The whisper in some circles is that Prince Theo could well be the next big name in Reggae.

Reggae, because that is what he actually sings, and the promise of his success are very audible whenever he opens his mouth.

Theo (Theodore Bailey) hails from Bath, St Thomas, home of the famous Reggae group, Morgan Heritage. They, incidentally, have become his mentors. He has been one of the main local acts on their annual Eastfest concert in St Thomas and was even featured on their various artistes albums, volumes one to three.

But his first chance to be heard on record came when his co-manager/producer, Milton Moore of Soundproof Records, released three singles featuring Prince Theo last year.

While Prince Theo is still not very well known outside of St Thomas, he has already built up a fan base in Europe, especially Switzerland and France, where he has both recorded, for Trinity Records, and has been performing since 1999.

"I went back last year for the international music festival in France and really had a great time," he admitted.

Back home, he has been promoting his debut album, Set The Captives Free, which he co-produced with Trinity Records' head, the Swiss Michael Burkhalter, who also plays bass on the album.

Theo, who sounds like a mix of Luciano and Bushman, got his break in local music last year via Irie FM's "Big Break" talent hunt show. He finished second in the crowd of some 500 entrants. This led to a number of things, including travelling to Canada with Bushman to perform and recording some new singles for the hot, new label, Reggae Vibes Production, which operates out of 40 Mannings Hill Road in Kingston.

His latest singles are: Bet You Never Know and Surprise on the much-anticipated new rhythm from Reggae Vibes, called Crisis, which also features Bushman, Tony Curtis, Johnny Osbourne and Ras Shiloh.

In addition he has three more singles out, So Much Joy and Brighter Tomorrow (Soundproof), and Set the Captives Free (Trinity).

Theo, who got his name from the crew at Rassis International, says he has avoided the shortcut of doing lewd dancehall songs.

"I am determined to stick to my roots and not change. The thing is to get the public to love you and I think they will eventually love me for the truth, even if it takes forever," he offered. "I would like to get the opportunity to put across the message in my songs, which is the message of the creator.
And I would like to see the artistes get more self-conscious and try to motivate people instead of encourage crime and violence."

Pepper Pot

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