In no uncertain terms, Burning Spear's leader/songwriter/vocalist/prophet Winston Rodney is the most enduring performer in the history of reggae. Speaking to me just hours before his sold-out performance at Chicago's House Of Blues, Rodney displayed earnest confidence when discussing his latest recording, "Calling Rastafari." "This album is dealing with a lot of moral understanding," says Rodney. "There are things that many people either aren't observing or not being taught. It's possible that some might term this work political, but when I was doing it I wasn't thinking about politics."
Besides "Calling Rastafari," Rodney has recently put out "Living Dub, Volume 4," his latest in a series of dub interpretations of Burning Spear's music. With "Living Dub Vol. 5" nearly completed and other recordings which have yet to be released in America, Rodney is patiently preparing himself for reggae's future popularity. "Reggae is really vital for me," he says. "I think that today, especially in Europe, reggae is bigger than before. We need to get that kind of focus in America-it's not a matter of consciousness, just awareness."
One of Burning Spear's methods for reaching a wider audience was to perform "Estimated Prophet" on the Grateful Dead tribute album, "Deadicated." More recently the Spear recorded "Play Jerry," Winston's heartfelt homage to the Dead's legendary mainstay. "'Estimated Prophet' was the first time I had done another artist's song," Rodney explains. "I did not get to meet him but Jerry Garcia was a great musician and there's a lot of Grateful Dead fans that end up listening to Burning Spear."
Yes, the fact of the matter is that it's been a long, strange trip for Burning Spear. As a most visible ambassador of Jamaica, reggae and Rastafarian culture, Winston Rodney finds that he's graced with a timeless vocation beyond his control. "It's Jah wish for I to do this," he concludes. "I got involved in 1969 and there was nothing in reggae at that time. I was receiving thanks from the people but financially there wasn't anything. It isn't about money but it's a job. Lots of people do other stuff with the music and send different kinds of messages than what I am sending. I think the message should be clean and pure. The purer and cleaner the messages the quicker and easier it gets to the people. It's a big job. It's Jah job, y'know?"
by Mitch Myers
copyright 1999 New City Communications, Inc.