Contributed
The musical McGregors are deejay Chino (left), producer Stephen (second left), singer and father of the bunch Freddie (second right) and singer Shema.

Teino Evans, Staff Reporter

After more than 30 years of experience in the music business, having come up through the ranks alongside greats like Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and Bob Marley, delivering hits which include Big Ship, Stop Loving You, I Was Born A Winner and Loving Pauper, what more could veteran reggae singer Freddie McGregor ask for?

Well, whatever else he could have asked for back then is being realised today, as McGregor's Big Ship Studio has become one of the most popular in recent times, churning out hit after hit, while three of his children move towards the forefront of reggae/dancehall music, each making their mark.

McGregor says of his five daughters and three sons "only three of them di music tek on".

His daughter, Yeshemabeth, affectionately called Shema, is a popular singer in Japan, while sons Daniel, more popularly known as Chino, and Stephen are noted stars in dancehall.

Freddie says he can't complain because "as a parent, mi really proud. Shema has a great voice and she's really popular in Japan, but wi neva really get fi release any of her four albums outside of Japan, and Chino doing well and his new album will be released soon and Stephen's promotion is going really well right now".

The Sunday Gleaner sat down recently with Freddie McGregor and family to get a feel of what the musically inclined offspring areup to and to find out just how much of an impact their famous father had on them.

Shema, who has a different mother from her brothers, says "both parents (Freddie McGregor and Judy Mowatt) inspired me ... I used to sing background for my mother at age nine, and then at age 15, I featured in a duet on my Dad's album. The single was called Magic In The Air and that's basically where it all started for me. That was in 1995 and I went on to do my first album later on that same year. But the greatest gift was the studio because we could use it to hone our skills before going out there".

Dancehall artiste Chino, who is known for the single Red Bull And Guinness with Delly Ranx, says he owes his musical interest to his father and the fact that they had a studio at their leisure.

Just the influence

"Pretty much for me, (it was) just the influence of being around the music, being on the road with my father and having the studio and get to observe the elders dem," he said.

He added that "I started singing in the school choir at Vaz Prep and from there and high school, I started to look at music as my profession".

The youngest of the lot, Stephen, who is referred to as the 'young genius' for his outstanding abilities as a producer, is the least talkative of them all. He, however, explained that, for him, it was all about what he felt most comfortable with.

"Inspiration just came naturally," he said, as he agreed with his siblings that having their own studio was part of what sparked the musical interest.

Stephen says "I use to deejay when I was about eight. I did a song called School Done Rule, but around age nine or 10, I ventured into production and I felt more comfortable doing that and it was less attraction on myself".

He, like the rest of his siblings, says that family support was always there, "because we never had a situation where it was to do or not to do music". The choice was theirs.

Now, Stephen is one of the more popular producers in Jamaica, as he has worked with many of the current big names in dancehall music and has churned out many rhythms that have been transformed into hit songs, his Red Bull And Guinness' rhythm being one of the more memorable.