Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Barrington 'Barry G' Gordon - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Barrington 'Barry G' Gordon was the voice that commanded the airwaves through the 1980s, compelling interest and pulling in the highest ratings on radio. He is nothing less than a monument of radio history in Jamaica, with more than 20 years under his skilled hands. Yet, as radio moves into the realm of simply mixing music, the likes of his unique delivery fade from memory.

A simple country man at heart, Barry G's career has been marked with controversy, longevity and change. Every day for Barry G on air was a new experience, a new issue and a wider mix of music. He set a standard for radio personalities that has been left sadly wanting. That has not stopped this dynamo from patiently watching, waiting to come back with an all-new surprise and fulfil his role as master of the airwaves.

Sunday Gleaner: How did you get started in radio?

Barry G: My interest started when I was at Kingston College. While in sixth form I realised many of the broadcasters were KC old boys. Out of that KC spirit my interest was fuelled.

Which stations did you work with?

I started with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC), spent 13 years there. I started as a radio producer and after three years I got my own show called 'Turntable Time'. After the success of that I started to be on radio for six hours every Saturday with a show called 'Boogie Down'. It was all plain sailing, with the ratings coming in. RJR was the number one station at the time, but when I was on air RJR was number two. I'm dead serious. After JBC I went to RJR for two years as their afternoon jock. I was known as the afternoon jock anywhere I went, I never did morning. I went back to JBC in 1989. In 1991, I helped to form Power 106 until 1995. From 1996-2001 I was at Hot 102.

What was your big break?

That was in 1975, when the management at the station (JBC) discovered the interest I had in radio and wanted to assist me in grooming my talent. They had training, speech classes for the seasoned broadcasters and newcomers. At the time it was compulsory and I went every Saturday.

Were you always interested in music?

Always. I wanted a broader mix of music for the Jamaican populace, but culturally, there was always the demand for more and more reggae. I felt it would be good listenership to introduce alternative music and I tried my best to guarantee a mix.

Is there anything else, other than radio, that you had wanted to do?

No, I never imagined any vocation other than radio. When I was little I used to listen to radio and would take an exercise book and write all the songs on a particular show in order of how they were played. I found myself pretending to be the DJ and talked louder than the guy on the radio did.

What was your most memorable experience in media?

Being accused of a crime that I was not guilty of. I was accused of fraud once back in the '80s. It made all the headlines and I watched friends and associates believe what they heard before the case was tried. When I proved my innocence and was found not guilty, people never reacted to me the same way again. That was a difficult period for me; only my genuine fans cared. The news papers were quick to carry it on the front page and when it was dis covered that I wasn't guilty, the charge was changed from fraud to attempted fraud, at the end of the trial when I was free, the news papers didn't give the same prominence on the charge. That taught me a lot.

People say that you paved the way for radio personalities today. Is that true?

That is true. When I came on radio I knew the salary scale that the top jocks were getting. By 1978 I revolutionised the business in such a way that when others found out the kind of money Barry G was signing to they started demanding more. Secondly, because of my popularity and the ratings from radio surveys, it fuelled a rivalry among jocks. If Barry G is on JBC, a number two station, RJR had to do something about their ratings. My success on the number two station fuelled a competition for people to strive for excellence. That's why the standard then was so good. Now there's no big names on radio, where people are running home from school or turning off their TVs to listen to. That happened in my time.

What was the response to you from listeners like?

It actually scared me at some point. I was in awe of the power I commanded and because of that I was never frivolous about it. The thought that a spoken word, people not seeing me, and yet people are listening. It forced me to be truthful, or I would feel guilty on a spiritual level. I couldn't live with that. I could never give misinformation. It forced me to respect persons listening to me.

How was being a radio personality back then different from now?

The difference is striking. If you really want true broadcasting you have to lean towards the established broadcasters. I admire Derval Malcolm; he has grown immensely. My only fear is that he may become overexposed. Meaning that he's doing too many shows on the same station, heard too often, he's going to give too much of himself.

At some point I was guilty of that myself. There's an unwritten law for you to sustain longevity in broadcasting; people have to be longing to hear you, it's an ungrateful business. Tomorrow they can have too much of you. What I had to do to overcome that was to always come with something different. Today's breed of broadcasters are lacking in so many things. They're not informed to be in a position to inform. The command of the language is not there, especially when radio should be the pinnacle of standard in diction. All they're doing is juggling, mixing the latest 'riddims'. Today, everybody is doing that. Radio is just ordinary, not special.

So what are you doing now?

I've been doing some syndicated shows, almost like freelancing. Technology is so advanced now, I've discovered ways to be heard around the world, and I don't mean the Internet. Jamaica has too many radio stations going after the same advertising dollar. I used to have more than a million listeners on the afternoon show. If I came back on normal radio today, I would be fighting the advertising dollar. I've spent the last two years listening to others. The radio landscape has changed. Radio hasn't moved with the times, not with the generation. I'm in the process of setting up a new project. Can't say what it is yet, but it will be explosive.