Tony Rebel: The rebel with a cause

Tony Rebel

By Observer Reporter

A number of of Jamaican artistes are among the recipients of National Honours and Awards. The awards will be presented on National Heroes Day, next Monday October 21, at King's House, by Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke.

Here is a profile of one of the awardees.

BORN in the cool hills of Manchester and given the name Patrick George Anthony Barrett, by his parents, this 'rebel with a cause' has evolved through the ranks of Jamaica's popular music system, to become one of the leading lights of his generation, with a reputation for conscious music.

For his contribution to Jamaican music, Tony Rebel has been awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class).

Rebel, is as he is affectionately called, burst on the scene, with Fresh Vegetable, described by one writer as "the unlikeliest love song of 1990." But his foray into music began some years before that, starting out as a singer, winning talent contests as Papa Tony or Tony Ranking on a variety of sound systems, including Sugar Minott's Youthman Promotion.

In 1988 he recorded Casino for the MGB label, his first ever release but it was his arrival at Donovan Germaine's Penthouse Records that signalled the emergence of his true potential. It was at this point that his 'sing-jay' approach to voicing and performing began to take shape and it was there also that his emerging spirituality began to be reflected in his music.

Fresh Vegetable proved to be Rebel's breakout hit. This was followed by a number of other moderate performers such as DJ Unity with UK-based deejay Macka B, The Herb, War and Crime and Hush. Between 1991 and 1992 Rebel recorded for a number of producers such as Exterminator, Redman, Star Trail and on the Two Friends label, who teamed him with Anthony Red Rose for Gun Talk and with Judy Mowatt for Guilty. Rebel released his first album, Rebel With A Cause, in 1992.

In 1992 also, he released Rebellious on the Ras Records label. This set, produced by Sky High, featured combinations with the late Garnet Silk and with Half Pint.

Rebel was signed by Columbia Records in 1994. This linkage yielded his third album Vibes Of The Time, from which Sweet Jamaica was a runaway hit. The track was used on the soundtrack for the movie Cool Runnings, which earned the lanky deejay his first gold record.

Tony Rebel, successfully leveraged his popularity and business acumen to organise, in 1993, the first staging of the annual stage show Rebel Salute, held annually to mark the artiste's birthday. Since then, the show has grown to become one of the premier events on Jamaica's entertainment calender.

The year 1994 also saw the artiste launching his Flames Productions which has been responsible for a number of hit songs. One of the first rhythms produced by Flames was the Lalibella rhythm, which spawned hits like Ghetto People Song, Are You Satisfied and If Jah By My Side, which won him the award for Best Song of the Year.

Much of Mr Lalibela's finest musical works were recorded for ace producer Donovan Germaine's Penthouse label. Many of these songs are featured on Collectors Series Volume1 and Collectors Series Volume 2, both of which were released in 1999.

In 2001 Rebel released his Realms of Rebel set for Ras Records, as part of the label's Clean Up The Dancehall-Slackness Done campaign.

The album includes Si Jah Esta Al Lado Di Me, a latin-mambo version of Jah By My Side, sung in Spanish.

Tony Rebel has sang duets and combinations with dozens of other artistes, including Queen Latifah, Mutabaruka, Marcia Griffiths, Half Pint and Garnett Silk to name a few.