Interview: Glamour Wayne

I had approached two previous sound system selectors and was stood up for the interviews with not so much as a phone call to cancel. But I will not write about the negative, I will focus on the positive. I stop at the door nervous when I realize that this is my first interview with a sound system selector and I have to do it in front of six people that I do not know. Would I look crazy to them? Would I be able to pull off this whole website project I so strongly believe in? I quickly say to myself "Peach you're always starting things and not finishing them. Do not let fear stop you, get yourself together and get that interview." At that moment Glamour looks up, smiles and waves me into the shop. Okay here we go, let's get this show on the road. Now there is a little delay because I just bought this tape recorder and I don't even know how to work this darn thing. Richard being the ever so calm cool brother that he is takes the recorder and prepares the recording for me. I must say that Glamour soon made me feel like we known each other for years. I hope you feel the same way. When you finish reading this go in the VIP Room and drop me a note.

Brnangel: "Could you introduce yourself to the badh readers?"
Glamour: "My name is Rolton Washington Knight aka Glamour Wayne."

Brnangel: "Could you tell me how you first come to start playing on the sound systems and which system was the very first one you played on?"
Glamour: "Well I have been playing since the year 1978." "The first sound system I played on was Afritone."

Brnangel: "And where are they based at?"
Glamour: "They were based on Nelson Road off Maxwell Avenue inside the Kingston 13 community in Kingston, Jamaica."

Brnangel: "Ok, I'm familiar with that area."
Glamour: "It was the very first sound system I played on at a very tender age." (He pauses as if he is reminiscing about the past) "Yeah Afritone now know as Soul Supreme."

Brnangel: "That's the name if it now? " (Looking and sounding shocked)
Glamour: "Yeah, Soul Supreme that is the name now."

Brnangel: "The one which Junior P selects on? The Soul Supreme that is based here in Brooklyn, NY?"
Glamour: "Those times there Junior P was still wearing baggy pants."

Brnangel: (laughing because one learns something new everyday. I make a mental note to check into for a possible interview with Junior P.) "Okay all right. Now when did you first come to American and start playing on the sound systems over here?"
Glamour: "My first tour in New York was in the year 1987. I was brought by R&R Promotion which was based at Lincoln and Troy in Brooklyn back in the day. My first tour was with Afrique Sound Sensation in Club Legend on Utica Avenue.'

Brnangel: "Okay I came onto the dancehall scene back in 1995 and I use to hear your name mention for all the dances back then as well as now."
Glamour: "Yeah in those days I was playing everywhere. I played the Q-Club, Biltmore Ballroom, Legend, Turn Table and a lot more other popular spots through out the tri-state area."

Brnangel: "Were you free lancing then, like you are doing now or were you playing on a set?"
Glamour: "No, back then I was with a sound called Gemini Immortal. The first immortal sound, I start to play Gemini sound in 1986."

Brnangel: "okay, now correct me if I am wrong but I thought Gemini was based in Jamaica?"
Glamour: "Yeah Gemini is a 32 year old sound based in Jamaica."

Brnangel: "What were some of the names of the selectors that were on that sound system when you were playing with Gemini?"
Glamour: " Disco Burch, Welton Irie, ummm Long Pie they call him Billy Slaughter who is now playing for Stone Love"

Brnangel: "See I learn something new everyday. I never knew Billy Slaughter played on Gemini." Which are some of the sound selectors you feel are top of the top?"
Glamour: "Well you have some young youth now who run the business and you have to give them love and show them love like Tony Matterhorn, Ricky Trooper, and Pink Panther those are just a to name a few. But the real top of the tops are Rory of Stone Love, Big Belly Sky Juice of Metro Media and myself. We set the foundation for those youths and we are still in the business doing well. I really don't like the top of the top verse because we are all top of the top and big respect to all the people who a select on sound systems. I love Ricky Trooper, Tony Matterhorn, Pink Panther and them youth now, and Fire Links. Those youths are in a different class by themselves and I have to show them love. Big respect due to man like Super Claude, Jagga B, Sky Juice, Rory, myself, Captain Midnight, Ion, Mark from Inner City and Danny them youth there who earned their respect in the business single handed you know. And they know exactly how do deal with this business pon a business level. We have to show love because music is love and from you love music we say that is more power"

Brnangel: "How do you compare the dances now to dances five or ten years ago?"
Glamour: "The dances are no where as sweet as the dances were ten or even five years ago."

Brnangel: "Why do you feel that way?'
Glamour: "Because of the way selectors a play the music now these days. Music consists of what, four minutes and a couple of seconds' right? They play four seconds and you have four minutes of talk. How can a man dance with his girl that way? This is the art of the old school and the rule, play the four minutes of music and a couple of seconds of talking."

Brnangel: "Now you bring up that the selectors play a couple of seconds of music and talk the four minutes and you can't dance with your girl, however I noticed that when I go out I see no dancing at all."
Glamour: "Things change just like the weather. I must blame the selectors for bringing the dancehall to that level. You understand that we are moving in a new millennium and things are going to change and move faster but you see music, you have to present it the right and proper way. There is only one way and that is the right way. Right now the music is presented the wrong way in the dancehall. How can music have the most four minutes and five seconds and a selector plays five seconds of music. That means a man can't dance with his girl so what he does is put her on the left side and he stay on the right side."

Brnangel: (I'm cracking up laughing because it sound funny the way Glamour explains it but I understand what he is trying to say.) "The reason why badh was started because we noticed that reggae music is about to cross over mainstream in the American music industry. Just the other day I hear Star of Hot 97 talking about Jamaica, Foxy Brown going to Jamaica to do her video as well as Sean Puffy Combs and Missy Elliot doing the Sashi event. A lot of artists are sampling with the reggae beats. At one time you didn't have this. How do you feel about this?
Glamour: "You see music is universal. Back in the 60's and the late 50's you had Alton Ellis and guys like him who listened to Curtis Mayfield and Sam Cook, that Alton Ellis take their music, copy it and take it back to Jamaica and make it into a ska tune and it help Alton and them out a lot. So you see music is universal, not just because we are Jamaican that we create reggae music. That means a man can come from America and adopt it. Music is for everybody. So respect to Star ( a sometimes controversial Hot 97 radio personality for the Star & Bukwild featuring Ms. Jones morning show (now off the air)), rap and hip hop artist that want to come and adopt reggae music and sample it with rap music and take it to another level. It's all about levels you know."

Brnangel: "Do you feel that in the next year or two reggae music will be at the level where you see a lot more reggae artist at the Grammy, Soul Train and American Music Award shows?" Because you see Beenie Man along with Mya, Nelly Futardo and Missy Elliot, Barrington Levy with Shyne just to name a few that is really rocking the r&b world with the reggae flavor.
Glamour: "Sure! Nothing is wrong with that music is music and it universal. "

See Glamour's Kingstion 13 Reunion Dance