The Making of Clinton Fearon’s Heart And Soul

By Catherine Fearon on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 - Photos by Catherine Fearon - 1 comment

Clinton Fearon was in Jamaica with Chapter Two Records to shoot videos and photos for the promotion of his new acoustic album Heart & Soul, set for release in late March. We got this report from his wife Catherine.

Sampler

Clinton Fearon

The trip to Jamaica has been planned for a while with the purpose to visit Clinton’s family on the country side and in Kingston. Closer to the date, Nicolas Maslowski from Chapter Two Records learnt about our travel dates and realized that he will be there at the same time to shoot videos with Derajah and Winston McAnuff. So we finally met and worked a couple of days together in Kingston.

Friday 13th January 2012

One Love

Today is Clinton’s birthday, and we are on Walsh’s Beach, East of Kingston. The idea is to make a video clip of the song One Love and Clinton thought about this place because of a tree that’s special to him.

Clinton Fearon “It is the one closest to the ocean. I loved to sit here to play guitar and write during the week, it was quite. I wrote a lot of songs here. I wrote Chatty Chatty Mouth here and some other songs that I recorded with the Gladiators. But many other songs never got to be recorded, or only on a little cassette player I was using not to forget them! I still have those cassettes actually.”

We did not know if the tree would still be there, but yes, here it is. And Roland Allard – the photographer – is already recording the first moments of Clinton and his tree, after something close to 40 years of separation.

Clinton remembers that Gladiators were playing close by often on Sundays: "We used to play at Walsh's bar. We were playing on Sunday for a little money and spending almost all of it in food and beers". But the place is not here anymore.

Nicolas is making pieces of interviews with Clinton on different places of the beach and Roland captures everything to prepare a short video.

Baaba

Later in the day we move to go at the crossroad of Waltam Park Road and Hagley Park Road, West Kingston. A busy place in the middle of the ghetto. The Gladiators were often passing by a barber shop installed in the building corner.

“Yes I know it’s strange for Rastas to have a barber as a friend but so it is!” says Baaba with a big smile.

Clinton remembers too.

“Me and Baaba, we were playing guitar sometimes when there were no customer. Albert and Gabby were passing by too, we were hanging on together in a little room on the back of the shop. Baaba was cool.”

Saturday 14th January 2012

Marvel Not

Another big day in Jamaica - tonight in Ochos Rios Rebel Salute takes place hosted by Tony Rebel, one of the most respected festivals among the Rasta community.

For us the purpose is to shoot a video clip of the song Marvel Not. Clinton wrote it during the rough times of the early 70’s.

“The idea was to give support to each of us. Times were really rough with politicians and gun men working together. But we have to go through and we’ll do it. Marvel not.”

In the street

We stop at Sonic Sound studios to pick up Barnabas, drummer. He worked on some songs with The Gladiators and he also is a good friend of Clinton.

Together we are driving around the Cross Road area, Kingston 10, and we decide to stop at a corner to start shooting the video.

Clinton Fearon

Clinton is sitting on a box, playing and singing Marvel Not. Roland is making several cuts. People around are checking what’s happening and slowly get closer to Clinton and enjoy the music. A little girl is attracted by the guitar and come to touch the strings with smiles and laughs.

Derajah

Derajah is passing by. The young artist was on the Inna Di Yard Tour in the summer of 2010, when Clinton was guest of the acoustic formation lead by Chinna Smith. They met then and stay in touch since.

Pictures of the picture of the cover…

When the day goes down and the light get smooth, Roland is making some pictures, thinking one of them could be the cover for 'Heart And Soul'. He was right!