FOREWORD

Forward ever, backward never . . .

—Rasta philosophy

I give thanks for what I consider to be such an extraordinary life full of incredible experiences, people, and manifestations of a reality that are all unique to I and I. It is truly a gift to have been given the opportunity and blessed by the Creator to turn my passion and love of reggae music, Rastafari, and Jamaican culture into a business that afforded me a life where I could support my family and travel to every corner of the Earth, meeting the most remarkable of men and women. I’ve also been granted the freedom to let my creative side be the force that has clearly guided me. While many people trod off to work each day and punch a time clock and have no real love for their jobs, and are only there to get a paycheck, I had the luxury of doing what I truly loved. A livity. My work became my life.

I believe that the creation of RAS (Real Authentic Sound) Records and Tafari Music (my publishing company) was a destiny that was set before I. And I and I must give thanks to the many artists and musicians who allowed me into their lives and who accepted me into their culture. The intimate relationships I have cultivated have been a remarkable inspiration for me. And the country of Jamaica has imbued within me a spirit that has greatly surpassed any feeling the country of my birth could have fed me. Imagine: A small little island in the Caribbean that gave rise to reggae music and the Rastafari way of life, both of which have reached to all parts of the Earth and had such a powerful influence on so many people from North America to Europe to Asia to Africa. Maybe it truly is the mythical Atlantis.

I never really had the intention of writing a book about my experiences, although I have been encouraged to do so by many people over the years. The main catalyst that triggered the desire to document my life was a book by Tad Hershorn entitled Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice. I saw many similarities between this jazz producer’s approach to music and the artists he worked with and my own. And knowing that a youth who worked for me at RAS when he was only sixteen years old and always exhibited a true passion for his work and whose integrity I always respected had started a small publishing company in New York which focused on Caribbean culture and writers, I decided to move forward with this project. Johnny Temple, the publisher of Akashic Books, has been a great inspiration for me. He has held onto his beliefs and not sold out to the corporate world but has instead chosen to maintain his freedom and keep his small, hard-working staff always reaching for their goals.

My approach to this book has been the same as how I would produce an album. Each chapter is a song. And I have layered them with different verses and choruses. Sometimes with a riff that is explosive and sometimes with a strum of tenderness. I have probably let a few skeletons escape from the closet and they are now dancing around out in the open. Maybe skanking down the street or just peering around a corner to see what is coming. If I have offended anyone, I do offer my apologies. My intention was only to let the truth be known from my own perspective.

(These days, a career in the music business is no longer a full-blown profession.) And although RAS Records clearly needed to make a profit to support myself and the artists and allow me to record albums that were not designed to make money but to expose a side of Jamaican culture, my alter ego—as my friend Dawn Bunetta described it—of Doctor Dread is still alive and well. (My birth name is Gary Himelfarb.)

A very important focus of my life now is with the Power of the Trinity. When it was explained to me that the Power of the Trinity referred to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it gave me something to really think about. And as numbers and mathematics had played an important role in my life, I began to look for meaning in the number 3 and the power therein. The vocal harmony groups of reggae usually comprised three singers—Bob, Peter, and Bunny together as Wailers being the most famous example. Since I have always believed there is a guiding force (God), and the explanation of mere coincidence does not often resonate within me, I looked for more meaning. Always seeking enlightenment. And in my life, the Power of the Trinity has come to mean that Jesus was the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth, that Haile Selassie I is the second coming of Jesus, and that Bob Marley is the prophet. That’s just how it is for me. Powerfully. I’m not saying or suggesting it needs to or should be that way for anyone else. But it is for me. And I try my best every day to measure up to their words and examples of how they lived their lives while here on Earth.

And through all the trials and tribulations I have faced, I believe that I have reached a state of what I loosely describe as nirvana. I am now ready and prepared and have no fear of entering the hereafter. I do not look upon death as something negative. I am comfortable with its inevitably and know it is part of all our destinies. Part of life. Moving forward forever.

I also must, although I have been asked not to, give thanks to my family. I am so lucky to be married to the finest person I have ever known in my lifetime, and to have been blessed with two wonderful sons. They say the gift of God is eternal life, and I have always believed that this means to spawn descendents who will carry forth your spirit and pass this on to their children, and so on.

Jah guide and protect you all, and remember to keep moving forward. Forever.

 

Raspect,