FJP’s friend and collaborator, Jamaican reggae legend, Prince Francis:
Prince Francis is the embodiment of what it is to be an artist, to be free, to be Jamaican.
Prince Francis first made a name for himself as a young DJ from St. Mary. He recorded over a dozen singles for Studio One, Joe Gibbs, and UK record label FAB in the seventies. Included among them are the classic sides “Rockfort Shock”, “Street Doctor” and “Ethiopia”. In the last decade, many of his singles have been re-released on Soul Jazz Studio One anthologies, including a special pre-release 10” vinyl pressing of “Rockfort Shock”.
He got his stage name from Prince Buster when they were at Studio One together. Other contemporary artists were Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown and Dennis Alcapone. Prince Francis overflows with recollections of the early days of reggae and life in Kingston.
After a close call in gun court, the increasingly violent atmosphere in the music scene prompted Prince Francis to step away from the mic to return to his native St. Mary to paint, craft Calabash and practice bush medicine. He departed from the scene, choosing instead to follow the path of Rastafari and reconnect with his Maroon heritage.
Prince Francis has recently re-emerged into the spotlight. He recorded well over an album’s worth of material for German producer, Ganja Bonanza. And he was persuaded onstage at Jamm in Jamaica in 2006 to perform “No Woman, No Cry”. They said they could hear the spirit of Bob Marley in his voice.
His new album, “Open Eye LP” was co-written with Prince Francis and Pratibha Gautam, and produced by Craig Casey in NYC and Jamaica. It is now available on iTunes, Amazon and other sites.
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