Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney OD, better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots artists to emerge from the 1970s...
NationalityJamaican
ProfessionReggae Singer
Date of Birth1 March 1945
CountryJamaica
alone energy mind music quite rich shall strength
I'm not a rich person financially, but I am in mind and soul. I have so much energy and strength, and I can do a lot of things that make me, and I think my fans, quite happy. When everything's gone, music alone shall live on.
cannot dig grass music
Dig into the roots of culture, and it will grow. It's like a grass that is growing, and it cannot stop, and music is like the fertilizer for that.
Rasta is to know. Rasta is to answer, which is the final step.
coming commercial forget good level life lose material mean people roots steps tend
Some people see life as many steps up and try to forget where they are coming from, you understand? A little step in life on a commercial or a material level is a good step, but a big step does not mean a strong step - you tend to lose your roots - and if you don't be careful, you can fall.
africa ashamed defeat fear form individual speak themselves tries within
I feel that no one should be ashamed or have fear or doubt within themselves when they speak about the roots or Africa wherein I and I originate from. It's like an individual who tries to disown himself, and to me, it is a form of defeat by disowning yourself.
call five hard longer patience people takes ten work
When people see a legend, they call it a legend. But to be a legend, it's a lot of hard work and patience. You can't play for five or ten years and be a legend. It takes longer than that.
change hearts people share
We don't need no more danger, we don't need no more difficulties, we don't need no more misunderstanding, and we don't need no more violence. We need the people to see each other and know of each other, feel each other, touch each other, share with each other, and change hearts with each other.
black mean music people reggae speaking
Reggae music don't really focus on one thing, you know. If reggae music is speaking about the struggle of people, and the suffering, it don't mean black people. It mean people in general.
along dealing discourage music runs sign
The kind of music I'm dealing with is more a long-term music. Sometimes a little discourage runs along on your thought, but I am here to push it back. Discourage is a sign of weakness, and I don't like to be weak.
adding address album burning flavor gone issues message people remained spear stand time virtually
People have been listening to Burning Spear for a long time now, and they know who I am and what I stand for. Yes, I do address many of the same ideas from album to album, adding only a little different flavor or coloring. Yes, the message has remained virtually the same because the issues haven't gone away yet.
bad maybe outrageous outspoken people
My outspoken beliefs have been embraced, but I don't consider myself an activist. Maybe people consider me as that, but it's not anything outrageous or bad I can't live with.
people present presented
When you can present something to the people wherein the people don't think that something like that can be presented to them, it's very strong.
plan
We plan to do other things for this place which we know everyone will appreciate.
develop knowledge students taught therefore
Students have to be taught about everything. So therefore the knowledge of the students would develop around and about everything.