Prince Hammer

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.«