Still buzzing after a well-received performance last Tuesday on the Merritone Family Reunion show at Jacob’s Place, Orville “Bagga” Case took a breather in the King’s Plaza parking lot.

Case, best known as lead singer of the Home T vocal group, did smooth renditions of John Holt’s Stranger In Love and the Chuck Jackson soul standard, Any Day Now.

The lanky Case, sporting his trademark Fedora, is enjoyng some attention with Gift From Heaven, an original song produced by veteran session musician Danny “Axeman” Thompson.

Mopping his brow, Case said the method to his endurance is simple.

“Mi never stop record…mi love recording. This is a great song an’ it do a thing. Music not selling like one time, so when yuh get a likkle hit yuh have to give thanks!”

Born in Rae Town, central Kingston, Case has been in the game a long time. He joined Home T 4 (as the group was originally known) in 1973 not long after leaving Kingston Technical High School.

The initial line-up of Ruddy Manning, Leroy Bennett, Junior Gentles and Case did their first song, Mister Fire, in 1974.

With Leroy Palmer replacing Bennett and Mikey Bennett coming in for Manning they had modest success with songs like Sound System Man in the early 1980s. A change to Home T saw them exploding later that decade with Who Shi Love (with Cocoa Tea and Shabba Ranks), Don’t Throw It All Away, and the Yuletide favourite Mek The Christmas Ketch Yuh In A Good Mood.

In the early 1990s Case had a solo hit withFlex Out for producer Philip “Fatis” Burrell.

With the success of Gift From Heaven, Case is looking to follow up with If You Were Me, If I Were You, another Axeman production.

“Wi like how things turn out ’cause is a nice song an’ the response has been good. Wi jus’ hope for more,” he said.

— Howard Campbell