Rest In Peace Sonia Pottinger

 

Many people know my Aunt Sonia Pottinger as accomplished reggae producer.  She was the best in the business from the early 1960's to the mid 80's when she retired. She was however much more than that. She had the kindest heart and the most spiritual person I know.

Mrs. P, was like a mother to me. She helped me through many hard times in my life. I know how the public knew her, but her kids and family new her when she wasn't running to manage Tip Top Records or to the studio to make sure everything was going right.

Short Biography taken from Wikipedia

Sonia Pottinger, married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she opened her Tip Top Records Shop in 1965 and started to record musicians in 1966. The first single she issued was "Every Night" by Joe White & Chuck.[1] Other artists recorded during this period include Roland Alphonso. Throughout the rock steady and early reggae eras, she became very prolific with hits by The Ethiopians ("The Whip"), Delano Stewart, The Melodians ("Swing And Dine"), Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis and Toots & the Maytals, released on her Gay Feet, Tip Top, Rainbow, and High Note labels.[1] In the early 1970s her work was less prolific, but in 1974 she bought the Treasure Isle label from long time friend Duke Reid shortly before his death.

In the 1970s, she produced albums by Bob Andy, Marcia Griffiths, Culture, U Roy and Big Youth. Her most well known production is Culture's Harder Than The Rest album, released in 1978.

In the dancehall era show produced Archie & Lynn's "Rat in the Centre". She retired from the music business in 1985.[1]

Releases

198X

• Marcus Garvey

Productions

• Alton Ellis - Greatest Hits [1973]
• Bob Andy - Lots Of Love & I [1977]
• Brent Dowe - Build Me Up [1973]
• Culture - Culture In Dub [1978]
• Culture - Cumbolo [1979]
• Culture - Harder Than The Rest [1978]
• Culture - International Herb [1979]
• Culture - Production Something [197X]
• Culture - Too Long In Slavery [197X]
• Culture - Trod On [197X]
• Culture - Vital Selection [1978-79]
• Delano Stewart - Stay A Little Bit Longer [1970]
• Errol Brown - Dub Over Dub [197X]
• Errol Brown - Pleasure Dub [197X]
• Errol Dunkley - Darling Ooh [1972]
• Hippy Boys - Reggae With The Hippy Boys [1969]
• Joseph Cotton - Dancehall Days [1976-84]
• Justin Hinds - From Jamaica With Reggae [196X]
• Marcia Griffiths - Naturally [1978]
• Marcia Griffiths - Steppin' [1978]
• Melodians - Pre-Meditation [197X]
• Melodians - Swing And Dine [196X-7X]
• Revolutionaries - Dub Expression [1978]
• Revolutionaries - Medley Dub [197X]
• Slim Smith - Just A Dream [1972]
• Sonya Spence - In The Dark [197X]
• U Roy - Original DJ [197X]
• U Roy - With Words Of Wisdom [1979]
• U Roy & Dennis Alcapone - Version Galore Vol 2 [1972]
• U Roy & Various Artists - Version Galore Vol 3 [1973]
• Various Artists - Hottest Hits [197X]
• Various Artists - Musical Feast [197X]
• Various Artists - The Reggae Train [197X]

Others

Arranger

• Sonya Spence - In The Dark [197X]

Well Death It Is

This information was taken from the Jamaican Observer. It seems that support to retain the death penalty has been approved.

The House was asked to vote on the following motion moved by Prime Minister Bruce Golding two weeks ago:
'Be it resolved that this Honourable House : (a) affirms its support for the retention of the death penalty as specified in the Offences Against the Person Act; (b) declares its support for the removal of the death penalty as specified in the Offences Against the Person Act.'

Two separate votes were taken, on (a) and (b) respectively, requiring an "aye" or a "nay" from each member present as his/her name was called.

On (a), 34 members voted "aye", 15 voted "nay". There were eight absentees.

Well, what does this all mean? Simple. The Jamaica people are very tired of all the violence in the country. People understood that years ago that justice was swift and fear of death was what kept many of the "bad man" in check.

I found it interesting that "Portia" was absent for the vote. Portia Simpson Miller told her party's National Executive Council on Sunday that she would have been absent from yesterday's conscience vote because of a previous engagement. She, however, did not give details as to the nature of that engagement.

The issue will now move to the floor of the Senate, where a debate is not necessary, since there is no need to change the law, but is to be included since it was a recommendation of the Joint Select Committee which reviewed the Charter of Rights.

Rest in Peace-Byron Lee

KINGSTON, Jamaica: A bandleader who helped introduce Jamaican music to an international audience and founded one of the island's first ska bands has died.

Information Minister Olivia Grange says Byron Lee died of cancer at the University Hospital of the West Indies on Tuesday. He was 73.

Byron Lee and the Dragonaires band was founded in 1956 at age 20 and recorded several ska and calypso songs, including "Tiny Winey." The band soon signed with the West Indies Recording Limited label owned by future Prime Minister Edward Seaga.

Lee bought the label in 1964. His Kingston studio would later attract musicians including The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

More

Rest In Peace- Cedella Marley

Cedella Marley Booker, 81, the mother of late reggae musician Bob Marley, has passed away at her South Florida home on Tuesday. She was known to all as, "Mother Booker." Mother Booker wrote two books about her son and released two albums "Awake Zion" and "Smilin' Island of Song."

Booker was surrounded by loved ones inside her South Miami-Dade home and was ''very happy and very peaceful,'' said daughter-in-law Sharien Booker. ``Her vision was always to bring people together. She was a very loving person, and we know she's happy.''

'Mrs. Booker was the matriarch of a movement so powerful that the mystical qualities of the Marley musical legacy remain strong and potent,'' said Jamaican Information Minister Olivia Grange.

''She was a star in her own right,'' Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said in a statement. ``Her life was one of hardship, struggle and eventual fulfillment, and through it all, she exuded hope, strength and confidence.''

Born in Jamaica in 1926, Booker was 18 when she married Norval Marley, a 50-year-old British quartermaster. After he died in 1955, she married Edward Booker, moved to Delaware, then relocated to Miami, where she lived for the past 20 years. She was very well loved by the Miami Community.