RICHIE Stephens is never at a loss of words to express his admiration for Dennis Brown, whom he regards as the “template for all reggae singers”.

“Dennis Brown is my idol. He is the first artiste I identified with, and wanted to be like… He is one of the greatest artistes to have ever emerge from Jamaica,” Stephens told the Jamaica Observer.

“During my time when I came in the business, everybody came out sounding like Dennis Brown, almost. He taught us just how to do it. He had a style that everybody loved. What’s the most special thing about Dennis Brown is the person that he was; he was one of the sweetest persons you could ever come across. Just a wonderful person. It’s like everybody was his fan and everybody loved him as a person,” he continued.

Stephens was one of two performers at the premiere of the docu-film, Dennis Emmanuel Brown: The Crown Prince of Reggae; the Man and the Music, at the Little Theatre in Kingston on July 1. He also appears in the flick.

Stephens recalled meeting the reggae royalty at a studio in Kingston in 1989.

“When I met Dennis Brown, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I met him at New Name Studio on Maxfield Avenue. I was introduced to him by Derrick Barrett, who is a great friend of mine… One of things that blew me away was how Dennis Brown behaved over me. That is a striking moment that I’ll never forget… I was just starting out and had one or two hits, and when I met Dennis Brown he said: ‘You’re a beautiful singer, I admire your range, and you’re going to reach far’,” said Stephens. “He taught me even a big superstar can be humble enough to reach out to a young singer… He taught me that lesson.”

Barnett is a singer/bassist and founder of Sagittarius Band, which had its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s.

At the premiere — which credits Olivia “Babsy” Grange, minister of culture, entertainment, gender, and sport, as executive producer, and media personality Judith Bodley as producer — Stephens did renditions of Brown’s Your Love Got A Hold On Me, Have You Ever Been In Love, Say What You Say, Should I, Westbound Train, and Cassandra.

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

Dennis Emmanuel Brown: The Crown Prince of Reggae; the Man and the Music delved into the life of the influential singer, who died in July 1999 at age 42. It has interviews with several people close to him, including veteran toaster Big Youth; guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith; singers Marcia Griffiths, and George Nooks; deejay Beenie Man; entertainment insiders/historians Clyde McKenzie and Dr Dennis Howard; producers Mikie Bennett and Gussie Clarke; band leader Lloyd Parks; Brown’s widow Yvonne, and daughter Marla; confidants Asher Boo of 12 Tribes of Israel and Trevor “Leggo Beast” Douglas; and former managers Junior Lincoln, and Tommy Cowan, who gave the singer the moniker the Crown Prince of Reggae.

Brown’s prolific career began in the 1960s with producer Derrick Harriot. He recorded more than 75 albums.