Prince Hammer
By Ray Hurford
By Ray Hurford
Prince Hammer
Prince Hammer originally recorded under his
real name Berris Simpson or Berry Simpson.
One of his first records was ›Daughter A
Whole Lotta Sugar Down Deh‹ produced by
Glen Brown and M.Miller. This was the B.Side
of Glen Brown's ›Two Wedden Skank‹
[Downtown DT507] an all time dub classic.
Another for Glen was ›Tel Aviv Skank‹.
When Berris changed his recording name to
Prince Hammer, it was Glen who paid for
Hammer's first productions - ›King Of King‹,
›Addis Ababa‹ and ›Lord Of Lords‹.
Hammer explaine to Paul Bradshaw that
name change came about after a youth
named Willy Nilly persuaded him it would be
better, it was.
Within a couple of years, Prince Hammer
was on the Front Label label with an album
produced by Blacka Morwell. When the
Front Line label closed down, Hammer
moved on to Adrian Sherwood's Hit Run la#bel, and took part in the label's highly suc#cessful ›Roots Encounter‹ tour of the UK and
Europe.
Glen Brown
What Happened then Hammer!
»Well I kinda ger myself tied up with some
little things. Where er, the producers ... and I
tried to get things sorted out.«
I heard that you had a album with Joe Gibbs
called ›Trial And Crosses‹?
»Well that's my album still right. ›Brixton Trail
And Crosses‹. I have an album for Joe Gibbs,
I did 17 tracks for him before I came to Eng#land. They released on called ›Them A Model
Over Me‹.«
Your own label was successful over here.
You had ›W.W.1. Dub Part One‹.
»I did an album with Rod Taylor - ›If Jah
Should Come Now‹ that was on Hit Run. and
then we had the ›Roots And Roots‹ LP.«
You had an hit with Rod Taylor's ›10,000 Li#ons‹.
»No that was me singing ›10,000 Lions‹!«
The Roots Encounter shows were very suc#cessful.
»Yeah, me Prince Far I and Bim Sherman. I
did some smashing shows. I really get some
stage write up. I had some serious stage act
in a Dracula suit!!!«
At some of the shows someone told me you
sang John Holt's ›Anyway‹ very well.
»Well not a special tune, but you see I had
›10,000 Lions‹ as an hit tune. so I usually sing
that tune, but mostly I always do in my show
is sing-dj, sing-dj. That's my style. That's my
thing doing some dancing, some skanking -
false split. Keep the audience going.
Prince Hammer & Roy Cousins Pic - Bless Up Prince Hammer - Pic: John Williams
Just the other night, this lady turn to me and
say boy Hammer, the way your been acting
on stage, I have never seen anyone act like
that come from Jamaica. You should not be
singing, you should be in a movie! Your a
movie star, you've got the potential. So we've
having a good chat, and she invites me out
for some tea and some fish.«
People wondered what happened, you had
your label Baby Mother, then all of a sudden
you disappear?
»Well what really happened, when I leave
out of this country I was supposed to go to
the States - Dallas, Texas, and Washington,
but when I reach Washington I lose my pass#port
with my visa and everything. I try to get
it back. I go get a substitute passport.
Then when I reach Jamaica they take the
substitute passport at the airport. So I have to
get an original passport. So when I get the
forms together, to get my things going the
country have election. And you can't really
come out of the country. So it take me three
months to get back my passport, cause most
people want to leave the country because of
the vibes.«
What have you been doing recently, any
producing?
»I have a tune with my brethren called Mikey
- Lord Koos son you know. My new label is
Berris. I have a showcase album. With four
tracks from myself, 1 from Lee Van Cliff, 1
from Enos McCloud. 1, from George Nooks
and 2 with Trinity - 1 singing, 1 toasting. The
album's called ›African Iron Gate Showcase‹
that's the title track, I'm doing the title track. I
have an whole heap of artist on tape. Jubba
Tate, Jennifer
Lara, Toyan, Lit#tle John, Cap#tain Sinbad and
Anthony John#son. When I go
back to Jamaica
I will up some
good tracks
down there on
pre.
I tried to finish them before I come up, I tried
to finish my album, before I came, but I
couldn't finish it in time. I leave most of my
tracks at King Tubby's. So when I go back to
Jamaica I'll start to do some mixing«
More recently Prince Hammer's productions
have included the now classic ›Letter To
Mandela‹ by Sugar Minott, which is one of
Sugar best tunes in recent years.
Around the same time, it was heard that
Prince Hammer had cut an album for
producer Roy Cousins. Roy who now owns a
record shop in Liverpool built a studio over
the shop. At the moment it is not known if its
a singing LP or a DJ album, or even if its yet
gained released.
In short what happened was that between
the Jamaican government and the British
and American embassies, Hammer got well
delayed. Or as Hammer puts it - »An whole
heap of going and coming business.«
Plenty to do then?
»Well right now there's an whole heap of
thing I intend to do. I was in the movie ›Rock#ers‹ second on the left in the posters.«
While you were
in Jamaica,
have you been
toasting any
sound systems?
»I used to chat
with Romantic,
Kilamanjaro,
one or two
sounds - Tipa#tone. I used to
chat with Ruler#tone all them
sound, a longer
time, but more I just cool out of the sound
system business. Just meditate and give
thanks. Drink up roots and eat up fish and
whole heap of Ital food.«