KINGSTON, Jamaica — Raised in the music-rich community of Greenwich Town, Alphanso ‘King Shark’ Henclewood saw some of the biggest stars in reggae as a youth.

“On any day yuh would si Delroy (Wilson), Pat Kelly, the Melodians or (producer) Bunny Lee. Greenwich Farm (as the area is also known) was the place to be,” said Henclewood.

Through his Montego Records, King Shark produced numerous artistes including Greenwich Town mainstays Prince Alla and Rod Taylor.

Recently, he took a little time for himself and released Crucial Time, his debut album. The set is a blend of message music, lovers rock and dancehall, sounds King Shark grew up listening to in Greenwich Town.

“For so many years I have been producing a lot of artistes. It feels good to finally get something out for myself,” he said. The songs on Crucial Time feature a who’s who of Jamaican musicians including keyboardist Robbie Lyn, guitarist Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, bassist Chris Meredith, drummer Carlton ‘Santa’ Davis and multi-instrumentalist Fazil Prendergast.

It includes the songs Tears, Tonight is The Night and Round and Round.

Many people in Greenwich Town, including King Shark’s family, make a living from fishing. But in the early 1970s, there was a music explosion led by Lee and singers such as Johnny Clarke and Cornel Campbell who also has roots in the area.

In his youth, King Shark was close friends with Smith and singer Earl Zero who were raised in Greenwich Town.

As a salute to his hometown, he produced Rasta Life, a documentary about Greenwich Town and its music history, in 2010.

Howard Campbell