FOR a “simple country bwoy” from Lyssons, St Thomas, Bushman found Kingston a tough place to be in 1994. The following year the singer recorded a song inspired by the bloodshed he witnessed in the Jamaican capital.

Call The Hearse, produced by Steely and Clevie, announced Bushman 30 years ago. Its brooding lyrics perfectly captured the gang warfare in some of Kingston’s toughest communities.

Bushman told the Jamaica Observer that composing what became an anthem was easy.

“I was just writing what I saw as a country yute who come Kingston, inna place like Spoilers an’ Waterhouse. Mi put myself as a news reporter an’ jus’ write di song,” Bushman recalled in a recent interview.

An impromptu rendition of the song at Arrows recording studio in east Kingston in 1995 for Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson impressed the keyboardist. At the time, Johnson and his musical partner Cleveland “Clevie” Browne were dancehall music’s hottest producers.

Within weeks Call The Hearse was recorded and released. It became a monster hit and launched the Rastafarian artiste’s career in a big way.

Bushman, who turned 52 on April 22, is not surprised by the song’s endurance.

“It’s timeless, an’ despite di challenges wi still here making timeless music — dat’s what wi doing from day one,” he said.

Timeless is also the name of his next album, which is tentatively scheduled for release this summer.

Call The Hearse is from Nyah Man Chant, Bushman’s 1997 debut album, which was also produced by Steely and Clevie. It contained hard-hitting tracks such as Man A Lion, Grow Your Natty and Remember The Day.