He responded, "Don't waste the B-side, write a new song." This encouraged me to use a track that was given to me by the Guyanese singer Mark Bryan; it featured the Yoruba Singers of Guyana. They recorded that track as a gift to me while I was engineering their new album at Cannings Recording Studio Inc. I composed "Reggae Christmas" to that track. "Reggae Christmas" is released on my album "Music for All Seasons."
It is important to note that Otis Blackwell was an African American from Brooklyn, New York. Most people do not know about this man, his relationship with Elvis Presley, (whom he never met), or his contribution to American history. Noteworthy is the fact that Otis also wrote "Great Balls of Fire" that made Jerry Lee Lewis famous, and "Fever" that ushered Peggy Lee into stardom.
When asked what has kept him going? James responds by saying, "My mother wanted to have a boy who would be a musician. She conceived me. Throughout her pregnancy she listened to music, played the organ, and sang in church choirs. So you see, music is in my psyche. Thanks mom."
THANKS TO JAKE COMMANDER (guitarist/vocalist) FOR HIS ART & INSPIRATION FOR THESE PAGES.
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Photo: Cannings family with teenage James (shades).
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