Some of the patrons enjoying the Tribute to Dennis Brown at Oakton Park last Saturday night. (Photos: Karl McClarty)

Any fan of Dennis Brown's music would have thought themselves in heaven at the DB birthday celebrations held at Oakton Park last Friday.

It was a night of nostalgic Dennis Brown music from start to finish at the new entertainment centre in the heart of Half way Tree, as each of the 45 artistes on show paid homage to the crown prince of reggae in song. With so many artistes, the production had to be tight and it was. The organisers of the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA) must be commended for a splendid show, the first major one at their new home at Oakton Park Centre.

In section one of the two-part presentation each artiste performed a single song in tribute to the prince, some in true Dennis Brown style, others not so much on target. Word for word, the fans joined in with each artiste on stage singing and dancing.

The night unearthed some gems from the past such as Derrick Harriott, a pioneer in Jamaica's music industry, and one of the few artistes allowed to perform more than one song. For a man who was there at the very start of DB's career, almost 40 years ago, Harriott must have found the fountain of youth. Harriott recalled being present when Brown, at about nine years old, did his first song on stage standing on a beer crate to reach the microphone. Bass player and vocalist extraordinaire Boris Gardner was also present to pay his tribute in song.

Tony Rebel pays tribute to Dennis Brown last Saturday night.

An enthusiastic Abijah closed with his tribute, Dennis Brown's If I had the World followed by a cameo of his hit Revelation (some artistes sneaked in a sample or two). Earlier Dwight Pinkney gave an inspirational How Could I Live on guitar, a song he penned for Brown.

The show really sparked in the next section, with the dynamic Lloyd Parkes and We The People backing. No one could ask artistes such as Luciano, Ken Booth, Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor to perform only one song, in any event the crowd would not have allowed it.

Sounding very much like DBrown at times, AJ Brown first served up his namesake's No Man Is An Island, then his own My Father my Friend.

Luciano, as anticipated, captivated the crowd and also showed that he can dance. He too showed the ability to sound like Dennis with World in Trouble.

As the night happily sped along, Gregory Isaac's Raggamuffin, a song he did with Brown, spurred the veteran to call Daniel Drown, Dennis's son, on stage to assist. He quickly responded, but no one can really fill in for Dennis.

A contemporary and friend of Brown, Freddie McGregor has repeatedly opened his shows with the Brown classic, Love and Hate and he duly obliged in his well-appreciated set.
Benji Myaz proved his worth, showing his prowess with vocals as well as the bass guitar in his tribute Appreciate Nature.

And Noddy Virtue, recent Digicel Rising Stars finalist certainly had a good time on stage, full of energy and stage presence. His tribute, Should I was not one of his better performances, but the crowd welcomed his performance nonetheless.

But the man of the night, for the crowd, was certainly Ken Booth. Dapper in his cream outfit, "Mr Excitement" went through his repertoire, the entire Oakton Park following him without missing a beat - The Train Is Coming, Moving Away, Puppet On A String, Leave You Behind.

When he was done, the jumping fans begged for more but JAVAA organisers, conscious of their schedule, would have none of it. Dennis Brown - sound alike and close associate, George Nooks, closed the show, following an exhortation to attend the next regular JAVAA Jam.

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