Jackson (Coxsone used to call everyone “Jackson”, NDLA) ! We have one riddim we want you to listen to. After a while I said : boss, wha’happened to all the tunes ? Him say : well, them not ready to come out yet, you know. And in the same time him had them all about England, all over you know (laughter).


Clement Dodd, aka Coxsone Dodd. Natty Dread

Why did you talk about Rockfort in the tune ? At first it is an instrumental by the name of Spychedelic Rock, right ?
Just a inspiration that came flying to me round right away. You see Horace Andy ? I brought him to studio, I brougth Prince Jazzbo too. First Horace ever go to studio it’s me who took him and Coxsone accepted him right away. I met Horace in Vineyard Town, a likkle bwoy singing on the side, him sound good and I say : wow, come me a carry you make me boss hear you. And me carry Coxsone take him. Jazzbo come there and me carry him to Coxsone. Me and Dennis Alcapone, we were deejaying on the set in Brotherton Avene off Waltham called El Paso. When we leave Coxsone at week end, we have to go straight ah El Paso to find out if them a play out. One noight me gave U Roy a heavy challenge, you know ! He was playing close to us, with King Tubby’s set. And man, I draw off half Tubby’s crowd, man. With a tune named Spanglers Shuffle. Man, me ah tell you, the whole dance crowd. And when Dennis come, the crowd doubled ! Because me used to carry some pre-releases from Coxsone that nuff sounds can’t play – not even King Tubby’s that was the baddest sound of the day. But Tubby went to Coxsone to ask him a cut of the Spanglers Shuffle and Coxsone say : the tune is not out deh, man. That’s how him learnt that I would go at the press to take one two pre-releases to play at my sound. Through him know me is a honest guy, that’s how I never loose me work (laughter).


Rockfort, Jamaica. More pics : http://www.nattydread.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3110

Your style is a classical early deejays style.
Yeah man, me ah-original. Me coming off U Roy. He was my inspiration. Me and Dennis would cool of at a yard close to Studio One, to smoke. Dennis had a lot of girls around him...

Dennis Alcapone ?
No, Dennis Brown. Him used to say : Prince is a one girl man. He had six or seven girls around him. This guy at the yard always cooked for Dennis. We just go cross over the road to cool out at lunch time.

What’s your birth name ?
Donovan Francis. The “ Prince ” thing ? I used to stop at Prince Buster, downtown, close to Big Youth’s record shop where we use to cool out. Bob was there too. When we go a Buster sometimes, me listen to his old tunes. Him said : what your name ? Donovan ? No, man. You ah-prince, me give you the name Prince Francis. And right away, Jazzbo took the Prince too. Me and Jazzbo used to be all about together, St Mary, Kingston. So him named Prince Jazzbo off me. When you touch pon Capleton and them guys them, them used to come to St Mary to hear me play the sound El Paso. They tell me they took inspiration from me any time me see them. Even Ninjaman who call me “Father” when him meet me.

Give us a few words about Ethiopia on the Java riddim for Coxsone.
One of my favorite, yes. I also did Jump For Joy with Dennis Brown. I record something like ten tunes for Coxsone but him never put out album. Rocking Machine, Rockfort Rock, Jump For Joy, Rocking Down the Old New York Way for Joe Gibbs, Street Doctor for Coxsone, Ethiopia, African Skank too...

How long did you work for Coxsone ?
I left Coxsone when he cried bankruptcy and decided to close down the factory. The government run pon him like him never pay certain tax. He couldn’t cover it so he cried bankruptcy and push away. That was, what... in the 90’s. I was there all the time, yes. Even after that, I would go to Coxsone cause he was like a father to me. Even the other day, just before he died, I was recording a tune on the Joe Frazier riddim for him. I was working with him, doing clean up, when him want a lunch me a go buy it for him or Miss Dodd. Coxsone was like a teacher to me.

Tell us about this Gun Court story...
One of the time, some people did a try to frame me. End up one time, in Gun Court for three months. Some say me hold them up with gun. Coxsone said : no, this guys is honest. Him stand up with me and my family and even they block me up in Gun Court then in General Penitentiary for three months. But me win the case and me got away.

Did you ask Coxsone to put out an album in the 70's ?
When I was doing the last tune, we planned to put out an album. Music was not my main focus in the 70’s but me take it more seriously now cause me have a new tune called Open Eye, just released. I am working with my new producer, Blackheart Man based in New York, and we’re taking up my career seriously.

Interview : T. Ehrengardt for Natty Dread Magazine.
Published in French in Natty Dread # 58


Listen to Prince Francis' tunes on his myspace :
http://www.myspace.com/princefrancisiandi


* There is a little contradiction here - Francis says he
strated to work for Joe Gibbs around 1967-1968 and
remained with him for one year or so. So he did not
start working for Coxsone around 1973.
_________________
Le Magazine du Reggae.

www.nattydread.fr
www.jamaica-insula.com

[tim p]

Thanks for this!