Tony Kelly Interview

We caught up with Tony Kelly in South Florida for this interview.

Where are you from?
Kingston, Jamaica. Born under the plaque at Jubilee Hospital.

When did you start in the music business?
Around ‘85-86 at Tuff Gong. The original Tuff Gong, now the museum up at Hope Rd.

What was your first big break?
In engineering. The first big break was when I mixed for the very veteran Tristan Palmer, his last number one I think—‘Trash and Ready.’ I don’t know if it’s that or when I mixed ‘Blueberry Hills’ for Yellow Man, when I mixed ‘Push Come to Shove’ for Freddie Mcgregor, or when I did Bunju Banton’s album that I won a Johnny Award for. I don’t know exactly when my big break happened. I don’t know when the big break happened in production either. … It’s either when I did ‘Punnany Tegereg’ for Beenie Man or when I worked on Patra’s alblum—9 of of 12 tracks on the first album. I don’t really keep a check; I just work because I just love the music.



Did people believe in you when you were trying to achieve your music dreams?
I didn’t even care if people believed or not—as long as I believed. Life is all about impressing. If you impress people you get attention, so always live impressive. I never waited for anyone to believe otherwise I wouldn’t get anywhere, so I just work and impress. When I started at Tuff Gong as an intern or apprentice, I wasn’t getting paid or anything. The assistant manager, who was on tour at the time with the Wailers, he came back and he said, ‘How you doing this without pay or anything?’ I was like, ‘If I was at a mechanic’s shop as an apprentice, I wouldn’t get pay because I didn’t know anything so I don’t expect to get paid.’ I just had to survive you know. … When you’re coming from the poor you have to figure out a way. Most of the time I walked from Vineyard Town to Hope Road. That’s probably like three, four miles just to get there in time. I couldn’t sit around the desk, so I had to stand up for the first six months. I had to sleep outside, but nothing could stop me because I had a dream. I was dreaming mixing boards and instruments and everything.

What sets you apart from other producers?
I don’t even know those things you know. It’s like I have a rear-view mirror and I don’t look into it. It’s just whatever comes in my head. I’m always trying to find something new. … So I never go over the same thing. I never go over whatever is there. I’m always trying to create something, come with a new sound. My thing is always to give everybody music they can understand. Usually my music always gives everybody something to hold on to, so if you’re not from the Caribbean and you don’t understand Patois, you understand the melodies of the beat or probably the hook. It’s more of an understandable English or a Patois that they can understand. It’s always a happy vibe music—always a feel good!

Who do you want to work with?
I don’t even know. My thing is so weird where in the dancehall or reggae world I just have a vibe. It’s funny how Shaggy just came in and did a Gyptian song on one of the new rhythms that’s coming out—‘carwash.’ I wanted to work with Gyptian, I wanted to work with Iobtain and I searched him out and I found iobtain. I wanted to work with Morgan Heritage, and for some reason Gramps just called me out of the blue. So it’s probably just a God vibe. I’m always working with Beenie Man and Shaggy and Sean Paul, and always creating new artists. I’m working with two new artists right now— Wayne Anthony and Melika. And I’m working with Esco and Delly Ranks. I can write good music around these people. I’m about to work with Spice. I love working with Alaine. It’s not necessarily where I’ll be like, ‘Oh man I wish I could work with this person.’ Not really. It’s like when I make a rhythm, I have something in my head, ‘You know who would fit on this rhythm … this person.’

What do you listen to?
I listen to all kind of vibe. Lately I find myself listening to pop dance music. I listen to a lot of them. I listen to how they write certain things. I listen to the cord structures.

Who is one of your favourite artists from the past?
Well, I don’t even have a favourite artist. I’m just music. So anything from the past is just always wow for me. From Alton Ellis to down; I have a whole lot of rhythm and blues. I have a lot of old rock records. I have a lot of just old world records. I don’t really have someone where I say, ‘Oh that person.’ I don’t really have that.

What do you think dancehall will look like in 10 years? Do you have any vision for it?
No, we just have to go hard at making good music, making happy music, bring back fun in the dancehall. Bring back certain elements in the songs that make people go ‘OK’ instead of just trying to live off the hype. We have to get away from the hype that we’re engulfed in our community and realize that it’s bigger than us down here; it’s worldwide so we have to. So we have to be in the world or we’re gonna lose it.

What advice would you give to youth that want to be a producer?
Learn the history of the music. I think a lot of people coming up right now get complacent with the new technology and everything, but they don’t understand the music, they don’t understand the history, where it came from, what people were thinking. Sly and Robbie, Steel and Cleavie, Coxen, Junjo Lawes, what they were thinking, what kind of vibe they were coming with. Learn the old stuff. And love the music not the hype, not the money, just love the music, do it from the heart. Understand music. Understand what you’re doing. Put something out that will make a positive impact. You have control of the kids.

Personality type Questions….
What’s your favourite colour?
[Laughing] I don’t even know if I have a favourite colour. I guess blue. I don’t know. I have a lot of blue.

What’s one of your favourite snacks?
[Laughing] Lunch? You know what I love and that I eat a lot is Excelsior Water Crackers and cheese.

What’s your favourite drink to have at a party?
Well, I used to put down some champagne back in the days but no more of that, so probably red wine. Some type of merlot red wine.

What is your favourite thing to do to relax?
Probably be on my computer or my iPhone, playing games or something. Or hanging out with my family because I’m always with my kids and my family, so it’s probably that.

Is there anything that you want the people of Toronto or anyone in the world that may read this interview to know?
I love Canada. I’ve been there a couple times. I been to the Caribana Festival where Rita Marley was performing on Yonge Street. I’ve been to Montreal. St. Catherines. I like Toronto. I like the vibes. … You have very odd weather [laughs]. I been there where that thing changes like four times in one day. Sunny and then the middle of the night it’s snowing. I’ve been to a lot of places and Toronto is very fun. It’s a very underappreciated place I think. A lot of big timers from the business world come from there. Toronto’s the bomb!

What do you have coming up?
I have a few rhythms coming up. I have the Winners rhythm coming up; it’s gonna be sick. I have the Carwash rhythm coming up. I have the Happy Life rhythm coming up, and I have a next one that I just finished the beat and it’s sick. I might be doing a dance dancehall album. I might be coming out with a ‘Tony Kelly Presents the Good Music’ album. I have some surprises. I have Rick Ross sitting down here and I have a bunch of stuff that you all should look forward to.

I feel happiest when … everybody is happy.
I feel proud when … I help people, when my kids do good.
I get upset when … I don’t get upset that much.