Reggae Revolution: A report on the British gospel reggae scene

Sunday 1st August 1999

George Luke caught up with THE WATCHMAN, PURE SILK, TONY RICH, MARCIA PHINN and TENDAI.



Continued from page 1

Reggae Revolution: A report on the British gospel reggae scene

"People say the element of reggae was this man who was smoking weed, which was Bob Marley, who took it to a height. Yes he did, but you have a lot of other people who were there also, helping it along the way. In rock music, you have people who take heroin, and you have rock gospel, you have all different types of gospel today. To me as a Christian, there's only one world: God's world. But you have people who believe and people who don't. The non-believers, in their type of music, have different elements that follow it. I can't stigmatize reggae music."

As well as recording his own material, Tony is using his wealth of knowledge and experience in the reggae industry to further advance Christian reggae as a whole. He's working with Jet Star - the most important distribution company in British reggae - as a freelance consultant, helping them set up a gospel department. "Reggae gospel is going to be big music," he says enthusiastically. "It's breaking through in America and is going to break through here very soon."

You could be forgiven for thinking British reggae gospel is a boys-only club, but one of the most exciting new acts on the scene is female. MARCIA PHINN's personal testimony makes the film Dancehall Queen look like Mary Poppins. It's the story of a mad 17 years, in which depression, drug-dealing, fraternizing with 'gun people', and two near-fatal road accidents all feature prominently. But life wasn't always this manic; in fact, as a child, Marcia and God were quite good friends.

"My Mum brought us up in the church, and from a young age I had a relationship with the Lord," she recalls. "I always remember speaking with God, crying through those Bible movies on telly -1 can remember repenting as a kid, trying to improve my relationship with God, and to be a good person generally."

By the time Marcia was a teenager, certain church doctrines made no sense to her. "I used to go to one of those churches where women weren't allowed to wear trousers, jewellery, makeup, etc. I went through a period where I was saying, 'All this can't be important to your relationship with God himself,' and it really put me off, because the old mothers and fathers in the church made me feel like a sinner, just because I wanted to wear my sleeper earrings. Once I went to church with these tiny earrings in, and guess what the sermon was on that day? Earrings! I just couldn't see how all this stuff was important, so I said to myself: 'This church life isn't for me.'" Fed up with petty legalism, Marcia quit church - and in the years that followed, immersed herself into a seriously wild lifestyle.

After she managed to get herself suspended from school in South London, her mother moved her to another school in East London, thinking it would be better for her. It wasn't. "The school itself wasn't as good as my old one," she says. "I hated it. The kids there were really rough. I just went from bad to worse. By the time I was 16,1 was into all kinds of stuff. I was hanging around drug dealers - in fact, I was dealing myself - and I was very much into the dancehall scene. I smoked a lot of ganja and used to get depressed a lot. At one point, I was suicidal - but I couldn't decide on how to kill myself, because I hated taking tablets and couldn't stand the sight of blood!"

The first of the two near-fatal accidents mentioned earlier was a bike accident, in which she nearly lost a leg after going through a plate glass window. But it was the second one - in the autumn of '93 -which signalled an end to Marcia's mad days. She had gone to Canada on holiday, but whilst there was in a car accident in which her pelvis got crushed. After spending what should have been a stress-relieving holiday in a Canadian hospital, Marcia returned to London - but her injuries made keeping her job in local government impossible. Christmas that year was a really low time - and Marcia found herself praying. "I said, 'All right then, God, if you're really up there, then prove yourself real in my life, because right now I've just had enough.' That was it. I got saved and started going to church again. When I look back now, most of my friends from those days are either dead, on crack, or in prison - or they're out there, struggling to get by, but not happy. That could've been me."

Reggae Revolution: A report on the British gospel reggae scene

Marcia had always been into music; as a child, she tap-danced and played several brass instruments. She had taken voice lessons, and at the time of her conversion, was about to tour Zimbabwe with a band. "When I became a Christian, I wasn't sure whether God wanted me to continue with music. I decided to pray about it for a couple of months. God said, 'I do want you to continue with music, and I want you to join the choir.' I joined the choir at the church I was going to then, and that's how my music ministry began.

"I used to do traditional stuff - Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, that kinda thing -and some R&B. One day - or rather, one night -I was struggling to write a song, when usually, songwriting isn't a problem. I asked,
'Lord, why is it I can't write this song? God said, 'Why not try writing something you feel comfortable or more familiar with?' I said, 'Lord, you know that's reggae music' He said, 'Well, write a reggae track.' I said, 'All right, then,' and sat down to write a reggae track. I wrote six in one night!"

Marcia edged slowly into reggae by slipping in a reggae song with some traditional or R&B songs whenever she was asked to sing at functions. Demand for the reggae songs soon outstripped the others, and now her set is all reggae -including some hard-hitting ragga tunes like "Good Christian".

When not on stage herself, Marcia can be found training other would-be singers at Destiny Vocals, the singing school she opened in East London. She started teaching singing in 1996, after injuries from her accident put a stop to her plans to be a dressmaker and a hairdresser.

"The vision God gave me was not just for a singing school, but for a school of the performing arts," she says. "I'd never run a business or done anything like that before, so to me it was very frightening -but I knew that God was asking me to do this thing, and he was going to help me do it. These last six years have been the best years of my life."

One of Marcia's favourite reggae artists is Zimbabwe-born and raised TENDAI, whose debut album, 'Exceedingly Abundantly' is one of the most popular of the current crop of UK-produced reggae gospel recordings.

Back in Zimbabwe, Tendai used to play with a reggae sound system until 1990, when he left to come to the UK. He became a Christian in March 1995. "I'd always believed in God, but not in Jesus," he says, "so I'd been searching. I read all sorts of books, then one day, my wife brought home a tape which had a guy preaching." The message on the tape (along with an advert for an evangelistic crusade, also featured on the tape) sparked something off inside, and Tendai soon found himself dedicating his life to Christ.

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Reader Comments

Posted by Gary Dixon in London UK @ 02:58 on Oct 2 2015

Today is 1st October, 2015. As I go back in time and read this article I reminisce about the day in the church when my friend, Anthony Brightly was baptised! My wife (Iris, who sang as part of lovers rock band - Revelation) and I have also returned to our Christian roots and have joined the ranks of UK reggae gospel artists. Lovers Rock being our preferred style was scarce! So we totally identify with the words of Anthony in this article. There is still a long way to go in establishing the relevance of reggae as a powerful vehicle for sharing the Gospel of Christ, but it is still happening. Iris released, "You Are My Ministry on iTunes 2012 and recently joined 12 other UK reggae artists on "The Tour Riddim" compilation CD. The first time that the premier gospel artists from UK have come together in this way. Live showcases are planned to take that 12 act package around the UK, Europe and the Caribbean. There are so many saved and un-saved souls who need to know and understand that the music you love was created by the Creator and it is He who gives the inspiration and talent. Reggae Gospel is a true expression of the reggae beat that has captured millions worldwide through Marley and others. As we who were once in that secular world, turn our talents over to Gods work, that is when people will begin to see that being a Christian is not all "thou shalt not" rules which they believe they can't embrace. The music and lyrical content helps them to draw near and see for themselves. That ultimately stimulates the changes in audience thinking that we have seen at our showcases. The Gospel is still being sung in reggae since this article and long may it continue to grow from strength to strength for the Glory of God!. Tony Rich - the banner is being carried high - RIP.



Posted by George in London @ 11:13 on Jul 5 2012

FUNERAL DATE FOR GOSPEL REGGAE SINGER TONY RICH ANNOUNCED

The funeral of gospel reggae singer Tony Rich will take place at the Roundwood Gospel Assembly Church, Roundwood Road, London NW10 9TT on July 6 at 10.30am.

It was on 5th June 2012, singer and songwriter Anthony Richards known to many by his stage name of Tony Rich and affectionately called Fatta by family and friends, passed away after several years of poor health. He died on the way to hospital following a decline in his condition.



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