REGGAE SUNSPLASH ‘82’ came to an interesting conclusion at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday August 8, 1982. Some estimates gave figures of up to 100,000 fans lingering In Jarrett Park suffering some mediocre talent enduring their ordeal, waiting to be taken to ultimate MUSICAL ECSTASY by their idol — DENNIS BROWN — who was billed as the last of the REGGAE SUPERSTARS on the MARATHON 4 NIGHT REGGAE SUNSPLASH ‘82 MUSICAL FEAST

‘We all love the MIGHTY DIAMONDS, and a capacity crowd grooved Thursday night until Friday morning waiting to hear them. Nothing spectacular happened. I am busy trying to organize myself in the crowd to find some good angles for my pictures when the announcement is made — immediately there is a mood everybody is getting ready to have a good laugh at some white cats coming to the home of reggae to play REGGAE. Obviously these cats have got to be crazy or something. To my left stood two Jamaican dreads, since there were dreads from as far as Japan I make the distinction) I could hear the snigger in his voice as he said: “Bloum-Beet, a whe dem white bway ya a go? Dem tink any white can hangle dis riddim yah”. By this time Bagga Brown had gone through his little verbage and finally the guys on stage turned out to be “The Blue Riddim Band”, that tickled me a bit since the dread figured that “no Whitey can’t bangle dis ya RIDDIM yah”.

After five minutes tune up the Blue Riddim goes right into their thing —. clean and I mean clean, the Drummer; mountain of BLONDE locks under his hat is drumming up a storm, and there is a cat with a Red and White bandana round his face cowboy style, playing. a mean blue harmonica - a horn section that is crisp and clean, a tenor man, shades of Dean Fraser.

All of a sudden Jarrett Park is Jamming like crazy like all 40,000 people are standing and singing along as the old favourites reverberate across the park. The Dread beside me looks at his “spar” in amazement and says: “Jab know — dem whitey ya a play some wicked music, star” and starts to groove on his sense. Cool

BLUE RIDDIM HAD ARRIVED and Bagga Brown knew, and I knew when the Bald Headed cat put down his SAX and picked up his TROMBONE --- the Park mash dung now. From the first peal of the sliding born — DON DRUMMOND’S memory was like a living flame rekindled by the instrument which he immortalised.

Bagga stepped in, maybe he realised something deeper as I did of what was unfolding before our very eyes at SpIash ‘82’, he tried to get them off stage but “EASTERN STANDARD TIME” was on their minds so the crowd HUNGERED for more “BLUE EYE REGGAE” as Bagga so aptly put it. So BLUE RIDDIM came back for an ENCORE, and scored the greatest success of their career — The pressure was now on like a Vice — The Diamonds had to come on at maybe 7.00 am: and one-up the Blue Eyed Reggae, could they do it?

Finally the Diamonds came on, it was now daylight, people were tired but stood their ground hoping for a sterling performance by the MIGHTY DIAMONDS One could sense that they were aware of their up bill Climb.

Although people were shouting for their old favourites like “Pass the Cutchie” they still had their work out. The Blue Riddim had set a high standard The first half of the Diamonds repertoire was rather bland — They saved “Pass the Cutchie” for their encore and just about got over, So, bleary eyed all 40,000 stumbled out of Jarrett Park talking In hushed tones about the Blue Riddim Band how they stole the show.

These three groups  BLUE ‘RIDDIM, ASWAD, AND STEEL PULSE all have two things in common — they live outside Jamaica; and play. Reggae that is already being requested by Jamaicans.