THE smell of ganja permeates the air as Israel Voice requests fellow singer Singing London to share the mic recently at Vinyl Fridays, a weekly dance at the St Andrew Park home of guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith. A slender man with dreadlocks, Singing London obliges with an original song that rocks the dance.
He and Israel Voice represent the journeymen artiste who have been part of Jamaica’s sound system movement for decades. They have no hit songs but love for the music has kept them in the game.
From August Town, Israel Voice (real name Michael Mothersill) is in his late 40s. He began recording in the early 1990s, and has done songs for producers such as Sugar Minott, Freddie McGregor’s Big Ship Records, Jack Scorpio and King Jammys.
His best known song is Naomi, in which he yearns for a desirous queen. He first recorded it for producer George Lee, then did a more robust version for Smith which caught the attention of Tadej Tratnik, a Slovenian musician who visited Jamaica four years ago.
Tratnik took Israel Voice to Europe where he performed on shows in a number of countries including Slovenia, Germany, France and Switzerland. The experience was eye-opening for the lanky member of the 12 Tribes of Israel.
“Mi ‘fuljoy’ it. It was mi second time out there an’ it was a powerful thing ’cause it gi mi di chance fi show wha’ mi can do,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Singing London (given name Louis Wilson) hails from the Bull Bay region of St Andrew. A mason by trade, he also launched his music career 30 years ago, hanging out and ‘voicing’ for Sugar Minott, King Jammys, and Bunny Gemini.
Source: Jamaica Observer
