Roots singer Bertie Dan remembers when going to a dance in Jamaica was for the the fun-loving or artists trying to expose their songs. Now, these events are prone to violence.
Bertie Dan longs for the good old days on his song, "Battlefield", which is produced by Kion Smith for Shashamane77 Records.
The single is inspired by an incident at a dance he recently attended in Rockfort, east Kingston.
"Gunshot jus' start lick an' people start drop over one another. Battlefield reminding people dat, when yuh go dance yuh go to have fun," said Bertie Dan.
The veteran artist has been to his share of dances, going back to the 1980s when he performed on sound systems like Volcano, King Tubby's and Stur Gav. Things were different then.
"Dem days dance did nice! Yuh coulda walk go home. Can't do dat again," he said.
Bertie Dan also began recording over 30 years ago. His first song, "Mr. Cocaine Man", was produced by Anthony "Gilly" Gilbert, former chef for Bob Marley; his best known song is "Money Money", a collaboration with Cutty Ranks produced by Fifth Avenue Records.
He has toured North America and Europe with Mystic Revealers and Nardo Ranks, respectively.
Written By Howard Campbell