- Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson (aka LKJ) (born
24 August 1952 , Chapelton,Jamaica ) is a British based dub poet. He became the second living poet to be published in the Penguin Classics series. [http://www.meppublishers.com/online/caribbean-beat/archive/index.php?id=cb62-1-68] Hispoetry involves the recitation of his own verse inJamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British reggae producer/artistDennis Bovell .Johnson attended
Goldsmiths College inNew Cross ,London , which currently holds his personal papers in its archives; in 2004 he became an Honorary Visiting Professor ofMiddlesex University in London. In 2005 he was awarded a silver Musgrave medal from the Institute of Jamaica for distinguished eminence in the field of poetry.While still at school he joined the
British Black Panther Movement , helped to organize a poetry workshop within the movement and developed his work with Rasta Love, a group of poets anddrummer s.Poetry
Most of Johnson's poetry is political, dealing mainly with the experiences of being an African-Caribbean in Britain. However, he has also written about other issues, such as British foreign policy or the death of anti-racist marcher
Blair Peach . His most celebrated poems were written during the government of Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher . The poems contain graphic accounts of the regular racist police brutality occurring at the time. Johnson's poetry makes clever use of the unstandardised transcription of Jamaican Patois.Johnson's poems first appeared in the journal "Race Today," which published his first collection of poetry, "Voices of the Living and the Dead", in 1974. "Dread Beat An' Blood", his second collection, was published in 1975 by Bogle-L'Ouverture.
A collection of his poems has been published as "Mi Revalueshanary Fren" by Penguin Modern Classics. Johnson is one of only three poets to be published by Penguin Modern Classics while still alive.
Music
Johnson's best known
album s include his debut "Dread Beat An' Blood", "Forces of Victory", "Bass Culture" and "Making History". Across these albums are spread classics of the dub poetry school of performance - and, indeed, of reggae itself - such as "Dread Beat An' Blood", "Sonny's Lettah", "Inglan Is A Bitch" and "Independent Intavenshan".Johnson was a prescient man and his track "All Wi Doin Is Defendin" accurately predicts theBrixton riot (1981) .Johnson's record label "LKJ Records" is home to other reggae artists, some of whom made up "The Dub Band", with whom Johnson mostly recorded, and other Dub Poets, such as
Jean "Binta" Breeze .Of late, Johnson has only performed live on an intermittent basis, perhaps a result of modern reggae's shift towards more spontaneous and rapid-fire performers of
raggamuffin ordancehall .Discography
*"Live in Paris with the Dennis Bovell Dub Band" - Wrasse, 2004 (DVD).
*"Live in Paris - Wrasse, 2004.
*"Straight to Inglan's Head" - Universal, 2003.
*"LKJ in Dub: Volume 3" - LKJ Records, 2002.
*"Independent Intavenshan" - Island, 1998 (Compilation).
*"More Time" - LKJ Records, 1999.
*"LKJ A Cappella Live" - LKJ Records, 1996.
*"LKJ Presents" - LKJ Records, 1996.
*"LKJ in Dub: Volume 2" - LKJ Records, 1992.
*"Tings An' Times" - LKJ Records, 1991.
*"Dub Poetry" - Mango, 1985 (Compilation).
*"LKJ Live in Concert with the Dub Band" - LKJ Records, 1985.
*"Reggae Greats" - Mango, 1984.
*"Making History" - Island, 1983.
*"LKJ in Dub " - Island, 1980.
*"The Best of Linton Kwesi Johnson - Epic, 1980 (Compilation).
*"Bass Culture " - Island, 1980.
*"Forces of Victory " - Island, 1979.
*"Dread Beat an' Blood " - Island, 1978. (AsPoet And The Roots .)External links
* [http://www.lkjrecords.com/ LKJ Records - News, releases, tour dates, etc]
*http://graphikdesigns.free.fr/linton-kwesi-johnson.html
* [http://www.wrasserecords.com Wrasse Records website]
* includes a "Critical Perspective" section
* [http://www.spikemagazine.com/1298kwes.php Spike Magazine Interview]
* [http://www.ammocity.com/gbm/pdf/linton_kwesi_johnson_screen.pdf Interview with Graham Brown-Martin for Trace Magazine]
* [http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=7980 Interview with Yuri Prasad in Socialist Review (2002)]
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