BY MARK CUMMINGS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — More than 1,500 party-goers crammed the Opium Club at the Hard Rock Café and Casino here on Wednesday night (into Thursday morning) to congratulate and celebrate with the management of Stone Love for its 37 years in the music business.

Over the past few weeks, the sound, which was founded back in 1972 by Winston ‘Wee Pow’ Powell, has played in Canada and New York, as part of its anniversary celebrations, but a beaming Powell told Splash early yesterday that so far the Hard Rock event has been the biggest and most successful.

“Without a doubt, the Fort Lauderdale leg is the best. Look at the place, it is packed and the people are enjoying themselves,” Powell said.

Throughout the seven-hour event, selectors from Stone Love, which provided the music along with Tony Matheron, Renaissance, Black Chiney, Under Ground and Innocent, praised Powell for his outstanding achievements in the music industry.

“Father Powell you a the Godfather fi dis thing ya, a yuh bring me inna it and mi respect yuh,” said Billy Slaughter, a veteran selector for Stone Love.

“Pow-Pow (Powell) mi a just 30 years old and for a sound to be still around from before mi born is quite an achievement,” another selector said.

Several patrons also congratulated Powell for taking reggae music to another level.

A number of selectors working at the party paid tribute to Kevin ‘Squingy’ Bennett, the former Bass Odyssey selector who died in a Florida hospital on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Powell said Stone Love’s 37th anniversary celebrations will climax on December 12, at Mas Camp.

At that time a number of selectors from prominent sound systems across the island will join the Stone Love crew on stage.