Burning Spear - Christopher Columbus

Slavery and African history share an important discussion place in reggae. There's one particular name though that comes to mind, as he is often seen as an ambassador of African culture.

His name is Winston Rodney, also known as Burning Spear. Like many, he began recording at the end of the 1960s at Studio One and his first single, Door Peep is nothing less than a masterpiece - his intro to the song sends shivers down the spine : "Sounds from the Burning Spear...".

The song, including his other recordings for Coxsone, were compiled into his first album, Studio One Presents Burning Spear. The first issues of the album have become extremely rare, as there were several versions of the cover that were released, including different cover pictures and a silk-screen edition. A well documented page about these editions can be found here.

A second, just as crucial, album was recorded at Studio One, entitled Rocking Time. There are many albums to talk about from his discography, as Burning Spear has proved his talent over the years : Marcus Garvey, Man In the Hills, Dry & Heavy, Social Living, the list goes on.

Therefore I'll now get to the song that I would like to introduce today. Christopher Colombus is taken from Burning Spear's Hail H.I.M album, from 1980. When picking-up this record, you'll be sure to notice the impressive cover by Neville Garrick.

It portays Selassie on a while horse, peering over towards the hills - a depiction of the return of Christ and fall of evil in Revelation :


"I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." 

Revelation 6:2 NIV.

Onto the song. Whether he's renamed "Come-rob-us" by Peter Tosh or said to have been "Taking a nation that was born to be free, And brought down there to captivity" by Ken Boothe, the so-called explorer is regularly given a more accurate description in reggae, compared to the luminary figure he's associated to in our school books.

Over a roots riddim from some of the best musicians of the island, Burning Spear reminds us of the Arawak Indians, one of the first people to settle in the Caribbean. The horns are sublime, leaving the singer with no hesitation to name the man a "damn blasted liar".

Be sure to check out the full album as this is killer material. At a time where rub-a-dub was proving its popularity, this is a record packed with conscious roots tunes that will be played over and over again.