ED ROBINSON
Interviewed by Jesse I -- December 21, 2000

The following interview was conducted via phone from Melbourne, Australia, to New York City. It was recorded for broadcast on Chant Down Babylon on 106.7 PBS-FM.

JESSE: With me right now on the line I have a veteran of the reggae scene. He's sung on many, many tunes, produced many more… Ed Robinson, thanks for joining us here on Chant Down Babylon.

ED: Give thanks my bredren, give thanks.

J: I'd like to start at the beginning and get a little information on whereabouts and when you were born.

E: Ahh! Born in Spanish Town in St Catherine, Jamaica, in '61. So you know my age! <laughs>

J: So what was life like growing up there?

E: In Jamaica?

J: Yeah.

E: I guess back then it was cool, it was okay. We didn't know no better. But after a while when you get out of it, it was like “woah!”. You know?

J: Yeah.

E: You wonder how you dealt with it looking back, but it was okay back then.

J: When did you start to get interested in the music business?

E: From when I was about 9 years old man. I was like sneaking in a house or a home… you've heard of Cornel Campbell right?

J: Yes I.

E: Yeah man, I used to sneak in Cornel Campbell's yard, and was rehearsing and stuff like that. On their veranda. You know, so that was the beginning of everything man. I saw a drummer – a drummer was playing right – and that was my main interest. Ever since then life hasn't been the same! <laughs>

J: Yeah, that's the way to go!

E: For real.

J: So what was the first break that you got in the business?

E: My first big break really was with a band called Native. It was a rock'n'roll band out of Ocho Rios. That was my biggest break. My first big break really. But I used to play drums for Bob Andy, Ras Carby, y'know - you name them I played drums for them. Cause I started out as a drummer really. But my first big break really was with a band called Native, they came out of Ocho Rios. It was a white Jamaican rock'n'roll band – they played only rock'n'roll, not reggae.

J: Really.

E: Yeah man.

J: How did you come to get involved with that?

E: I was playing on the hotel circuit you know – in Jamaica they've got what they call the hotel circuit right, entertaining tourists and stuff like that, so we'd play like Top 40 records y'know. And then I was down there playing one night, over by Jack Ruby, and they came up and saw me and were like “we're looking for a drummer because our drummer just got in an accident and lost his leg”. So that's how I joined the band. It just happened out of the blue. And ever since then it has just been uphill since then. From there I moved on, and replaced Carly Barrett in the Wailers, after Carly Barrett got killed. God rest his soul. But y'know after he died and everything, I replaced him in the band. I was in the band for about two years. That's when I started doing my vocal thing, then we moved on to start recording singles for me.

J: Right. What was the first single that you released with you as a vocalist?

E: A song called “Ain't That Loving You” by Alton Ellis. I think it was one of them old American songs. But Alton Ellis did it, and I liked it, so y'know I went in the studio. Somebody had the track, a friend of mine had the track to it, so I sung on it and he was like “I want you to sing the record”. So that was my first single really. And then after that I did “Knocking On Heavens Door”.

J: Sure. That was a big hit that one, wasn't it.

E: Yeah, that was a big hit. It was a big hit. And then after that I did the Sunsplash move, and I got signed to MCA right, the same night I did the Sunsplash.

J: Really. So is that the Sunsplash one where… I've got a Sunsplash concert on CD and it has a wicked performance of Ruffneck and Rudeboy.

E: Right. Right. That was it. That was it! <laughs>

J: So MCA heard that and…

E: That was the same night I got signed to MCA; I got signed to them for like 3 years man.

J: Right. So did you put out a full album on MCA?

E: No actually the deal went sour, and they fired everybody around me while I was recording the album. They fired the A&R, the President… everybody that came down to Jamaica and signed all the people got fired. Y'know, so that was a problem. So nothing worked out with that MCA deal, but I got bought out by Warner Brothers from them really. So I was with Warner Brothers for a few years. That's how I eventually came to become involved in the production business because I started producing over there.

J: Okay. Yeah, I've seen your name on some non-reggae albums as well - is that stuff you've produced over there?

E: Right. I did a lot of work man. I did work with Eric Bene, I did work with Madonna, you know, I did a lot of work with a lot of different people. So I'm just like heavy into the production business right now. So now I got a studio in New York, where I'm doing a lot of production you know. I have this one female vocalist called Honey Williams that we're doing some things with right now. So that's our next move right now.

J: Right. So do you actually own that studio yourself?

E: Mmm, yes.

J: So how did you go about building that up? I know you're in the dubplate business as well, how did you decide to get into all that stuff?

E: Well, actually Pad Anthony is who got me involved in doing the dubplate stuff really. But y'know, I'm into production, so in this complex there's two studios. One for dubplate and all that stuff, and one for straight-up record production.

J: Right okay.

E: So Pad Anthony actually runs the dubplate section - I really don't get involved with it. Every now and then I get involved with it, I go over there and do engineering stuff and all that, but that's his baby round deh.

J: Okay, I see. So getting back to your solo stuff just for a minute, I know you released the album once again in 1992 on VP. Was that your first full album?

E: That was my second full album. My first one was on a local scale back home. Y'know, I don't even remember what the name of that one was, but it was a black and white picture on that one. <laughs> But y'know that was a cool little album, we did that in one of them little 8-track facilities, and all that stuff. You know, starting out, y'know. Yeah, but after that I did the Once Again album. Which was like one of them projects where you go in the studio with a bunch of money, and the big producers and all that stuff. So that was the big budget album.

J: Right.

E: I haven't done one since then. I have one right now that I'm about to drop, but… I was trying to drop a greatest hits album before, because I did a bunch of singles… Ruffneck, and Rudeboy, with Buju Banton and all of that… you know how the deal is in Jamaica where you work for a bunch of different producers and all that stuff. Different labels, y'know.

J: Yeah, a greatest hits package would be very good, because some of those singles are very hard to find.

E: Right, right. So I'm in the process of gathering up all those singles right now. I think I'm about 15 in the bag right now, about 15 of them straight-up hard-to-find singles. I think I'm going to put about 13 to 15 on there though.

J: Sure. So I understand the record you're about to drop – that's the new one with DIA records?

E: Right.

J: How did the association with DIA come about?

E: You know, it was out of the blue man. He just walked in the studio one day with Junior Demus, and he was like “Oh, Ed Robinson!”. And everything clicked since then. <laughs> It's one of them simple things man, it's kinda hard to come up with a story about how it happened, you know what I mean?

J: Sure. So what can we expect from this new album?

E: Well, I've got some really tight tracks coming out man. We kinda geared it for the American market right now. You know, in terms of what's really happening on the scene – because you know how the scene gets, not too much hardcore reggae really bumping, you know. So we're trying to take it to that level right now. Hardcore reggae, plus radio stuff, American radio stuff and all of that.

J: Okay. Well obviously reggae music has been through a lot of changes over the years, and in the time you've been involved with it…

E: A little bit too much change man. To be honest, a little bit too much change. There's too much experimentation going on with it - its not really one format anymore, nobody really sticks to a format and tries to improve on that. Everybody is experimenting here, putting this there, but what can I say man…

J: Do you feel that your music has changed much over the years, or you've been pretty consistent with the type of groove you've been doing.

E: My stuff is pretty consistent. I've got one theory man – if it's not busted, why fix it. So you know what I'm saying, my stuff is pretty much on the “Knocking On Heavens Door” level, because that's the level that I made my début with. I just make improvements to that, I don't really change it. <laughs>

J: Yes I. Well I wanted to ask you as well, reggae music is always connected to Rastafari, but obviously not all reggae artists are Rasta. I've noticed that your music sort of leans towards the lovers tunes in some ways, and also the soundboy killers. I've heard you do some serious killers.

E: Right, right. I do a lot of sound stuff, I do a lot of dancehall stuff because that's like my introduction to recording, and all of that stuff you know. But my main focus is on musical stuff. You know, like the “Knocking On Heavens Door”, you know, very musical. If you listen to Bob Marley's stuff, you'll find lead guitars, saxophone, you know what I mean? Stuff with solo work, and all that. That's really my main focus right now. Trying to get it as musical as possible, because I'm heavy into live performances. I'm heavy into that, so I gear my work so it can't be too far from the live band situation. You know what I mean?

J: Sure. I guess that also connects to the dubplate studio again in some ways – not really on the musical level, but on another level - I think what a lot of people like about the dubplate vibes is that it's really like a live show in a sense. You get people going in there and giving it there all for one take, so you get some of those live vibes coming out there.

E: Oh yeah, the dubplate thing is a great thing, man I'll tell you. But in a lot of ways, the dubplate kinda slowed down a lot of new artists though. That's my personal opinion, because I've seen it over the years. A lot of new artists, very good, very talented people, but they come in and spend a little bit too much time hustling the dub thing. So you know, their time kinda runs out, and their whole creative vibe, and the whole creative juice just kinda lessens over the years. So to me it's like 50% great, and 50% bad. But I personally just have to know how to balance that act really.

J: Sure.

E: But it can be a destructive thing for some of the new artists coming in the business, because it's like their mental state starts gearing towards hustling. You know what I'm saying. But that's my opinion though.

J: Right. That's interesting.

E: For real.

J: Well, we're running out of time Ed, but are there any parting messages you've got for the Australian massive here?

E: Hey, I'm hoping to be there as early as possible man. Somewhere within 2001, somewhere there man.

J: Yeah, we'd love to see you here.

E: For real.

J: Thank you very much Ed Robinson for speaking to us here at Chant Down Babylon.

E: Alright my brother, respect, and big up seen?

J: Yes I.

E: Give thanks.