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Captain Freddie McGregor - Steering Big Ship
Freddie McGregor is a living legend. I say that without bias, but am admittedly a fan of his music after being introduced to it by my Mom back in the day. I recall singing along to tracks such as the one and only 'Big Ship' and still sing along to his present day tunes like 'Key To The City' from his last album, 'Signature'. It was indeed an honour when Daintycrew.com were invited to Freddie's house - home to the Big Ship studio. We got to meet the man himself as well as his talented children.
Born Frederick Alfonso McGregor 46 years ago in James Hill, Clarendon, Jamaica, Freddie was raised in lower Clarendon in a place called Hayes with neighbours such as Cocoa Tea and Everton Blender. He started his musical career at the tender age of 7 recording a song called 'Why Did You Do It'. At the time he was around the group The Clarendonians and it was them who took young Freddie to Kingston thus giving him his break into the business.
Although we know Freddie as a Reggae singer, some of his early influences included the likes of Michael Jackson and he recalls, "Michael and myself are only about a year apart in age and so I naturally grow up loving Michael Jackson, which every yout' love Michael Jackson". In addition to him, Freddie also listened to Dennis Brown and says, "Dennis Brown locally was another hero coz he was a child star and every yout' used to want to sing like Dennis Brown". Other than those two major influences, Freddie also cites Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, The Heptones, John Holt, Marcia Griffiths, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack and Diana Ross to name a few more. The list however was slightly longer than what's contained herein this article.
Suffice to say Freddie had a number of influences and started to get recognition around 1972 when 'Bobby Babylon' was released. He says, "I became visible, but it wasn't really until 1982 that Freddie got his first major hit with was 'Big Ship'. That's not to say that people were not already familiar with Freddie and his work because Freddie worked on some of the underground Studio One selection. Freddie never looked back after his first hit...
Freddie's songs cover a range of topics including love and culture. He says, "Me can easily find topics to write" depending on his frame of mind at the time, but when it comes to love songs, Freddie categorically states, "When me write love songs, me put me all inna it coz love song is a beautiful song to write".
After 34 albums, Freddie has had many a hit record and he says it all depends on country as to which song is popular where. However, some notable mentions include 'Just Don't Wanna Be Lonely', 'Big Ship', 'Push Come To Shove' and 'Guantanamera'. At the time of interview, Freddie was working on his 35th album. So far 2 tracks have been released off the new album, 'Uncle Sam' and 'Loving Jah'. The rest of the tracks are new bar a couple of covers. Freddie covered Dennis Brown's 'For You' and Joe Higgs' 'There's A Reward For Me' and we wondered what makes an artist choose to do a cover. "A song like 'There's A Reward For Me' has great meaning. Every time me think about the song, me imagine a video, the words of the song and it really means something to me and that punch line will mean something to every person who hope to get that reward - whatever it is".
Obviously with being in the business going on 40 years, Freddie has worked with many producers including Donovan Germaine, Linvall Thompson, Bunny Lee, Sir Coxsone Dodd, Sly & Robbie, Dean Fraser and Jeffrey Chung to name a few as he says, "Me still forget a lotta dem too". Sir Coxsone Dodd was Freddie's 1st producer though when he arrived in Kingston as a 7 year old in 1963.
"When I came to Kingston at 7 years old the first place I went was 13 Brentford Road. All the big guns were there... Bob Andy, Tony Gregory, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis... As a lickle yout' me get nervous. Me immediately develop a love affair wid all the people that was there... Don Drummond, Jackie Mittoo. Everybody was like 'who dat lickle yout' and The Clarendonians were like 'Little Freddie - him can sing' and Freddie haffe buss a lickle tune. My fame spread around the studio and when them in session, lickle Freddie go buy cigarettes and keep the change. Jackie Mittoo would be 'Freddie buy two beer and a soft drink for yourself. Get that fast and come back'. So, me was the little runner and so I get a chance to sing in the studio. That's basically how me learn to play all the instruments too - at Studio One".
Freddie was not surprised that his children became interested in music, "Them grow around music every day of dem life, so music is second nature to dem". After he built the studio, Freddie worked with a number of artists including his son,
Rappachino
is one of them. Freddie says, "He has two albums worth of material, but Chino is young - 19, and just finish school, so no great rush". As for his daughter,
Yeshemabeth,
a talented singer, Freddie says, "She's already a big artist. She's released 3 CDs in Japan".
As you can imagine, Freddie has toured extensively all over the world and we thought it a tad silly to ask where he had already been on tour, instead we went for where he wanted to go. He replied, "Australia and Brazil". Freddie says responses to his shows differ and, "To me personally where I feel de people de most in my career is England. England is my place. England knows music. Nuff time when me make certain tune, a England me meditate. England a de place dat embrace me most".
Freddie is a Rasta, but grew up going to church and in a Christian family. He recalls, "Throughout my teenage stages in Kingston, me learn fe read de Bible - one chapter every day". However, people grow and Freddie says, "Try to pick the right ways, the right path and go through". He does not belong to a specific Rasta order as he states, "We love support everything the Rasta people dem do. Me did come through Twelve Tribes of Israel still... from 1975. Twelve Tribes really mould me into the man I am today in a lot of ways. If for dat alone, me haffe give thanks".
A man such as Freddie has seen how the Reggae music industry has progressed and he says that it has progressed in the last 3 years, "Prior to that it was the passa passa and bad behaviour and we no really need that. Hopefully it will change. People like myself, Beres (Hammond), Luciano, Cocoa Tea - those of us who are trying to keep it positive, keep it sane. As a person, one on one, all a dem yout' wonderful, but when they go on stage, it just get different".
Wise words from a veteran in the business who has also won numerous awards - too many to mention. At the time of interview, Freddie had just received a citation from the city of New York and had already had one from Boston previously. He did say however, "Awards and stuff, me have so much a dem, but fe all me haffe give thanks".
For the future, Freddie plans to continue performing and wants to still deliver an album a year. He says, "Hopefully, we'll have a lot of other young artists wid albums out... Guiding them in their career and watch them progress. That's the aim really".
In between getting compilation albums ready, touring and working on new material, Freddie did have a message for his fans, "Me love my fans dem. Me love de people and me respect dem".
Freddie is not just a singer he's a songwriter and a producer as well as owner of the aforementioned Big Ship studio. Add to that being a father as well as an international entertainer, it's a wonder Freddie has any time for himself, but when he does find some time, he enjoys watching Animal Planet on the Discovery channel and fishing. He says, "Me love fishing. Me love soccer. Me love horse-racing".
It's doubtful that a man as busy as Freddie has much time to himself, but something for everyone including his fans to look out for is the annual 'Rock Steady Meets Reggae' show that is now an annual event held in Miami every 1st Sunday in May.
Contact Freddie McGregor through Big Ship on Jamaica 876 925 2409.
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