Burning Spear
interview by Philip H. Farber
Burning Spear is one of the few reggae artists touring today who fall into the "legendary" category. Born Winston Rodney in St. Ann's, Jamaica, Burning Spear became involved in reggae music when Bob Marley suggested that he visit Studio One, the recording studio that launched many early reggae stars. Now celebrating his 30th year in the music business, Burning Spear has released a new album, "Calling Rastafari."
Philip H. Farber spoke with Burning Spear prior to a show in Poughkeepsie, New York.
* * * PHF: The new album has a fresh quality to it. What would you say contributed to that?
Burning Spear: I think it's the whole arrangement, the way I go about arranging the tracks and the way I have the musicians playing what I want them to play, it creates a freshness. People will listen and I think they will be hearing things they never heard before from a Burning Spear album, a new creativeness musically.
There's a lot of difference on this album from [the previous albums] 'Rasta Business' and 'Appointment with His Majesty.' Different lyrics, for example, I really get down with some lyrics that I have never approached before. One of the tracks, which is 'As It Is,' I sing about the history of myself. I have never done something like this before. Of course in interview and talking to people about myself, but I have never expressed myself in this way before... There are many other tracks where the same thing.
PHF: What made you feel it was now time to sing about your own history?
Burning Spear: I think doing all these interviews and explaining myself to people... I believed the time was right to sing about it. People read about it, they can listen to it now. It's unique to learn it this way.
PHF: In "As It Is" you sing "I am the stone that the builders refused." Can you explain that lyric?
Burning Spear: The stone what the builders refused. There was a lot of stones what the builders refused. I think I was one of the stones what many builders did refuse, early on in my coming out musically. I think things... should be done and could be done by people who have the understanding how to get things done and to help people. I think I was one of the stones never get that kind of help. I was one of the stones never get that kind of attention. I think most of the things what take place, at least musically, all these things take place because of how I deal with myself, [what] I create from within myself to really continue to do what I have to do, regardless at that time the highlight wasn't shining on Burning Spear. That international recognition wasn't there, but I continued to do whatsoever I was doing. The same, I continued to do whatsoever I was doing when I just get started. I really didn't change my course.
PHF: The album title, and the song, "Calling Rastafari" addresses Rastafarians. What would you say makes someone Rasta?
Burning Spear: Rasta is a religion, you know. It's possible that some people say that Rasta is not a religion. I see Rasta as a religion and also a concept. Between that religion and that concept there is a lot of consciousness reflecting itself wherein people could identify that consciousness coming from the people as Rasta people. When I and I say Rasta, today when one say Rasta you have to be careful for the name Rasta become so commercialized .... Now everybody started to wear dreadlocks. If a person see a person wearing dreadlocks, the first thing come to their mind is a Rasta, regardless the kind of understanding the person wearing that dreadlocks might have to our Rastafari. Most of those persons are people not dealing with the concept or the religion of Rastafari. So sometime it became confusing, people been seeing all different kind of people wearing dread, thinking as long as they are wearing dread they are Rasta.
But then again, you don't have to be a dreadlock to be a Rasta. Rasta is an inborn thing. You are born Rasta. It is like this man was born as a Jew... It's the same thing. We born Rasta. We create this way. It's not like we take unto ourselves a name, saying 'okay, we black folks is Rasta.' It's not like that. But then again, even though we born Rasta, there is a lot of people who don't involve in the religion and the concept of Rasta. It is like a man born Muslim, but he don't involve in the whole religion and concept of Muslim. <
PHF: How big is the touring band now?
Burning Spear: The crew is 12 and we have 9 people on stage.
PHF: What can we expect in your current live shows?
Burning Spear: It is one plan, you know. The same plan for the first show is the same plan for all the rest of the shows. The people should know that I will there and I will be giving my best. I will just try to continue to do whatsoever I do in the best way I can, so they should be there and become a part of whatsoever I'm going to be doing. The people should know that this is also my 30th anniversary in the music business, live performance and studio work. I myself am celebrating something and when the artist celebrating something, that means everyone will be involved in the celebration. Once I hit the stage, then the celebration gets started. The new album run right within the celebration, too. This album is the album for the coming century, 2000. By the time the coming century fall in place, this album supposed to ripe and ready...