Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Dennis Brown ... the Crown Prince of Reggae. - File

Dennis Brown, who was born on February 1, 1957, and died on July 1, 1999, was honoured in song at a Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA) staged tribute last Friday night.

But while he was honoured through the steel pan, poetry, guitar and overwhelming voice in short stints by a number of performers to a large, appreciative audience in the near four-hour concert, there was also some personal insight into his life.

Among those paying respects to 'The Crown Prince of Reggae' in the Gardens of the Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, were three persons whose songs Dennis Brown did over. Dwight Pinkney, performing in the second segment of the concert, described How Could I Live as "a simple song, but the man himself, Dennis Brown, he made it into a legendary classic", before playing it on guitar. Before crooning "it's so nice to be with you", Boris Gardiner said he recorded it in 1969 and Dennis Brown did it sometime in the '70s or '80s. And Derrick Harriott went back to the earliest days of D. Brown's musical career, saying that his Solomon was a song that Brown used to sing. A couple performers before Hariott hit the stage, MC Patrick Lafayette reminded all that the Tamlins, who provided harmony for Lloyd Parkes, did support vocals for Peter Tosh. And Lafayette said that one of Brown's first recordings was No Man Is an Island. "That song was originally chosen for Dennis by a man who is here tonight, Derrick Harriott," he said. The honours also came from the bass guitar and higher pitched voice of Parkes who, along with We The People band, toured extensively with the late singer.

Personal

Sugar Minott got a bit more personal than others. We call him Fire, he said of Dennis Brown. The fire's still burning. "When I was a youth going to Champs with my little tape recorder, we play this one till it wear out," he said of the R&B song he had just done. "Dennis Brown inspire all of us. After Dennis Brown come Sugar Minott, Johnny Clarke, everybody," he said, before moving the house with DC. Bob Andy said, "Dennis was a great revolutionary and songwriter, but his love songs came from his heart. I am going to do one of my favourite Dennis Brown songs." And For You turned out to be a prime cut for many in the audience.

George Nooks' version of Money In My Pocket was started out in Dennis Brown fashion, then with a 'cool cool runnings' he was in Prince Mohammed mode, informing all after that "that one was done by me and him".

Closing performer John Holt was also in Dennis Brown duet mode, informing all just which parts of Wildfire he and Dennis Brown would sing, providing the voice for his dead colleague.

Bands for the night were Unique Vision and Fab 5; Patrick LaFayette, Mutabaruka and Junior Sinclair doing MC duties.