One year after Leroy Brown migrated to Canada, country singer Mac Davis rode airwaves in that country and his native United States with Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me. Fifty years later, Brown covers the song with a reggae flavor.
The self-produced single was released on July 7. It features drummer Sly Dunbar, saxophonist Dean Fraser, guitarist/keyboardist Paul Crosdale and bassist Owen Reynolds.
Brown, who returned to Jamaica 20 years ago, initially wanted a female lead for the song. But Dunbar thought differently.
“He said, ‘you are the best person to do this’ so I just went with his advice,” said Brown, who began his recording career in the late 1960s as a member of The Emotions and The Hippy Boys.
During his first five years in Canada, he remembers being fed a steady diet of country music. Brown saw some of that genre’s biggest names in concert there including Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride and Davis himself.
While he always loved Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me, it was not until recently that he decided to cover the song with a Jamaican lilt. It is the first song he has done in over 30 years that does not feature the patented lines of his longtime friend, legendary bass player Robbie Shakespeare, who died in December.
Since returning to Jamaica, Brown has produced a number of songs by himself such as Last Thing on My Mind and by other artists including singer Clement Gordon.
Written By Howard Campbell