Good week for the arts

Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writer

It was just a week ago that Hedley Jones walked away with the highest medal among the Musgrave awardees, and yesterday, five Jamaicans, Dennis Brown, Millie Small, George Carter, Highland 'Dobby' Dobson and Robert 'Robbie' Lyn, earned national awards at the annual National Honours and Awards ceremony held at King's House.

While Jones earned the Gold Musgrave Award last Wednesday, yesterday belonged to reggae superstar Dennis Brown, who was posthumously conferred with the nation's sixth highest award, the Commander of the Order of Distinction.

Carter and Small were also awarded Commander of the Order of Distinction, while Dobson and Lyn were awarded the Order of Distinction in the officer class.

Brown, who it would not be amiss to describe as the most prolific hit-maker in reggae music history, was receiving the award 12 years after his death.

The artiste died from respiratory failure at age 42.

The award also came after much prodding from The Dennis Brown Trust, who had made application for the same twice before.

One of the few child stars to come out of Jamaica, Brown first recorded in the late 1960s for Derrick Harriott. The two recorded Lips Of Wine, Brown's first hit song.

Not long after, Brown went on to greater success with Studio One producer Clement 'Coxson' Dodd with No Man Is An Island and If I Follow My Heart.

Great success

Over the next 25 years, Brown enjoyed a career almost unmatched by anyone else in his genre.

Even more success would come for Brown when he teamed up with Joe Gibbs and began doing more lovers rock - Ain't That Loving You and Love Has Found Its Way, two of the notable hits. By that time, Brown was an international superstar, doing Love Has Found Its Way while he was signed to A&M Records.

Brown's contribution to reggae music also came in the form of producing, as his DEB label in England also produced hits for artistes like Junior Delgado and George Nooks.

Brown's widow, Yvonne, accepted the award at King's House yesterday.

Millie Small, who asked former prime minister Edward Seaga to collect her award on her behalf, has had to wait almost half a century for her award.

Small is most remembered for her take on My Boy Lollipop, which rocketed her to stardom in the United Kingdom 47 years ago.

Not much is known about Small because the singer is notoriously reclusive in nature.

Born Dolly May Small in Clarendon, the singer won the popular Vere Johns talent contest, and first recorded for producer Clement 'Coxson' Dodd's Studio One label in 1963.

Along with Roy Panton, Small earned limited success with We'll Meet, but it was My Boy Lollipop which turned the UK on its head.

Outdid the original

So big was the song that it easily outdid the 1956 original done by 15-year-old American singer Barbie Gaye.

Other hits were to come for Small, most notably Sweet William and Bloodshot Eyes.

But Small's real contribution to Jamaican popular music came in the form of opening doors for other artistes to hit it big in the UK.

Desmond Dekker, Dave Barker and Ansell Collins, Ken Boothe and Junior Murvin were among the first to benefit from Small's breakthrough.

In fact, it only took four years after My Boy Lollipop took over British charts for Dekker to hit it big with Israelites.

Dobson, like Small, was also a winner at the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, where he sang as part of The Twilights.

His history as a recording artiste also began in the ska and rock steady eras, his first efforts coming as part of the duo Chuck and Dobby. He would also perform as part of The Deltas, which included Howard Barrett who later formed The Paragons.

Though he had some success with songs like Loving Pauper, Dobson still had a 9-5, working for The Gleaner Company Ltd as a salesman and proofreader.

Wonderful Sound and Endlessly were hits that would follow soon.

But it was as a producer that Dobson made a real impact, producing early works from Barrington Levy and enjoying success with The Meditations.

Carter, while earning much appreciation for his work with the Credit Union Movement, is also recognised for his contribution to theatre.

Pass The Dutchie is the song that is most associated with the work of Lyn, but his keyboard is also very notable in the arrangements of Lloyd Parkes and We the People Band.

There is also a catalogue of work done with rhythm twins, Sly and Robbie.

His longetivity as a keyboardist, composer and arranger are well known.

In 2007, he embarked on a solo venture, Musical Notes.

The album had an all-star cast, including Glen and Dalton Browne, Robert Browne, Sly Dunbar, Dwight Pinkney, Cat Coore, Mikey Chung, Dean Fraser, the late Errol Hird, Everald Gayle, Nambo Robinson, David Madden, Earl 'Chinna' Smith, Chico Chin and Uziah 'Sticky' Thompson on percussion, with Pam Hall and Nadine Sutherland providing harmony.