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reggae
Keith Richards about reggae (1979)
“I’m drawn to reggae because there’s nothing happening in Black American music. They’re going through the disco phase. It’s very popular and no wonder people are drawn to it. The temptation to make those records is strong. Reggae took off because there are more Jamaicans in Britain and America than there are in Jamaica! Bob Marley has created an international status for reggae and now Africa will be a big market for the music too. Trouble is, I don’t know if Roots Reggae is what people want to hear from me. I’ve been playing mostly reggae with Tosh’s band and either I cut some more to make a complete album or I’ll leave it in the warehouse….
…When I’ve got an album worth of material in front of me, then I’ll think about releasing it. I’ve got Robbie Shakespeare on bass, Sly Dunbar on drums and Robert Lynn on piano. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not white and they’re not black. It’s just something you don’t think about. They make me feel very comfortable when I’m working with them. I’ve been going to Jamaica for over ten years. People will say, ‘Oh he’s doing his reggae bit‘. So I might just put my reggae recordings into the vaults until it is more acceptable to people”
