THE sustained applause and cheers at the end of the docufilm — Dennis Brown: The Crown Prince of Reggae; the Man and the Music — summed up the feelings of the specially-invited guests who were on hand for its premiere at the Little Theatre in Kingston on Thursday evening.

The guests — comprising members entertainment fraternity, Corporate Jamaica, and government — while observing COVID-19 protocols, got a peek into the life of reggae’s influential Crown Prince through interviews of those close to the late singer.

“He is the Crown Prince, he was and he still is, despite his passing. I was fortunate to have known Dennis Brown personally and he had one of the most beautiful voice, humble artiste but very talented. His story of one of trial, tribulations, and triumphs. We wanted to ensure we captured that and we wanted to ensure that we are able to tell his story. It is important we ensure that the stories of our icons — our cultural icons and our sports personalities and those who have served the cultural and creative icons — it is important that we capture their stories… and to have that for generations to come,” Olivia “Babsy” Grange, minister of gender, culture, entertainment, and sport, told the Jamaica Observer.

Grange is credited as executive producer of Dennis Brown, while media personality Judith Bodley is the project’s producer.

The flick saw interviews with: veteran toaster Big Youth; guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith; singers Marcia Griffiths, George Nooks and Richie Stephens; deejay Beenie Man; entertainment insiders/historians Clyde McKenzie and Dr Dennis Howard; producers Mikey Bennett and Gussie Clarke; Brown’s widow Yvonne, and daughter Marla; confidants Asher Boo of 12 Tribes and Trevor “Leggo Beast” Douglas; and former managers Junior Lincoln, and Tommy Cowan, among others.

Asher Boo, who was with Brown before his transition, gave a touching description of the singer’s last conversation, while Cowan spoke of managing the singer in his final years.

“It was a labour of love,” said Cowan. “Getting him to fulfil an engagement was challenging.”

The occasion saw Stephens performing several songs from ‘D Brown’s’ catalogue, including Your Love Got A Hold On Me, Have You Ever Been In Love Before, Say What You Say, Should I, West Bound Train, and Cassandra.

L’Acadco performed a piece inspired by the late singer.

Brown’s prolific career began in the 1960s and he has recorded more than 75 albums. He died in July 1999 at age 42.