Interviews
In september 2004 I started writing for the music magazine REWIND. 3R Magazine and RifRaf musiczine soon followed. Now I'm mainly writing for the Flemish reggae portal website Reggae.be and the world music blog Tropicalidad.be. The interviews I did and still do for them, are republished here. Enjoy!
- INTERVIEW OUMOU SANGARE LLOYD HOTEL AMSTERDAM 01/2009
- INTERVIEW RICO RODRIGUEZ LONDON 12/2008
- INTERVIEW DOBET GNAHORE ZUIDERPERSHUIS 11/2008
- INTERVIEW CEDRIC 'IM' BROOKS AB 11/2008
- INTERVIEW MINYESHU ZUIDERPERSHUIS 11/2008
- INTERVIEW FEMI KUTI FLAGEY 10/2008
- INTERVIEW ANTHONY B VOORUIT 10/2008
- INTERVIEW ERNEST RANGLIN HELDEN IN HET PARK 08/2008
- INTERVIEW ALPHA BLONDY REGGAE GEEL 08/2008
- INTERVIEW BITTY MCLEAN REGGAE GEEL 08/2008
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
All
INTERVIEW EARL 'BAGGA' WALKER REGGAE SUNDANCE 08/2005
Every reggae lover knows Studio 1, but who can actually name the musicians that played there and were responsible for creating some of the greatest sounds in music? Bass player Earl 'Bagga' Walker, now playing bass for The Gladiators, is one of them. I talked with the ever smiling Bagga at the Reggae Sundance festival.
Bagga, my first question is a logical one: "Where did you learn to play the bass?"
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "In Trenchtown. The man you just saw together on stage with Toots, Radcliff Brian, was the one who got me to buy a guitar. He started to teach me chords when we were little kids. Ernest Ranglin was one of my teachers to. It never cost me any sweat to learn it because it was in me."
Did you go for the bass immediately, because I hear you mentioning the guitar now?
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "No, I played the guitar first. One day someone mashed up my guitar and only left four strings on it. I just played it like that, so when my fellow musicians saw that they joked: "Bagga you can play the bass to know you know!" Someone the gave me a Hofner bass, you know those old types of basses like the Beatles used to have, and I kind of learned overnight."
You were there during the high days of Studio 1 as one of the main musicians.
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "Yeah man!"
Tell us a little bit about that period.
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "I loved my boss Downbeat, Coxsone you know, and I loved all the musicians to because each one taught the other, you learned something from everybody. In those days you had to learn and pick up new things fast, not like today when you can dub and mix until it sounds right."
How do you remember Jackie Mittoo?
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "He was a very good man. Me and him played on 'Ironside' and a whole bunch of other tunes. David Madden (famous Studio 1 trumpeter red.), who is here today to, is a great musician to!"
Is there a particular type of bass that you like to play?
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "Fender! I stick strictly to Fender! I play the contrabass too, but most of the time I play a Fender."
From all the bass riddims you played over the years, is there a favorite for you?
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "No, I wouldn't know where to start! (laughs) I'm 57 years old now and I've been playing ever since I was 12 years old!"
How did you get together with The Gladiators?
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "I've been playing with The Gladiators for so long, ever since they did 'Hello Carol' in Studio 1. You could say I'm an original Gladiator! On the road they used to have their own bass player, but in the studio they played with me since the beginning."
Are you passing on your skills and teaching young musicians?
Earl 'Bagga' Walker: "Yes man! Bagga is my name and I give everything for free! (laughs) Respect man! Rastafari!"
