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Interview: Johnny Clarke in Paris

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Interview: Johnny Clarke in Paris

Interview: Johnny Clarke in Paris

By Jeremie Younes on Thursday, April 2, 2015 - Photos by Franck Blanquin - 1 comment

"Bunny Lee had so many stars around him... you had to be extra-good"

It's not every day that one has the opportunity to meet a living legend. So when I learned that Johnny Clarke was in town, I told myself that I could not let go the opportunity to hand him the microphone, and ask him some questions.

We met in a bar, at the foot of his hotel, in the 20th district of Paris. Johnny Clarke is touring France these days and had spent the morning battling with SPEDIDAM (French royalties institution) to recover royalties. He was kind enough to share, around a hot tea, some of his stories with United Reggae: the Bunny Lee's sessions at Treasure Isle, the way that they found the flying cymbals style back there. Duke Reid and his pigeons (no joke!), and even, the story of a legendary dubplate that all Shaka-ites know about: Jah Give Us The Power. Unreleased till this day. All that and more, brought to you by the warm and sweet voice of Johnny Clarke himself, in the 30 minutes interview embedded below. Living legend talking!

I was the ruling artist for five years straight

Tags: Johnny Clarke