INTERVIEW WITH ERIC FRATER CONDUCTED BY MOHAIR SLIM 11 MAY 2000 IN
KINGSTON, JAMAICA
ERIC WHEN DID YOU START OUT?
OH ME? I STARTED PLAYING FOR STUDIO ONE IN SIXTY-NINE, SIXTY-EIGHT, YEAH.
NINETEEN SIXTY-EIGHT YEAH. I MAKE TUNES LIKE 'HELLO CAROL', 'FEVER AND
FRESH COLA', 'RENT AND TAXIS GET HIGHER'. I PLAY FOR ROBBIE LYNN AND
JACKIE MITTOO. JACKIE DIED. AND 'FAT GIRL', 'FATTIE' AND 'RAM JAM'.
THOSE SPECIAL.
DID YOU PLAY ON RAM JAM?
YES, LEAD: POM POM POM POM CHANK CHANK (SOUNDS OUT VERSE OF 'RAM JAM').
AND 'HELLO CAROL', BAH DOOBIE DOOBIE DOOBIE DOOBIE DOOBIE HELLO CAROL!
(SOUNDS OUT VERSE OF 'HELLO CAROL') YES DREAD.
SO DID YOU PLAY ON MOST OF JACKIE'S RECORDS ON STUDIO ONE?
YES. 'WHO DONE IT'. 'WHO DONE IT'. BOOP BOOP BOOP B-DA BOOP BOOP BOOP
BOOP BOOP BA-DING! (SOUNDS OUT 'WHO DONE IT'). THAT'S ME THERE. ON THE
BASSLINE. PICKED THE GUITAR WITH THE BASSLINE. IT SOUND SPECIAL. YES IT
GIVE YOU A GLASS SOUND. LIKE GLASS.
WELL YOU MENTION THE GUITAR, YOU PLAY A DIFFERENT SORT OF GUITAR TO MOST
PEOPLE
YES. YOU SEE I PLAY RHYTHM AND LEAD. I PICK WITH THE BASSLINE AND A
RHYTHM. LIKE 'RENT AND TAXIS GET HIGHER' (SOUNDS OUT VERSE OF 'RENT AND
TAXIS GET HIGHER'). THE RHYTHM STYLE. AND THEN I PLAY FOR STUDIO ONE
THOSE STYLE.
BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT SORT OF GUITAR. IT NOT A NORMAL SIX OR EIGHT-STRING
OH THE TWELVE STRING. I PLAY TWELVE STRING TOO. WITH ROBBIE LYNN AND
JACKIE AND HEPTONES, LEROY SIBBLES.
SOMETIMES YOU USE A TWELVE-STRING
SPECIAL TIMES. YEAH SPECIAL TIMES PLAY THAT TWELVE-STRING THING.
WHAT SORT OF SONGS DID YOU THING THAT YOU NEEDED THE TWELVE-STRING FOR?
OH ITS MORE CHANT MUSIC. CHANT. I WOULDN'T SAY CLASSIC BECAUSE ERNEST
RANGLIN AND THEM MAN PLAY CLASSIC. I DON'T GO AND STUDY THOSE.
WHAT SORT OF A MAN WAS JACKIE MITTOO?
OH HE IS VERY INGENIOUS. I MEAN HE'S REALLY GOOD. HE'S BEST AT
KEYBOARDS.
HE WAS STILL PROBABLY PRETTY YOUNG WHEN YOU WERE RECORDING FOR COXSONE?
YES. YOU SEE JACKIE WAS THE EXPERT. HE TELL YOU WHAT TO PLAY, YOU SEE.
HE COULD WORK OUT A BASS LINE IN FIVE MINUTE AND GIVE THE RHYTHM TOO SAME
TIME.
EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A YOUNG MAN HE RAN THE SESSIONS?
YEAH 'WHO DONE IT' (SOUNDS OUT A VERSE OF 'WHO DONE IT'). 'RAM JAM', 'FAT
GIRL', HEPTONES, SIBBLES.
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE BACKING BAND FOR JACKIE AT COXSONE?
YES. AND YOU GOT THE DRUMMER FOR THE ROCKERS, HORSEMOUTH. YES. YES.
AND YOU GOT THE BASS, BORIS GARDINER USED TO FILL IN FOR SHEP HEPTONE. COZ
HEPTONE WAS THE BEST. NEXT TO BORIS Y'KNOW? YES DREAD.
WHAT ABOUT THE HORNS?
OH, YOU HAD MAN LIKE DEADLY HEADLEY AND TRAMMY (?) AND VIN GORDON, SAME
BOY. AND YOU GOT MAN LIKE YEAH. TRUMPET-MAN THERE TOO YOU KNOW. JOHNNY
MOORE USED TO SAY HE WOULDN'T LEAVE (LAUGHS)
DO MANY STILL PLAY OR ARE THEY RETIRED?
YEAH THEY PLAY. THEY GET PAID TOO. ME DON'T GET PAID.
YOU SAID YOU STARTED RECORDING FOR COXSONE IN ABOUT SIXTY-EIGHT,
SIXTY-NINE. WAS THAT YOUR FIRST RECORDING SESSION?
YES. I USED TO PLAY IN THE BANDS. THE MIGHTY VIKINGS AND THE VIRTUES. I
USED TO PLAY IN THEM TWO BANDS. AND BYRON LEE SAME. THERE WAS A BIG THING
GOING ON THERE WITH THEM. AND THEN YOU HAD MAN START FIRING SHOTS ON THE
DANCEHALL. SO THE BANDS JUST FELL OFF AND SO LIKEWISE ME. I HAD TO MOVE
IN THE STUDIO.
IT'S A BIT SAFER IN THE STUDIO THAN IN THE DANCEHALL
YES YOU KNOW? I DON'T WANT TO DO IT. I MIGHT PICK UP AND GO ON TOUR NOW
BUT I DON'T GO TO DANCEHALL.
SO YOU WERE A MEMBER OF THE MIGHTY VIKINGS?
YES I WAS A MEMBER THERE. I PLAY GUITAR IN THE VIKINGS WITH HORSEMOUTH,
DRUMMER. YES
WHO ELSE WAS IN THAT BAND?
OH THAT DESMOND MILES. YOU HAVE MIKEY. MIKEY ANDERSON ON KEYBOARD. AND
THE SINGER. THE CHINESE FELLOW THERE. CHUNG. NO. ONE OF THEM. TWO
BROTHERS OF THEM. THEY SING IN THE MIGHTY VIKINGS. THEY RUN THINGS WITH
THE BAND'S MANAGER. DESMOND MILES THE BAND LEADER. YES DREAD.
AS A MEMBER OF THE MIGHTY VIKINGS, WHAT VOCALISTS DID YOU SUPPORT?
I PLAY EVERYTHING. THEY PLAY CALYPSO. THEiR SPECIAL WAS 'THERE'S A REWARD
FOR ME'. 'THERE'S GOING TO BE A WEDDING'.
SO WHAT YEAR WAS IT THAT YOU JOINED YOUR FIRST BAND?
YEAH SIXTY-NINE, SIXTY-EIGHT, SIXTY-SEVEN, SIXTY-EIGHT. THE VIRTUES AND
THE VIKINGS. BYRON LEE. COMPETITION. KES CHIN.
SO YOU JUST MISSED OUT ON THE SKA ERA?
YES. RIGHT. I COME IN THE REGGAE AND THE ROCK STEADY. ROCKERS WITH
HORSEMOUTH. YES
WHEN YOU WERE COMING UP. HOW DID YOU GET THE SOUND?
WELL MR. DODD YOU SEE, HE HAVE THIS LITTLE MACHINE AND IT GO THERE (SOUNDS
OUT STRUMMING GUITAR SOUND). YES. MR. DODD. COXSONE. STUDIO ONE. HE
HAS A LITTLE MACHINE THERE THAT MAKE THE GUITAR GET THAT FLEX SOUND.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE UP THE GUITAR?
I JUST LIKE IT. YOU SEE I WAS IN THE BAND FIRST. AND WHEN I PLAYED IN THE
MIGHT VIKINGS, SOMBRERO AND THE VIRTUES AND THE DIAMONDS BAND COXSONE
COME AND SEE BAND PLAY. HE SAY "I LIKE THAT GUITAR MAN THERE" HE SAID
RUPIE A MAN NAMED RUPIE. AND HE SAY "BOSS WANT TO SEE YOU" AND KING STITT.
AND I GO TO DODD'S AND DODD SAY HE LIKE ME AND ROBBIE LYNN. ROBBIE LYNN
YEAH. TAKE TWO OF US.
WHAT SORT OF A MAN WAS COXSONE DODD?
OH. I LIKE HIM. SEE, THEY SAY HE'S A SHREWD MAN IN THE THING. BUT SEE.
HE'S EXPERT SEE?
DID YOU GET PAID?
ME? I GET WEEKLY PAY AT THAT TIME. THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR ME AND GIRLFRIEND.
HOW DID YOU START TO BECOME A MUSICIAN?
OH, YOU SEE I HAVE AN UNCLE IN THE BUSINESS. HE WAS A BANDLEADER AT THE
TIME OF THE VIKINGS, THE VIRTUES AND BYRON LEE WERE RUNNING. HE WAS THE
THUNDERBIRDS BAND. HE WAS FROM MANDEVILLE.
WHAT WAS HIS NAME?
TONY HAMMOND. HE IS IN MIAMI. DOING BIG THINGS UP THERE. YES DREAD.
FOOD THINGS. YES DREAD. HE'S MY UNCLE AND HE TAUGHT ME. HE TAUGHT ME THE
GUITAR YOU SEE? AND HE GIVE ME HIS WORK IN HIS BAND FIRST AND THEY SEE ME
PLAY AND THE VIKINGS AND THE VIRTUES TAKE ME AND I COME TO TOWN AND STAY IN
KINGSTON. HE WAS A MANDEVILLE MAN.
SO THAT WAS THE BAND ERA OF ERIC DEAN'S ORCHESTRA AND ALL THAT?
YES. AND KES CHIN AND SOUVENIRS AND ERNIE RANGLIN AND THEM MAN THERE.
BYRON LEE'S ANOTHER MAN WHO THEY SAY IS A BIT SHREWD. WHAT DO YOU SAY
ABOUT HIM?
YES. YOU SEE HE IS PRINCIPLE. HE KEEP UP A PRINCIPLE IN HIS BAND. YOU
DON'T GO LATE ON THE SHOW AND YOU DON'T EAT AND FOOD WHEN THE BAND IS
WORKING AND THE BAND IS PLAYING. SOME BANDS DO THAT AND THEY LOSE PEOPLE.
LOSE MONEY. YES DREAD.
ITS ABOUT PROFESSIONALISM
YES, REALLY. YOU HAVE TO HAVE PRINCIPLE. ELSE YOU WEAR YOUR SHIRT OUT
OVER YOUR PANTS. AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND THREE GIRLFRIEND. YOU SEE THEM
THINGS. THE BANDLEADER DON'T LIKE THAT THING. (LAUGHS). YOU SUIT THE
BOSS.
THEY SAY BYRON LEE WASN'T THE REAL THING. THEY SAY WHEN IT COMES TO SKA,
THE SKATALITES WERE THE REAL THING. HE WASN'T RESPECTED
YES, THE SKATALITES OR SOUND DIMENSION. I COME IN THE SOUND DIMENSION FROM
STUDIO ONE AND ANOTHER BAND WAS THE SOUL VENDORS SAME STUDIO ONE. ME TOO
WITH JOE ISAACS AND ROBBIE LYNN.
WELL, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ROLAND ALPHONSO THEN?
YES. I PLAY ROLAND AND TOMMY. ALL THEM BANDS. I PLAY WITH THE SOUL
VENDORS. SOUND DIMENSION IS A STRICT REGGAE BAND WITH JACKIE MITTOO AND
ROBBIE LYNN AND RICO.
WERE YOU PART-TIME GUITARIST WITH THE SOUL VENDORS?
YES, PART-TIME, YES.
WHO WERE THE OTHER GUITARISTS AT THE TIME THAT YOU WERE COMPETING WITH FOR
GIGS?
WITH ME? OH. WELL I PLAY WITH TWO GUITAR-PLAYERS, PATRICK MAC (?). HE
WAS THE STUDIO ONE EXPERT. HE COULD PLAY JAZZ LIKE RANGLIN, ERNEST. I RUN
ABOUT THIRD.
WHAT ABOUT JAH JERRY?
YES THEY WERE BAD TOO, YOU SEE? THE SKATALITES. I PLAY A DIFFERENT THING
FROM JAH JERRY AND THEM MAN.
DID YOU EVER PLAY WITH THE SKATALITES?
NO, NO, NEVER. I PLAY WITH JACKIE AND THE SOUL VENDORS AND THEN GO INTO
THE SOUND DIMENSION YEAH.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST TALENTED VOCALIST THAT YOU'VE PLAYED WITH?
ME? OH I MEET A LOT. I MEET LIKE KEN BOOTHE AND HEPTONES, SIBBLES AND BOB
MARLEY AND YOU SEE I RATE THEM VERY HIGH. YES DREAD. AND DENNIS BROWN
REALLY GOOD TOO. DIED. YES DREAD.
http://www.niceup.com/interviews/eric_frater
Brad's 061
1974 Bronx pressing of organ-wah wah guitar instrumental by former member of Lee Perry's Upsetters, with Eric Frater of the Studio One house band on the session. Nice slow reggae-funk groove.
Vinyl is VG+++ (EXCELLENT PLUS)*, with high gloss and tiny superficial marks that do not cause noise. Labels have mild friction wear. Note: Copy is mislabeled "Funky Shank."
