In August, it will be 50 years since Jamaica gained Independence from Britain. Today, the Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment section reflects on the influence Jamaican pop culture has had on that country in REGGAE BRITANNIA, a weekly feature leading up to the Golden Jubilee.

THOUGH many of them had lived in the country since 1948, Jamaicans in Britain were still experiencing the teething pains of immigration in 1971.

Member of parliament Enoch Powell’s infamous ‘rivers of blood’ speech which railed against the influx of foreigners into the country three years earlier, was a reminder of opposition to a multi-racial society.

Britons, however, continued to warm to Jamaican music. In 1971, singer Dave Barker and organist Ansel Collins were the latest Jamaican musicians to enter the British national chart, with the rocking Double Barrel.

Inspired by Barker’s exuberant, James Brown-inspired vocal, Double Barrel followed the path of Millie Small’s My Boy Lollipop and 007 (Shanty Town) and Israelites by Desmond Dekker.

Double Barrel earned the two Kingstonians a promotional trip to England where they initially stayed for three months, appearing on the top-rated television programme Top of the Pops and doing shows throughout the country.

Collins’ father had moved permanently to England in 1967, settling in the city of Nottingham. He has vivid memories of he and Barker’s first week in the former Mother Country.

“The day we landed it was warm but when we woke up the next day it was cold as ice,” he recalled in a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer.

Barker and Collins performed in cities with strong Jamaican and Caribbean communities, such as London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Manchester. They were even more stunned by the makeup of audiences.

“It was mainly white people… A lot of them were Skinheads,” Collins said. “The Skinheads were with us all over the place.”

Skinheads were rebellious, working-class white youth who embraced ska and rock steady music. They were largely responsible for Dekker’s songs making the British charts.

Collins remembers other aspects of Jamaican music culture had taken shape in Britain.

“Jamaicans kept dances in their basements. All 4 o’clock (am) the dance jus’ start bubble,” he said laughing.

Barker and Collins were seasoned performers in Jamaica. Collins was the more experienced, having worked as a singer and played on hit songs by Delroy Wilson as well as being a member of producer Bunny Lee’s house band.

Collins also had a minor hit in Britain in 1969 with the self-produced instrumental Night Doctor. He also produced Double Barrel which was distributed by producer Winston Riley’s Techniques label.

The song featured Lloyd Parks on rhythm guitar, Vincent White on bass and a teenaged drummer named Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar.

Barker and Collins would have another sizeable hit in Britain with Monkey Spanner. After the brouhaha over that song simmered, Barker decided to stay in England where he still lives. Collins returned to Jamaica where he became an in-demand session musician, playing on countless hit songs including the monster instrumental, Stalag.

Both in their mid-60s, they re-united to perform at the London International Ska Festival in April last year.