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The man called Coco Tea was born in Rocky Point, Clarendon, Jamaica, on March 9, 1959. In many ways the background of this soft-spoken reggae singer is typical of many other Jamaican artists, but it is his concious lyrics and his professional manner of conducting his career that sets him above the pack. His voice is sweet, smooth and rich, just like, well, Coco Tea! He visited Los Angeles early 1989 to perform at the Reggae Explosion concert and took time out to talk to the Beat.

Q: Where did the name Coco Tea come from?
A: From my mother. She told me one evening, she no really wan' cook no food, seh she jus want some soup. So I made tea, I said to her, "Yes, Mother, some hot cocoa tea", you know. From that me get the name, when I was smaller still.

Q: What is your background in music from when you first started singing?
A: The first song was from about 1976, by the name of "Searching In The Hills", on the Little Willie label. This brother by the name of Willie Francis, he had done this song, "Oh what a mini, what a short, short dress"[sings], he sung that song, he's the one produced my first song. He's no longer living in Jamaica, he's living in Canada now.

Q: Can you tell us something about your personal background and your influences?
A: Well, I neglected schooling in my early days because of music, because music is my first love. When I first got my break in '76, I left school and settled down in town with Willie Francis, and I really worked hard at being a success in the music but that didn't come until eight years later, 1984, but it was hard work and dedication and nuff determination still, you know. I left school at the secondary level.

Q: So when you left school to do music, did you go into the dance halls?
A: In those days, there wasn't really a lot of "dance hall". Enough emphasis wasn't being placed on the term dance hall, it was just reggae music and played in the dance. Only nowadays you really hear that word dance hall. I'm not really from the dance hall era but versatility teaches me to do everything, so if it's in the dance, I'm there and if it's not in the dance, I am here steady still because I am a Rastaman, and it's just the culture I have to be putting out outside of me, 'cause it's within me. It's what's within me I have to be putting out right now, it's just the vibes, it's Rasta vibes, you know, and the music has to go on.

Q: When did you first realize that you are a Rasta?
A: From when I was about 6, 7, or 8 years old, I been thinking in terms of Rastafari....I was born and grow in a district where it's an original Rasta district. Every month, or every June or July in the year, we have Nyahbinghi, Nyahbinghi keep in my district. Every year from when I was small till now, Portland Cottage in Clarendon, there's a Nyahbinghi there every year. And, whenever there's a Nyahbinghi, I&I always love to be a Nyahbinghi and chant, caw Nyahbinghi is not like you are going to church and sit down and you know....
Nyahbinghi is just one accord and all come together and chant. Nyahbinghi means death to black and white downpressors. So from I was young I was under the influence of Rasta, and know that Rasta is right. Nyahbinghi keeping, you have Rasta from all over Jamaica, from all over the world, Rasta come to Nyahbinghi, many nations. And whenever man come to Nyahbinghi, what ever he has he take along, and you share what you have with each other. You don't want to come and buy this nor buy that....you don't sell things at Nyahbinghi. I&I give things to I&I, to each other, even to who comes, stranger, baldhead, who no matter what them want to be, what's there is to be shared. I&I just share and chant Nyahbinghi and chant down Babylon.
These things last for days and days, and I want you to know that Nyahbinghi is so dangerous, so terrible, you know, it's a dreadful thing among the heathen. I've seen where a Nyahbinghi is going on for three days, or two days straight, there's rain, and that fire that burn in Nyahbinghi cannot out. Nyahbinghi fire cannot out. Come like the more the rain fall, the more the fire burn. I've seen that myself, water fall, reach and never waste a Nyahbinghi fire, it live some way. I've seen where Jah is great, so I know Rastafari is the only way still, the only true way.

Q: There are several houses of Rastafari over there in yard.....
A: Well, there are several houses because people try to segregate themselves, and denominate themselves, but there is only one Rasta, which is Rastafari under the Nyahbinghi order, understand? That means, whatever a next man do, it doesn't really trouble us, it doesn't bother me, I know what I'm doing. I know Nyahbinghi is the right thing, you know?

Q: You have a certain smooth singing style, what do you call it?
A: I would call that style, original style, my style and that style is a raw-born countryman style, caw I grow up amongst church people and is just religious type of singing still.

Q: Did you used to sing in church?
A: Yeah, I used to sing in church. I wasn't really a Christian, but as a likkle youth growing up, and being a man that love singing any where that people sing, I would like to be there and express myself by singing. Jah has blessed me with one of the few...I am one of the few people in Jamaica with a natural voice to sing, born to sing. I nah strain to do it, I was born to sing, there's no emphasis placed on my face. I got a feeling towards the music. Tommorrow you gonna hear how smooth I am.

Q: What are your personal feelings about what you are doing with your music now?
A: Well, I'm quite satified, cause my music has grown from strength to strength. Over the years I've developed to be a much more greater artist in the sense that my lyrics has grown more and everything about me has developed in reggae music, so I see it going in the right direction, plus it's pure roots and culture now.

Q: Who are some of the people who have helped you come up in the business?
A: Well, most of my thanks I have to give to Junjo Laws-that's the Volcano label. My three big hits come from Junjo Laws. "Rockin' Dolly", "Sonja", and "On Top Of The World" were my first major hits.

Q: On the lp "Whe Dem A Go Do?" there's a song called "I'm Wanted". In that song there's a statement about cocaine....for those of us who didn't understand why you would say "I'm wanted for a little cocaine", could you explain that?
A: Well, actually, that song was part written by Junjo Laws. So those verses was his, you know. It wasn't a personal thing-I didn't even know what cocaine was at them time there. Being he told me to sing it, I did. I don't touch cocaine, I never even touch it with my finger. I am a Rastaman.

Q: Have you toured since '76?
A: From that time till now, only in the U.S. and Antigua.

Q: How do you feel about your audience response?
A: I'm quite satisfied. I've given them the type of respect they need to respect me in return, so I feel quite happy with the response I get.

Q: Do you plan to tour?
A: Yes, we have some plans for touring now, in London and other places. It's in negotiations.

Q: Are you doing another lp?
A: Yes! Yes! It's coming now, as a matter of fact, it's this month it's supposed to go a road.

Q: Who's producing it?
A: Me and Rambo Productions, Pow Wow label.

Q: The combinations, dj and singer, that are very popular right now-you do quite a few of those. You have three real big hits, one with Charlie Chaplin, another with Home T and Shabba Ranks, and also Bobby Digital. Do you perform these on stage?
A: Actually, I haven't had the chance to do these on a stage show yet because the other artists haven't been with me. They have to be there for me to do it.

Q: Who's your producer and manager now?
A: My producer is King Jammy and my manager is Carlton Jackson.

Q: What are your plans for future works?
A: Well, I have one more combination with Jesse Gender, [Pround To Be Black]. He's a new dj, but you gonna hear a lot about this dj in the future. He's from the same part in Clarendon like I'm from. He's got a strong voice and a nice style that's unique. With a person like me to influence him culturally, I think he's gonna be a big hit on the market.

Q: I have a dance hall tape with the I on it from Black Scorpio, are there any other sets that you worked with?
A: All of the big sets, Jack Ruby, Gemini-you name them-Stone Love, Metro Media. I've sung on them already in the dance hall; because like I say...not necessarily to mean the dance hall but going to the dance and those things in the vibes, you know, it builds the vibes and you know what to sing about, caw there's a lot of things you see in the dance and the environment that surround you that you have to sing about. So being in the dance, it keeps you more up to date, keep you more with the vibe that's going on...you've got to be around the things that is going on and that's what is keeping up the music today. Not necessarily meaning that I'm going to be slack because slackness is going on, but the beat, and the pace of the music, I got to keep up with that. You cannot make that leave, you know, anytime the pace of the music leave you then you get stale.

Q: Leroy Sibbles told me...I said, "Why you do dance hall music now?" He said, "Bwoy, even if a cultural thing or a roots singer, if you can't keep up with what's going on now, you can't make no money."
A: Can't make no money, that's the problem, you know. You gotta look at it in terms of making the message and the music teach people, a wide cross-section of people you want it to reach. And there's more listeners towards dance hall style today, you understand, becasue it carries a faster beat and it's very catchy. Dance hall is just dance hall, caw anywhere you play, Jah music is deh so, church, dance hall...it's just Jah music.

Q: Why did you take so long to come to California?
A: That's a very good question, I've been waiting for you to ask me that question, it's very important for the fans to know why I've been staying away so long. It's all a part of proper management. Lack of proper management, that's why I've been away for so long. The majority of promotors that promote out here, they got somebody to offer the show for them, to look out for the packages for them. If you don't get the right deal from a person, you don't want to go do the show. You don't want to do a show that's not promoted right, nuff little things you got to know, that there's a right promotion being spread around for the artist, that is very important, promotion. Promotion is a key aspect in this thing, we make sure, any time we going turn up, the show got to be promoted the right way, and you and the promotor got to be communicating the right way. That means there's no problems as you go along the way. You don't necessarily get the good things too easily, but good things come to those who wait.

Q: Did Bob Marley have any influence in your music?
A: A lot of influence. Bob Marley and the Wailers, those people are the background of the music, the foundation, and they lead the way and I man haffe head in the direction of Bob Marley, I'm heading in the same direction, with a likkle more emphasis placed on the dance hall thing...caw from there the culture go to the dance hall, you know.

Q: Even Bunny Wailer does dance hall music...
A: Right. Dance hall music is now music, it's the music of the now generation. It's the same reggae music.

Q: What about stronger musicians like Burning Spear? Does he play any part in your work, any influence?
A: There's a lot of influence. My inspiration, the person who really inspire me right now most in music, I tend to think of Bunny Wailer. Bunny Wailer has a strong influence...I respect Bunny Wailer to the max. I just love the emphasis that Bunny Wailer place into the music. You can see that the man really mean what him a deal with, he really go into the music with feeling and with meaning, you know wha' I mean? Is dem type of way that I like, I like the music to reach the people, ah no half way, while music reach you fully. That mean if you ever come in a dance hall, you come for cultures' way. We are cultural 'cause we don't sing slackness, most people term it dance hall still. I am influenced by Bunny Wailer more than any other artist in yard.

Q: I want to talk a little about the LP, "Tenor Saw and Coco Tea Clash". This is a classic and it's very difficult to get...you have songs on there like "You and I", "Nah Give Up" and "My Kind". Have those ever been released as singles?
A: No, none of those were released as singles.

Q: Do you have any plans for it? It's nice music.
A: Well, I'm not the promotor...it was Witty, Music Masters. The promotor told me once that he would put out "You and I" and that EMI was interested in it one time, but it never happened.

Q: Right now, you're on Live & Love and Jammys...when this album was made, you did your part and Tenor Saw did his part, but did you ever meet up in the studio?
A: No, we never met up in the studio.

Q: The players' were the A-Team and Roots Radics, which are very good bands. I'm going to move on to the next LP, "Weh Dem A Go Do", which still sells....
A: This album, when I was in NY, last year when I was in NY, I was talking to Moodies in the Bronx, he make me know that this album, and the album with the Heptones, by the name of "On Top", he told me that those two albums were the most selling albums ever leave Jamaica right now.

Q: When was this released?
A: This was released in 1985. That's my first album. After that came "Mr. Coco Tea", Settle Down" and "Come Again".

Q: Do you have any message for your fans?
A: What I'm saying to my fans is just keep up the faith still, don't let problems get you down because reggaes' reggae and music is music. The word of Rastafari haffe be spread around and is I&I's way of doing it. You got to do it like you're planting a seed, let it grow. It's really growing but we need it to grow some more, so let us expand the music, let's keep the culture and keep the cultural aspect of it clean.
We need the support of the world right now, because we come a long way and we still have a long way to go. I really would like people to join hands and hearts to help build reggae music and don't break it down. Just help up the music and help it to be established in the right way.
I just love my fans and whether a person is my fan or not, as long as he enjoys the music....
Reggae music is my favorite music, which is our music, the music that tells of our struggling and suffering along the years, our past, our future, the present, and tells where we're going.....So, all I've got to say to my fans is that, just keep on keeping up the vibes, just keep on loving reggae music. What ever they do, do it positive and do it for Jah, every time. You don't do things you know is not going to satisfy the public, not even yourself. First, respect yourself and then you will know to respect other people. Respect is the key. Being respectful is all a part of knowing Jah and knowing what Rastafari is all about.

Reprinted with permission of Bongo Productions.
Interview published in the Beat, Vol. 8, #5, 1989
Photo by Phantom Photos.

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