Brigadier Jerry

Even more influential through his live performances than his scant recordings, Brigadier Jerry was among Jamaica’s top DJs on the dawn from the dancehall period. An excellent lyrical improviser, Briggy — as he was affectionately known — raised the specifications for acceleration and fluidity in DJ chatting technique, laying the groundwork for a lot of what implemented, alongside Josey Wales and Charlie Chaplin. Despite early dancehall’s flavor for slackness, Jerry’s subject material was more often than not spiritual and ethnic, though he do have a feeling of laughter and was a fantastic fight DJ. Still positively touring in the brand new millennium, he also still commanded a lot of the respect — among proficient reggae viewers — that he do in his groundbreaking heyday. Brigadier Jerry was created Robert Russell in Kingston on Sept 28, 1957. He began his profession in display business by attempting standup humor in his early teenagers, but soon shifted to operate for audio systems. He began at the famous U-Roy’s Ruler SturGav Hi-Fi program in the first ’70s, and quickly moved on towards the Jah Like Muzik program; this second option was run from the Christian Rastafarian sect to which he belonged, the Twelve Tribes of Israel. While with Jah Like, bootleg cassette tapes of his live shows started to circulate among DJ aficionados, leading to packed homes wherever he performed. Despite his sterling underground status and important, melodic toasting design, Jerry was hardly displayed on record until 1982. He’d previously slice several songs for Studio room One, including “Every Man Me Brethren” and “Dance in Montreal,” and made an appearance on several regional singles with additional Twelve Tribes users. In 1982, he cut a fresh version from the Slim Smith riddim “Under no circumstances RELEASE,” which he retitled “Discomfort” and released on the tiny Jywanza label. It had been a major strike, rocketing to the very best from the Jamaican graphs. Further singles implemented over the following year or two: “Gwan a College” (Jywanza), “Equine a Gallop” (Powerhouse), “Warn Dem” (for Judy Mowatt’s Ashandan label), as well as the 1984 strike “Jamaica, Jamaica” (on Jah Appreciate Muzik’s very own label). In the meantime, he also mentored the profession of feminine DJ Sister Carol, and DJed for pretty much every prominent audio system in Jamaica. A semi-official live record, Live on the Handles, made an appearance in 1983, but he didn’t record his correct debut LP until 1985. Also known as Jamaica Jamaica, it had been the closest he found capturing the pleasure of his live gigs within the studio room, and featured many signature tunes within the name track, these “Every Guy Me Brethren,” and “Armagiddeon.” Many more singles implemented over the remaining ’80s, but Jerry continued to be a live DJ in mind. He relocated to NY on a long lasting basis from 1988-1991, in support of put together another record with 1990’s On the highway. In 1992, Jerry came back to Jamaica and revived the Jah Like Muzik audio system; he also documented his third proper record, Hail Him, for Tapper Zukie’s label. Another record, Freedom Street, made an appearance in the VP label in 1995. When U-Roy reactivated his Ruler SturGav Hi-Fi audio system, Jerry became a member of up as a normal, and it has since toured thoroughly with it around the world, while releasing the occasional single.