Leroy Pierson Visits Positive Vibrations on June 27

Photo courtesy of Leroypierson.com

Photo courtesy of Leroypierson.com

On Saturday, June 27, Positive Vibrations will devote two hours of music-and-history to Nighthawk Records when Leroy Pierson joins host Michael Kuelker from 8:00 – 10:00 pm CST. Pierson will bring a cache of ambrosial musical nuggets and share his unique insight into reggae music.

Pierson is one of St. Louis’s musical treasures, a blues artist, record collector, discographer, producer and musicologist. Although he appears more or less every other year to take the lead in special programming on Positive Vibrations, this is the first major focus of its kind on Nighthawk Records, a St. Louis independent label (1976-2006).

The June 27 show will feature classic tracks from the catalog, never-before-heard mixes and reminiscences from Leroy Pierson, who played a crucial role in the label’s early and middle periods. A recognized authority in American and Caribbean music, Pierson’s liner notes appear on dozens of blues and reggae albums of stature, and with musicologist/Marleyologist Roger Steffens, he co-authored Bob Marley & the Wailers: The Definitive Discography. His most recent album is Country Blues.

Nighthawk’s immersion in the cultural themes of reggae showed in the kinds of artists they sought out in the late seventies and early eighties. Unfortunately, two of its best various artist compilations — Wiser Dread and Knotty Vision – went out of print years ago (collectors prices for them now), but get your hands on the platters if you can. It’s worth the effort to hear the strong early Wailers material issued under Bunny Wailer and the rootical reggae by Sang Hugh, Jackie Brown and The Morwells. One of the Nighthawk various artists compilations that is available and priced for the working class is 1982′s Calling Rastafari, a heavy, Jamaican culture-drenched set featuring fresh performances by The Mighty Diamonds, The Itals, Culture, The Gladiators and Wailing Souls.

Nighthawk had been founded as a vintage blues label in 1976, but by the late seventies, Pierson had sold his interest but stayed working under the Nighthawk umbrella co-producing sessions in Kingston and penning the notes to the album sleeves.

The music from this fertile middle period of the label’s history, late 70s to late 80s, bears up well over time. The vocals are invariably soulful. The arrangements are lean, tight, sometimes spare in the way of a Lee Perry recording of The Wailers circa 1970-71. It is music squarely embedded in the emergent roots-and-culture reggae movement when Jamaica was heading out of a tumultuous decade into the 1980s full with old strifes and fresh uncertainties.

Pass along the news. Forward ever, backward never for community radio and independent media. We. Are. Not. Going. Gently. into that good night of corporate media oblivion. And Leroy Pierson is coming to KDHX….

Posted by | June 17, 2009 | KDHX, Music | Comment 

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