| Edi Fitzroy: Holding the Faith |
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It seemed that Edi Fitzroy had suddenly become a "where are they now?" candidate. |
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To fans of his unique vocal stylings and conscious lyrics, it seemed that Edi Fitzroy had suddenly become a "where are they now?" candidate.
The erstwhile accountant, who got his break while in the employ of the former Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC), seemingly disappeared in the mid-90s after racking up an enviable string of hits, dating back to 1978, with Miss Molly Collie.
But speaking with Splash, Fitzroy revealed that he had in fact never been out of action from that time, but had actually spent much of the interval recording and touring overseas.
"I always been recording, it's just that I hadn't been getting the airplay in the Jamaican market," he says. "I've been touring a lot, mostly on the US West Coast and in Africa, especially the Gambia and Zimbabwe." He actually lived in the latter country for a time until running out of patience with leader Robert Mugabe's despotic tendencies.
But the past, as was once written, is prologue. In the now, Edi has renewed his presence in Jamaica, firstly with a single and video, Rappa Pam Pam to be followed, shortly thereafter, by the release of his latest album, Hold the Vibes.
The disc, a collaborative effort between Fitzroy's own Confidence Music enterprise and California-based Joe Bressler, reflects the artiste's commitment to the kind of issues-driven roots music with which he made his mark in the 80s.
"I always speak as the voice of the downtrodden, the voiceless," he says. "Bongo Herman told me once, he said 'Edi, you never come, you was sent, and that's why them can't stop you, and it always stay with me."
Indeed, the catalogue of albums and singles reflects this single-mindedness and strength of conviction: cautionary tunes like Prison Life and the Gun, inspirational songs like Love The People Want, and Not Giving Up and then there is the anthemic salute to women, Princess Black.
Given all of that, Edi says he harbours no ill will to any of today's music practitioners or even to the media which has largely overlooked him these past years. "Well, is the media I get my start in and they have supported me,except for the recent period, but I don't get into any bad vibes - it would be nice to get some more air time, but we continue."
Of the current musical scene, he says, "I don't fight the deejays, that's the language and pulse of now and they are dealing with their experience - is just how you choose to deal with it. I can't get into the 'unda woman ting' and I can't 'big up' the gun culture because I see the destruction that it bring which is what I was talking about from over twenty years ago when I do like The Gun and Prison Life, but I don't swear off the deejays them".
On the resurgence of roots music he is equally sanguine. 'The music have to come back to the one-drop because that is the source of the power, the message and that whole vibe, like I say, of representing the people who either not represented or misrepresented. That is and has always been the core of the thing, so is just time that bring it back around."
Upon the release of Hold the Vibes, he will again be hitting the road, but will be more directly conneced to the "rock" than previously.
"I am of the people and for the people. If any one don't see or hear me is not the case that I am not doing anything, but is part of the cycle. We been all over with this music and this messgae and the times demand it more than ever so we going to be all over, but home is home. We going to continue to be focused, to be positive and treat people the way we would want to be treated. That will carry us through." |
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Posted by: Hacki
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| LINK:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20060126... |
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