WHEN I'M ASKED WHAT IS IT THAT I ACTUALLY DO, I AM USUALLY LOST FOR WORDS, AND A LITTLE UNSURE WHERE TO START. MY INITIAL RESPONSE IS USUALLY TO DESCRIBE MYSELF AS A JOURNALIST - EVEN THOUGH I ACTUALLY BEGAN MY MEDIA CAREER AS AN EDITOR (at the Caribbean Times and the Voice newspapers)) SOMETIMES I SAY I'M A WRITER - BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE MY BEST WRITING HAS BEEN MOSTLY LIMITED TO POEMS, PLAYS AND SONGS (most of which have never been published!) CREATING AND DIRECTING THE STAGE MUSICALS 'Black Heroes in the Hall of Fame' and 'Caribana' WERE. FOR ME, A LABOUR OF LOVE, HAVING HAD NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD OF THEATRE. HOWEVER IT HAS LED ME DOWN THE PATH TO MY CURRENT SITUATION WHERE I NOW RUN Black Heroes Theatre Collective, A THEATRE COMPANY OF PERFORMERS, SINGERS, ACTORS, DANCERS, MUSICIANS, TECHNICAL AND PRODUCTION PERSONNEL. HOWEVER I BELIEVE THAT MY ENTIRE CAREER WAS REALLY INFLUENCED BY MY EARLY EXPERIENCES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WHERE IT ALL BEGAN - PROMOTING RECORDS AND ARTISTES FOR BAMBOO, ASHANTI, VULCAN AND GROUNDATION LABELS, AND WORKING WITH PRODUCER JUNIOR LINCOLN TO OPEN DOORS IN THE UK MEDIA FOR THE PROMOTION OF REGGAE MUSIC MY EXPERIENCE OF BEING ONE OF THE FIRST BLACK 'RECORD PLUGGERS' AT THE BBC, AND WORKING WITH SOME OF THE PIONEERING REGGAE MUSIC PROMOTERS IN THE UK GAVE ME AN EARLY INSIGHT INTO THE FACT THAT MUSIC WOULD ALWAYS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN MY LIFE AND SO IT HAS BEEN PROVEN. HOWEVER I GIVE THANKS THAT I WAS ENCOURAGED BY MY PARENTS TO BE MYSELF AND TO TRY AND BE THE BEST AT ANYTHING THAT I CHOSE TO DO. LUCKILY I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TRY MY HANDS AT A VARIETY OF VENTURES, AND THANKFULLY MOST HAVE BEEN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCES HAVING HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY CHEMISTRY AT BRADFORD UNIVERSITY, AND THE PRIVELIGE TO STUDY MEDIA AND MASS COMMUNICTIONS AT TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY (WHERE I WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE SAME TEACHERS THAT OPRAH WINFREY HAD), I FEEL TRULY BLESSED - AND OVER THE YEARS I HAVE LEARNED THAT IT IS IMPORTANT AND SPIRITUALLY REWARDING TO DO THINGS THAT YOU ARE GOOD AT - ENJOY DOING THEM TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY - AND IT NOT JUST FOR YOURSELF BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOUR PEOPLE TO ACCURATELY GIVE A TRUE ACCOUNT OF MY WORK ALWAYS SEEMS A LITTLE TOO LONG WINDED AND MAYBE A LITTLE TOO SELF PRAISING, BUT IN A NUTSHELL I WOULD PROBABLY PREFER TO DESCRIBE MYSELF AS A CONCEPTUALIZER, A VISIONARY, A PEOPLE PERSON AND A DOER - BUT MY GREATEST DREAM IS TO SEE BLACK HEROES IN THE HALL OF FAME PERFORM ON BROADWAY ONE DAY SOON! THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES! HOWEVER I HOPE THAT WHAT YOU READ BELOW WILL GIVE YOU AN INSIGHT INTO MY LIFE, MY WORKS AND MY CONTRIBUTIONS OVER THE YEARS
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, I attended Jamaica College before migrating with my family to the UK where I completed High School in London before attending Bradford University, and later Tennessee State University in the USA.My experience in the fields of music, promotions and entertainment began as a young record promoter working with producer Junior Lincoln as Promotions Manager where my responsibility was to pave the way for mainstream airplay for the artistes on his burgeoning reggae labels like Bamboo, Ashanti, Vulcan and Groundation Records, promoting records artistes like Dennis Brown, The Heptones, Winston Francis, Count Prince Miller, Johnny Clarke, Linval Thompson, Twinkle Brothers, Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus, Fred Locks, Blood Fire Possee, Israel Vibration, Sharon Forrester and many others.It was during this period in the mid 70's that my interest in the Media took root. I was invited to be a music columnist for the West Indian World newspaper and later asked to write reviews and reggae features for the prestigious Sounds magazine, working with top music journalists like Vivienne Goldman. This eventually led to an opportunity to be a guest presenter and co-producer of several "one off" reggae programmes for BBC Radio One with top radio jocks like Kid Jensen & Janice Long and Mikey 'Dread at the Control' CampbellIn 1980 I was recruited as Music and Entertainment Editor of the Caribbean Times newspaper and West Indian Digest magazine after writing a tribute to the hero of my generation, Bob Marley, which was the front page story for both publications when he passed away. I was soon promoted to Assistant Editor and helped to establish Caribbean Times as the leading newspaper in the Black community during which time I introduced the popular ‘Search for a Star’ talent competition which was sponsored by the paper with the aim of promoting the paper to the youth in the Black Community. The competition enjoyed massive support and the encouragement of major reggae stars like Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, Alton Ellis, Eek a Mouse, Prince Lincoln, Maxi Priest, The Blackstones, Janet Kay, and Musical Youth (to name just a few) who participated as judges and did live PA's promoting their latest releasesIn 1982 I was head hunted by the late publisher Val McCalla and his co-partner, broadcaster Alex Pascall, to lay out and launch the GLC funded Voice newspaper organization and be the founding editor. By 1984 the Voice was the best selling Black newspaper and today has maintained its position as the most widely read paper in the UK over 25 years after we launched it at the Notting Hill Carnival..
In 1983 I devised and launched the popular and visionary music magazine Black Beat International for the organization, but after continued disagreements with the publisher about the direction of the publications, I decided it was time to move on. I severed ties with the Voice organization in 1985 and took a well-earned sabbatical before joining Camden Local Council as a 'Special Projects Arts & Entertainment Officer' for the Borough's Carribbean Festival in 1986.In 1986 I tested the waters of big stage musicals when I devised and produced the musical "Caribana" with a cast of over 80! The production played to a full house for one night only at a jam packed Astoria Theatre in London's West End as part of the Camden Caribbean Festival. The feed back was excellent and the experience created an excitement that led me to quickly follow up by creating BLACK HEROES IN THE HALL OF FAME which I directed and produced in collaboration with JD Douglas (dialogue) and Khareem Jamal (music) and with the help of a modest grant from Camden Council, this time to commemorate the centenary of Marcus Garvey in July 1987.Since then the production has toured major provincial theatres in major UK cities - Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, and London (at the Astoria in the West End and the Hackney Empire Theatre). In 1991 the production performed its first overseas tour in Jamaica, and in 1992 toured the USA, thanks to promoter Quentin Perry from DetroitIn the USA Black Heroes received critical acclaim and a myriad of Awards and Honours including the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award, Keys to the County of Dade in Miami and a Mayoral Proclamation declaring February 5th as 'Black Heroes Day' in Washington DC. while breaking box office records at theatres like The Music Hall (Detroit), the New Regal Theatre (Chicago) and the Compton Theatre at Howard University (Washington DC)