All language subtitles for Shella.Record.-.A.Reggae.Mystery.2019

- [Female narrator] The story
started a few years ago,

in a thrift store in Canada,

when this Australian guy called Chris,

bought a record for 10 cents
that changed his whole life.

But in reality,

the story started much earlier,

almost 40 years ago in Jamaica.

Here in this building,

in west Kingston's
Waterhouse neighborhood.

(Electronic dub music)
Jamaicans are very special.

We can take nothing,

and turn it into something.

(Dub music)

This is where dub music was invented.

This is where the idea,

of the remix was invented,

by the experiments of the great engineer,

King Tubby.

He was one of the first
to use his mixing board,

as an instrument,

reworking simple reggae songs,

into a thousand different versions,

stripping the music
back to its bare bones.

Pulling it apart and
putting it back together.

To tell entirely,

different stories.

Some people say that the word "dub",

comes from "duppy",

which in Jamaica means ghost,

or spirit.

Whispers, echoes of a voice,

or a memory that has been hidden,

or lost,

fight their way above the din of horns,

of drums and bass,

and reverb until just as quickly,

they are gone,

fading back into the silence.

(Dub music)

But not all duppies are bad.

It could be that Chris,

became haunted by a voice,

which would not leave him alone.

But enough of that.

Over to Chris in Toronto.

(Up tempo dub music)

- [Chris] I'm a music fanatic.

Music's as close as I get,

to anything spiritual or religious.

In high school, music was my obsession.

We traded mix tapes hand to hand.

CDs were an escape to another world.

I even started a shitty band.

Then I discovered records.

When I go into a thrift
store or flea market,

I'm almost in a trance
digging through crates,

imagining what new piece
of music I might discover,

I'm also an artist.

I like transforming
boring everyday materials,

into things that move and grow,

into magical objects.

I want to create new
worlds from my imagination.

I must have heard a
hundred thousand songs,

and easily that many records,

has passed through my
hands over the years.

The music that really obsesses me,

is old reggae music
from the 70's and 80's.

And this city is full of it.

(reggae music)

This record here,

is the most incredible piece
of music I've ever heard.

It was released in
Toronto by a label called,

Monica's Records.

One of the last remaining
reggae stores in operation,

since the 70's.

The singer's voice is so unusual,

it's so haunting,

I've become so obsessed with her,

but I don't know anything about her,

or who she is.

Imagine finding a Nina Simone,

a Billie Holiday,

or an Amy Winehouse,

but you're the only one
whose ever heard her.

All I know is,

She's somebody called "Shella Record".

And so far no one seems to know,

anything about her.

There's something magical and
powerful about this voice,

that you just cannot deny.

I don't care if you like reggae or not.

If it doesn't make you feel something,

you might just want to check
you've still got a pulse.

(Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Shella Record)

# Ooooooh, Yeah, yeah, eah, eah, eah #

# We came #

# From a distant land #

# Our lives already planned #

# We came in ships #

# From across the sea #

# And never again our home #

# We'd see #

# And now we've become #

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

[Chris]- I need to know what happened,

to Shella Record.

Okay so let's address the
white elephant in the room.

I'm a pasty guy from Australia,

making a film about my obsession,

with a Jamaican woman who
sings a song about slavery.

I'm not gonna say some bullshit about,

how I don't see color,

or any nonsense like that.

I'm benefiting from the same system,

of white supremacy today,

that resulted in slavery
in the first place.

It doesn't make any difference
how progressive I think I am,

or how many black friends I have.

So why am I doing this?

I honestly am not 100% sure.

But, no song has ever
made me feel like this,

in my life.

And I've become possessed
with the idea of,

trying to find Shella Record.

(Dub music)

We're just in Scarborough right now.

We're on our way to see Kevin Laverty,

who is a very serious record collector,

big reggae knowledge in the city.

He actually has a copy of
the Shella Record album.

He's one of the few guys that does.

So I'm on my way to see him,

and hopefully he'll have some clues about,

who Shella Record might be.

(reggae music)

[Chris] Okay so basically
I found this record,

and I think from what I've heard,

you're one of the only guys who,

I think has a copy.

- [Kevin] Yeah.

- It's War Zone.

- It's right here actually.

Do you know anything about this person?

- I only can try and guess her name.

I think.. Jamaican,

writing of names is kind of phonetic.

So it depends on whose accent,

from where they're from.
- Right, right, right.

- So, I don't know.

I don't know.

- [Chris] Like maybe Sheila?

- Yeah, yeah.

I was thinking Sheila,

but the last name,

yeah I have no idea what the last name is.

(Dub music)

I'm gonna go and see Henry,

at his record store.

It's a hidden gem and one of
my favorites in the city.

Henry knows all of the players,

involved in Toronto's reggae scene.

And being closer in age
to the mystery singer,

he might know something about her.

- Welcome Chris.

Good to see you.

- Yeah likewise.

Yeah yeah.

Thanks for having us.

- [Henry] Sure.

- [Chris] But the singer,

I'm really trying to find out about,

is Shella Record.

Does that name ring any bells with you?

As like a Toronto singer?

- There was a British connection, "Shelly",

who was very much in with Monica.

- [Chris] Okay.

- And I have a funny feeling that they,

just maybe misspelled her,

or just changed the name
for whatever reason.

- [Chris] Who was Shelly?

- Shelly was a Jamaican person
that was over in England,

was very active in the reggae business.

That's who I think it is.

- It's a kind of unusual voice.

Do you think maybe if I play it,

- Yeah,
- I can see if maybe you,

recognize the voice.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Shella Record)

So what were you saying there?

- She's sounds like an experienced singer.

Not somebody that's recording
for the first time.

- I mean that's what's
weird to me about this.

It's like with a voice like that.

'Cause to me it's an amazing voice.

- Yes, yes it is.

- Why don't we know this voice?

- Have you talked to Monica about it?

- (reggae music)

Of course I had tried talking to Monica,

the namesake behind Monica's Records.

But things hadn't gone quite as planned.

(reggae music)

I'm heading back to Eglington Avenue west,

one of the hub's for Toronto's,

huge Jamaican community since the 70's.

Once it was crowded with
Caribbean grocery shops,

and records stores,

and Monica's is one of the
last businesses from that era,

still standing.

Maybe this time, I'll
be able to charm Monica,

into telling me all about Shella Record.

I've been in once before,

and I tried to ask,

who this person might be.

But I really didn't get a very,

welcome reception I have to say.

(Mysterious music)

So the first time I met Monica,

quite an intimidating lady.

So the first thing I did is,

I pulled out the record,

and I asked "Who is Shella Record?".

"Do you know anything about this person?"

And she actually asked me "who sent you?".

And she actually asked me "who sent you?".

And I was like um,

"nobody sent me"

"I just really like this
record you guys put out,

and I was hoping to
find out more about it,

and maybe buy some records".

So we didn't get off,

to the greatest start.

I�ve recently been back in

and I've been trying to,

see if they're up for an interview.

And I haven't heard anything back.

So I'm gonna go across the street,

and maybe see if she's
okay with us filming.

So, that's what I'm gonna do right now.

(Mysterious Xylophone music)

Okay, um,

that did not go very well at all.

I'm not quite sure what happened but,

I've somehow offended her.

I asked can we come in and film.

and maybe talk a bit about the record,

and she was pretty upset.

Yeah, she basically said,

for $5000.00, she�d sit down with me

and tell me everything I wanted to know.

So, that�s not fucking happening.

I don�t have $5000.00

for an interview with
someone about this record.

(reggae music)

I'm meeting the legendary dub producer,

King Culture,

at a bar opposite his store,

on Eglington west.

(reggae music)

Maybe he can tell me why
I'm having so much trouble,

getting to the bottom of this mystery.

(reggae music)

So you're saying maybe,

I should leave this alone or like?

(Menacing dub/reggae music)

- Despite Culture's warning,

I can't stop digging.

I'm heading to the University of Toronto,

to meet Patrick Roots,

a DJ who hosts a reggae radio show,

on CIUT.

If I can get him to play
the song on the air,

maybe someone might recognize
Shella Record's voice.

[Patrick] - Bredren called
me up this past week,

telling me that he's,

in the search of a singer I'd say,

from the early 70's here in Tdot,

who produced a tune and,

I'll just let him tell you,

a little bit more about what's going on.

Greetings Chris.

- Yeah it's an amazing tune
and nobody seems to know,

who this woman is.

So I'm hoping somebody
recognizes the voice,

or maybe if she's listening.

And I'm hoping someone can call in,

and maybe give us some clues.

'Cause we've been looking for a long time.

And turning up a lot of blanks.

- Name of the song again is?

- It's called Roots Jamaica,

by Shella Record.

- Roots Jamaica, we're
looking for the person,

who did this song.

If you know anything about her,

give me a link up right here.

And let me know alright.

This is the tune.

Thank you again.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" By Shella Record)

(phone ringing)

[Patrick]- 89.5.

- Okay we just had an
amazing piece of luck.

A guy just called in right now,

and he said,

okay the person you're looking for,

is "Sheila Record".

I'm like alright,

we thought maybe it
might be Sheila but like,

"Record" is kind of weird name.

I was like "Record"?

And he said no, no, no,

"Rickards".

"Rickards".

- [Man] R-I-C-K-A-R-D-S.

- R-I-C-K-A-R-D-S.

Which totally makes sense.

Like "Shella Reckards".

a Jamaican phonetic,

spelling,

Would be like "Shella Record".

So it totally makes sense.

And he said,

she's not Canadian or American.

She's like, she's Jamaican.

But she wasn't really a reggae singer,

she was like a jazz singer,

kinda lounge singer from back in the day.

Someone kind of like
Shirley Bassey or something.

Oh it's kind of weird though with the guy.

I was kind of pumping him for information.

I was like "Can you tell me your name?"

And he's like, "ah I
don't really think so."

- [Man] Don't want too much publicity.

- And then basically hung up.

(laughing)

I don't understand.

This thing is just so mysterious.

But, he did me a huge favour,

and gave me the name Sheila Rickards.

So that's huge.

(Dub music)

So right now I'm just fucking desperate,

to get on a computer,

and just like Google her name,

and find out if there's any leads.

Is she alive or whatever but.

I'm just fucking really excited right now.

(Dub music)

I could only find one reference,

to this Sheila Rickards person,

online anywhere.

It was an old newspaper article
about a concert in Jamaica,

at a place called the Palace Theater,

in the early 1960's.

The last clue I have,

is that the record says
that it was produced,

by the great Bunny Lee.

He's an absolute giant of Jamaican music.

You could call him the
Quincy Jones of reggae.

He's responsible for
hundreds of hit songs,

and played a crucial role in
the innovation of dub music.

With his friend and collaborator,

King Tubby.

I've done all I can in
Toronto to find Shella.

And I know it seems crazy,

but if I want to know the
truth about this singer,

then I have to go to the source.

I'm gonna drop everything,

and go to Jamaica,

to see if I can track
down Bunny "Striker" Lee,

the man who holds the key to this mystery.

(Minor key roots reggae music)

We're here, we made it.

(reggae music)

- I found Bunny Lee's number
in the Jamaican phone book.

But he's not answering.

Of course my first instinct
is to go to a record shop,

and do some digging.

I'm heading to Orange Street downtown.

A strip which is the stuff of legend.

In its glory days,

they called it "Beat Street",

and it housed scores of
legendary record stores.

The strip has seen better days,

and now there's only one
record shop still in operation.

Augustus Pablo's,

Rockers International.

(reggae music)

Did you ever hear of a singer
called Sheila Rickards?

- Sheila Rickards did
you ever hear about that?

- Sheila Richard?

- [Chris] Rickards.

- Rickards.

- [Chris] Rickards.

From a long time, well before
your time I would think.

- [Jennifer] My friend must know her.

My friend dem.

- [Chris] I have the record.

Do you think by playing it
you might recognize her voice?

- Yeah,

How you a gwan so man? play
the record, yuh nah easy man!

- So it's second to last.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Shella Record)

# We came #

# From the distant land #

# Our lives #

# Already planned #

# We came in ships #

# From across the sea #

- This is a Jamaican?

# And never again our home we'd see #

# And now we've become #

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan'... #

- To a special artist,

Sheila Rickards because,

we know how to identify special people.

And when we hear special people,

we've gotta speak about them, okay?

So Sheila listen to me man,

You can't just ah sound
so and only give we one,

so sometimes we know the
record thing go you know.

Yeah because,

when you have a special sound,

it's not easy for people to record you.

You understand, because they don't know,

what to do with your voice.

Me, I know how to find
you people you know.

So I know to dig you up through my spirit.

We know you're alive because,

we didn't get anything
that you're not here.

We know you're here.

So we're gonna find you man.

Sheila Rickards,

we're gonna find you.

(Moody reggae music)

- I'm here at the archives,

to see if I can find out anything about,

Sheila Rickards like,

if she was a star from that era or,

any kind of celebrity then maybe,

maybe there's a record of her somewhere.

So we're gonna go in and
see what we can find.

(You are my angel by Horace Andy)

# You #

# Are my angel #

- Dennis Brown.

(reggae music)

Oh my God,

oh my God.

Look.

"Sheila Richards",

that I'll bet you,

that's Sheila Rickards.

(Dub music)

Okay, I'm very very excited.

I've just been at the
Gleaner newspaper here.

Which is the oldest newspaper,

apparently in the western hemisphere.

But they had a whole bunch,

archival articles and
photographs of Sheila Rickards,

aka "Shella Record".

This is her.

This is Shella Record.

And she's absolutely stunning.

It's so cool.

She really doesn't look that much like,

what I expected.

Like, she's got this crazy
bouffant going on but,

so cool.

So now we have,

a face to a voice.

Now we just got to find her.

# There's a man that lives next door #

# In my neighborhood #

# In my neighborhood #

(reggae music)

- Okay I finally got a
call back from Bunny Lee,

and I'm heading over to meet him.

I'm kind of anxious meeting such a legend,

who's produced so many of
my favorite reggae albums.

He's kind of like an idol of mine,

and this is all a bit
surreal to me right now.

- Okay this is it.

Here we are.

The home of Bunny "Striker" Lee,

the hit maker from Jamaica.

Hoping to go in and get
an audience with him and,

find out if he knows anything about,

Sheila Rickards or Shella Record.

So, fingers crossed.

Alright Mr. Lee.

- Yes.
- Good to see you.

Yeah yeah.

- [Andrew] Hi Mr.Lee.

I'm Andrew.

Nice to meet you.

- Okay so I found a record,

in Canada. It was out in the country,

in a thrift store.

I can't find too much information on it,

The song I'm really
trying to find out about.

Shella Record.

- [Both] Sheila Rickards.

- Sheila Rickards?
- Yeah.

- What do you remember about,

Sheila Rickards?

- She's not normally a
reggae singer though.

- The only Reggae tune she ever did.

When was the last time you saw her?

- Did you ever hear any rumors
about where she ended up?

- No, no.

- Okay, okay.

It's such an amazing track.

it got so under my skin I had to kind of,

find out who it might be.

So did you build this rhythm for her?

- So you never released this,

in Jamaica?
- No!

Do you still have the tapes?

- You had a fire at the studio.

- Man I'm sorry to hear that.

(reggae music)

- Newton-Curry goat!

# There's a man that lives next door #

# In my neighborhood #

- So we're going inside,

and if it wasn't destroyed by
the fire or the water damage,

we might be able to find,

the Sheila Rickards tapes.

He may have them inside.

[Bunny] Go upstairs

Alright watch your step.

- [Andrew] Oh my God.

Oh my God.

- My God.

So Newton, what,

what happened?

(Heavy dub music)

(Dub music)

- [Andrew] Newton were you alright?

- Yeah, yeah.

(Moody Xylophone music)

- [Chris] These tapes
have been through a lot.

- Yes, these tapes are older than,

you and I.

(Xylophone music)

Sheila Rickards tape in here somewhere.

So many of them got damaged
by fire and water like,

it's a real long shot,

I don't know,
they kinda look alright.

I'm hoping they're okay.

I'm covered in soot right now.

It's crazy.

(Xylophone music)

- Is this it?

- Yeah.

- Oh my God.

(laughing)

Sheila,

Sheila

Rickards?

Jamaican fruit of African roots.

- Yeah that's it.

This is it.(laughing)

- Oh my God you found it.

This is actually it.

- [Emily] Is it?

You found it?

Shit!

- Did it get..?

Oh it got a little bit,

singed.

Woaaah!

It survived.

It survived the fire.

- [Bunny] Yeah.

- [Chris] Wow.

This tune just refuses to die.

(laughing)

Wow, that's amazing.

(Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Sheila Rickards)

I was disappointed that Bunny,

didn't know where Sheila was.

But after finding the master tapes,

I feel even closer to Sheila Rickards,

and her incredible voice.

Bunny said that most of the musicians,

from his house band The Aggrovators,

have left the country.

But the lead guitarist Earl Smith,

better known as "Chinna",

is still in Kingston.

The man's an absolute legend,

having played guitar on almost
every reggae album ever made.

We're talking tens of
thousands of studio sessions.

Maybe he knows what happened to Sheila.

(reggae music)

I'm looking for Chinna.

- [Andrew] Hey, Andrew.

- Yeah man, bless up, Inna de yard.

- Alright man really good
to see you, yeah, yeah.

Chinna-Alright.

[Chris] Bunny Lee said that you
played on this song.

And right now we're trying to find out,

if you remember the song,

and maybe if you remember the singer.

- Her name is Sheila Rickards.

- Jazz singer exactly.

So yeah basically the story is,

I found a record in Canada,

a number of years ago.

It absolutely blew me away and,

I was trying for a long time to find out,

who this singer might be because,

there was a misprint on the label.

- Right.

- Shella Record.

That's how they spell it.

"Shella" and "Record".

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- What so they don't
have to pay the artist,

is that the idea?

- So you think it's deliberate.

- Yeah yeah.

- Deliberate.

- Yeah.
- Conspiracy.

I want to see maybe if you
remember this tune or not.

It was never a hit here.

It was never even came out here but,

maybe we can try and play it
and see if it rings any bells.

- Water and oil?

- I'll put it on, maybe you can remember,

maybe you can't.

But I'm wondering if maybe
you're in the same room as her,

at one time back in,

1975.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Sheila Rickards)

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Of African roots #

- [Chris] Santa on drums.

- [Chris] Fully on bass okay, okay.

okay okay.

- You playing lead guitar.

- Yeah.

- So you played on this record.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

Okay.

You know that you played on this record.

Do you remember anything about it?

The woman in the room
or anything like that?

- How many would you say?

How many sessions,

that you played on?

(laughing)

(laughing)

Yeah yeah.

- So it's a bit of a
kind of quest for me to...

- That's what we're trying to find out.

Yeah that's the mission.

(Mellow guitar music)

- Chinna remembered Sheila's
family home on 7th Street,

in the Greenwich town neighborhood,

where he also grew up.

It's a long shot,

but maybe someone there
might know where Sheila is.

So this is 7th Street,

the street that Sheila
Rickards grew up on.

So what we're looking for,

- No this 8..

that's eight.

That's 10?

(laughing)

- You see the man who's living here now?

His name's Sparky.

- Sparky?

Oh yeah Sparky and Pluggy?

- But I live in England I just on holiday.

- You're on holiday here right now.

- Yeah.

- Okay okay.

So I'm here trying to find information,

about Sheila Rickards.

Does that name ring any bells?

- Yes, her father owned this place.

She grew up with us,

- Okay.

- And she left and go foreign.

I never see her again.

- When was the last time you saw her?

- Years and years and
years and years and years.

- We're tryna find her.

Everybody's tryna to find her.

- Everybody's tryna to find her.

Okay, so you'd like to see her again?

- Oh yeah.

Especially I because,

she come to me like,

she's my sister.

Because her father is my godparent.

But she born here.

- [Chris] Born in this house?

- [Sparky] Yeah that's where she born.

(Moody Xylophone music)

- Okay, okay.

So L.A. is maybe somewhere
we need to explore too.

Do you think she's still alive?

- [Sparky] Yeah I think she is.

I think she is yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

(Ominous music)

I'm following in Sheila's footsteps,

to try and find King Tubby's studio,

in Waterhouse where she recorded the song,

with Bunny Lee.

- Why do they call it Fire House?

[Chris]- I won't be able to get any
clues from Tubby himself.

Who was tragically killed outside his home,

in a robbery in the late 80's.

For me this is like a pilgrimage,

to a sacred site.

But right now I'm feeling
a bit out of my depth,

and I'm too bloody nervous
to enjoy any of it.

- [Seymour] General, respect.

(reggae music)

I think it's there you know.

- [Chris] Okay, yeah with the
record there, yeah, yeah yeah.

That's it there?

I think that's it.

- It's just cool to even see it, you know.

This is the house where,

some of the most magical
music ever made was created.

I've been dreaming of
this place for years,

and now I'm finally here.

This is where it all began,

when Sheila Rickards
stepped inside this studio,

in 1975.

Yeah..put in a punch oh heavy now

Right from the top.

Bunny-Rolling.

(Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" By Sheila Rickards)

# Ooooooh Yeah yeah, eah, eah, eah #

# We came #

# From a distant land #

# Our lives already planned #

# We came in ships #

# From across the sea #

# And never again our home #

# We'd see #

# And now we've become #

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Our master's soil #

# We toiled from morn' till night #

# Never given little human rights #

# Though a long years passed #

# Things remained the same #

# Our little babies
born with no last name #

# Just tell me what's to become #

# Of the #

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# How, how were we to know #

# Just what this land would bring #

# And that our blood #

# Our very blood would flow #

# Because of the color #

# Of our skin #

# Being black #

# I am black #

# I love being black #

# Oh #

# The time has come for us to join hands #

# Let's not be punished by #

# The rules of this land #

# Now that we're aware
of what we must do #

# Let us no longer be fools #

# No longer fools #

# Let us all #

# Be #

# Black #

# Let us all be black #

# And Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Yeah-eah #

# Me wan' #

# fi forward on a yard #

# Me waaan, me waaan, me
waan fi forward on a yard #

# I wanna be black #

# Leave me, let me be black #

# Black, black is beautiful #

# Oh #

# African roots #

Engineer-Yes suh?

Bunny-Bloodclaat! (laughing)

(Mellow lounge music)

- [Chris] Since none of the reggae people,

seem to know what happened to Sheila,

I'm hoping some of the older jazz crowd,

might know where she is.

I'm meeting Jamaica's premier jazz singer,

Myrna Hague, at the
swanky Four Seasons Hotel,

which feels about as far away,

from Waterhouse as you can get.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Sheila Rickards)

Is that the kinda material
you expect from her?

- Not it's not, it's not.

But the treatment of it,

it's a reggae track obviously.

But the treatment of it,

sounds like the kind of treatment,

that a Jazz singer would,

give to reggae material.

Sheila was a jazz singer
in the jazz tradition.

So if you give her a reggae track,

to sing, she's gonna do that.

- Right.

It's very theatrical.

- Yeah it's very theatrical.

And she would want to stamp
it with her own style.

She'd want to,

because my memories of her,

is that she was the jazz singer.

All of the musicians talked about her.

- The musicians talked about her?

- Yeah when I came to Jamaica,

she was the singer that
everybody was talking about.

- Did you hear any stories
about where she ended up?

- No.

well,

what I heard is that
she went to the states.

Because that's where everybody
was going at that time.

Everybody was leaving to go to the states.

And I think that's where she went.

And then she just,

you know, we just lost sight
and sound of her after that.

I never heard anything more.

- [Chris] A lot of artists
try their luck somewhere else,

in a bigger market.

Do you think Sheila
would have had success,

in the States if she
did continue her career.

- I doubt it.

I doubt it.

I'll tell you why I doubt it,

not because she wasn't good,

but because the United
States is very competitive.

It's a very competitive market.

And as a jazz singer,

she would have been up against,

all of the great female Jazz singers,

that were around at the time.

The great swing singers,

at the time.

And so, it would have
been almost impossible.

- Myrna suggested I talk to Herbie Miller,

a Jazz historian,

and Peter Tosh's former manager,

who runs a museum of Jamaican
music history downtown.

- It looks amazing.

This is like my dream office.

(laughing)

You're familiar with the name,

Sheila Rickards?

- I've seen her perform.

Oh yeah.

But I've not seen her for many many years.

I don't recall her making a reggae record,

or a ska record or,

any such thing.

It's always that kind of,

jazz, perhaps some cabaret.

And she would turn up,

in some of the hotel lounges,

for Sunday afternoon jazz concerts.

- [Chris] Oh okay.

# I wanted the music #

# To play on forever #

# And I stayed too long at the fair #

# I wanted the clowns #

# To be constantly clever #

# Have I stayed too long at the fair #

# I want a blue ribbon #

# To tie up my hair #

# But I couldn't find anybody to care #

[Chris]- So you think of Sheila Rickards,

as an important figure in Jamaican Jazz

[Herbie]- Of course.

Oh yes and especially an
educational point of view.

And especially from a,

feminist point of view.

For a female to maintain a career,

in reggae is extremely difficult.

There's a lot of pressure
because of the fact that,

it's a girl inside of a,

boys world.

So it's either,

you're a tom boy.

So you're not worth hanging out with,

or you're a pick-up.

So everybody likes hanging out with you.

Or if you're so strong and independent,

then you're full of it.

- Having a good voice isn't enough?

- No.

(Ambient music)

- [Female narrator] Chris
has talked to everyone,

in Jamaica who should know,

what happened to Sheila.

And played the song for
anyone who will listen.

He's running out of time,

and is starting to feel
like he's chasing a ghost.

(Ambient music)

[Chris]- With one day left in Jamaica,

I put an ad in the local newspaper.

I'm hoping someone,

a friend or family member,

will see the ad and give me a call,

and tell me what happened
to Sheila Rickards.

Surely, surely someone has gotta see that,

a family member or something and call.

My only,

issue is that we're running
out of time here in Jamaica so,

hopefully someone sees it.

(Moody xylophone music)

Did you ever hear the
name Sheila Rickards?

- Sheila Rickards?

- I don't remember her.

- Sheila Rickards.

I don't recall that person.

(moody music)

- You don't know this lady
from 7th street name...

- Sheila, Sheila, Sheila.

- Sheila Rickards?

- Sheila Rickards.

(Moody music)

- Sheila Rickards.

- Sheila Rickards,

I don't think she's still alive, is she?

A long long long time.

- Did you ever hear any stories
about where she ended up?

- Nope I don't know.

- I do not know where Sheila is,

but the last I might heard,

she was D-E-A-D.

(phone ringing)

- Okay.

Okay great, hang on a sec.

Let me just get your number.

Okay fantastic.

Alright thank you so much.

I'm really looking forward to meeting you.

Okay take care.

Okay.

That was a relative of Sheila's.

I'm not sure of the exact relationship,

but she saw the ad in the paper,

and she has time to meet today,

so we're going to Devon House.

So I don't know if it's
good or bad to be honest.

Yeah, really, really excited right now.

(Jaunty reggae music)

I'm gonna make sure the ringer's on.

(reggae music)

Is that her? No... fuck.

Okay, an hour and 20 minutes late now.

Should I call or is
this getting pushy now.

I don't know what the
hell to do at this point.

We're leaving first
thing tomorrow morning.

I just need to know either way,

if she's still alive or not,

if she's here,

if she moved away.

Like, ugh,

I feel like I got really close,

but now I don't know what to do.

Hi this is Chris again.

Just wondering if we're
still meeting today.

Please give me a call.

I would love to talk to you.

Okay bubye.

(reggae music)

I go back to Canada tomorrow.

I have to say I'm just
pretty disappointed that,

I couldn't find Sheila.

I mean,

maybe this is just meant to be,

a mystery and meant to remain a mystery.

I don't know.

Right now I'm just exhausted and broke,

and I need to go home.

So,

that's where I'm at right now.

- [Andrew] And a little drunk.

- A little drunk, thank
you for pointing that out.

(Ambient music)

[Chris]-Back in Toronto,

I tried to forget Sheila
and focus on my work.

(Ambient music)

I bought new records almost every day,

but nothing came close to that voice.

Before long,

I was back on the search again.

(Dub music)

I'm heading to New York
to meet Philip Smart,

aka Prince Philip,

who Bunny Lee says brought
Sheila to the studio that day.

Philip was an apprentice
to the great King Tubby,

and as a teenager, he created
incredible reggae mixes,

and dub versions.

When he moved to New York,

he scored hit after hit out
of his Long Island Studio,

which is where I'm headed right now.

(Dub Music)

Do you mind if we just film?

Mr Smart

Philip-Yes sir

Hi I'm Chris

- Great to meet you.

- [Chris] Thanks a lot
for meeting with us.

- At the time,

I remember saying,

what is Bunny gonna do with,

this kind of song.

At the time, you know.

- Cause at the time it
wasn't really something,

that was...

- It's not, the mainstream.

It wasn't a mainstream
kind of reggae production

at the time.

But you know Bunny does a lot
of different kind of stuff so,

you never know.

He'll do this and it'll be a big hit.

- Right, right, right.

Well I mean we still don't
have that much of a sense,

of what she was like.

- Well look I only knew
her for a short time.

To me she was fabulous.

I think she was willing to try,

stuff in reggae that
she'd never done before.

I mean,

it might have,

to her it might have seemed
like reggae wasn't big thing,

compared to what she was doing.

But when she actually did it,

she enjoyed it.

She started to get into it,

and then she wanted to do more.

That's what I remember.

- So yeah Bunny Lee told me,

that you brought her to the studio,

but he brought her there?

- He first introduced me to her.

He brought her,

then he left her,

with me to go ahead and,

do the recordings.

- [Chris] Okay.

Yeah he actually told me
that she was your girlfriend.

Is that the case?

- That's a little far fetched.

(laughing)

We developed a friendship,

I was trying to show her,

what reggae was about in Jamaica because,

it was strange to me how Jamaican
didn't really understand,

how we did reggae.

So she enjoyed the recording process.

Of whoever I was recording for the day,

and she sat there and
watched how we did it.

- When I was in Jamaica we
got this footage from...

- Where did you get this footage?

- [Chris] From the library in Jamaica.

- Wow

I don't know what this was from.

- Yeah I always wondered
what happened to her.

It's like you meet somebody and,

you know you're working together.

I wonder if she,

got a big hit.

She changed her,

artist name.

She probably changed her artist name,

from Sheila to something
else that we don't even know.

- Yeah, so the mystery continues I guess.

- Well, you have your work
cut out for you, you know.

(laughing)

Well if you find her,

ask her if she remembers me.

- I will.

- Her first reggae encounter.

- First and last!

- Probably her last man!

(laughing)

Philip suggested we
talk to Larry McDonald,

who was Gil Scott Heron's
percussionist for decades.

He's a jazz and reggae musician

who performed with Sheila Rickards,

on the hotel circuit in Jamaica,

back in the early 60's.

I'm meeting him at this
apartment in the east village,

to see what he remembers.

- I keep hearing that
she went to Australia.

(laughing)

- That's just so crazy to me.

That's so crazy to me,
like being from Australia,

the idea of her ending
up back in Australia.

Where did you hear this?

- It was like,

a rumor,

among musicians, a strong
strong rumor for a long time.

Let me call Janet Enright.

There's one specific
thing I called you to ask.

Do you, what do you remember,

of Sheila, Sheila Rickards?

Did she leave Jamaica?

Where did she go when she left home?

Do you know?

- [Janet Enright] I
think she's in Florida.

- You think she's in Florida?

Well, why I'm asking right,

I'm sitting up here,

with this guy who is
a Sheila Rickards nut.

He came across one record
from her in the 70's.

He's on this quest,

to find out everything
that he can about her.

I'm trying to tell him,

what kind of dynamic performer Sheila was.

- [Janet] No man, She was awesome man

Sheila was awesome.

In more ways than just a performer.

She was awesome.

- But I heard she had gone to Australia.

Then there was talk that
she was in New York.

Then there was talk that she was in,

California.

- [Chris] Is it really
possible that Sheila Rickards,

moved to Australia and went underground,

sometime in the 60's or 70's?

I don't know.

I think Los Angeles
seems a bit more likely.

And there was that rumor
that the great soul icon,

Sam Cooke arranged for
her to come to L.A.,

to pursue her singing career.

Right now I don't have any way,

of communicating with Sam Cooke.

But I'm heading to the city of angels,

to see if I can find any trace,

of Sheila Rickards.

(Ambient music)

Before I left, I put an
ad in the L.A. Times.

Let's hope somebody gets in touch,

and can help me out with this mystery.

(Lounge music)

I've just had a really lucky break.

A private detective
called William Roberts,

saw the ad in the newspaper,

and he's offering to help try
and locate Sheila Rickards.

- Under the name Sheila Rickards,

there's nobody between the ages of,

65 or 78.

- Okay.

- Throughout the United States.

- [Chris] Alright.

- As for marriage records.

Under Sheila Rickards.

So I found one that I
thought might be possible.

It was a woman who married a Japanese guy,

in Las Vegas,

but the age is wrong.

- I'd be very surprised if
she wasn't here performing,

in the States.

You'd think that that was her kind of,

reason for coming here.

- Yeah unless it was for love.

- Well yeah, yeah.

That's true.

- Some people do that.

Give up their careers and,

just settle down.

- [Chris] Have you ever had experience,

when you're trying to locate people,

of people not wanting to be found?

- [William] People who usually
don't want to be found,

take great lengths to not be found.

And if you're good at it,

you won't be found.

You have to get off the grid entirely.

That means,

you can't use your real name.

You don't use a cell phone.

You don't get magazines.

You don't have credit cards.

That's how you get off the grid.

(Mysterious music)

- [Chris] Before long,

someone saw the ad and got in touch.

Dorothy, who runs the U.S. arm,

of the Jamaican Jazz Festival,

says she was sent a package,

by someone called Sheila
Rickards not that long ago.

I'm racing over to meet her.

[Dorothy]- I had gotten,

a call,

from this person who
identified herself as,

Sheila Rickards.

So we opened dialogue.

- [Chris] Now when was this?

- I would say at least five years ago.

At least five.

It could be between five and seven.

- [Chris] Okay and you're
sure it was Sheila Rickards?

- I am sure because,

we communicated for a short time.

At the time I think she
was living in Oregon.

- In Oregon.

- Right.

So at the time,

I did have information on her.

- [Chris] Okay.

This is really...

- And I'm sure if I search,

I will find it.

There are stacks,

I mean boxes of,

submissions.

So I'm sure there will be a CD,

and whatever the last contact is.

I have a box of something in here.

But I don't know if that is,

one of the boxes.

(Mysterious music)

[Dorothy]-I don't know
whether you want to call it,

the mind energy or,

you know you can,

talk about something
enough that it appears,

you never know.

We'll just keep the search going.

(rhythmic music)

[Chris]- It's my last day in L.A.,

and I'm still no closer to Sheila.

The private detective suspects,

Sheila might have got married,

and changed her name.

My strongest lead is Dorothy,

but she still can't find an envelope,

that would reveal Sheila's
most recent address.

I'm not sure what to do anymore,

and I'm starting to get desperate.

You know Venice Beach is
a bit of a freak show.

And I walked past last night.

There's like a psychic
right on the esplanade.

And frankly,

I'm extremely skeptical
about all this stuff.

Honestly I think it's a lot of bullshit.

But at this point, I'm
willing to try anything so,

let me go in and see,

yeah.

See if some second sight will,

get me any closer to Sheila.

(Dub music with electronics)

Okay that was really freaky.

I'm just gonna describe
what happened in there.

She took me inside a dark room,

and asked me why I'd come to see her.

I told her about Sheila,

and gave her a photo,

to see if she could tell me
where I should be looking.

She had this huge crystal ball,

which she stared into,

for about a minute.

And then told me that
Sheila Rickards is dead.

That she'd passed away in California.

I don't know what to think about that.

I suppose it does make some kind of sense,

but I really hope she's wrong.

She also said that Sheila,

married a man with an
unusual European name.

And she did one better,

she gave me the name Yennis.

Y-E-N-N-I-S.

So maybe another clue to investigate?

You know I don't really
buy into all this stuff.

But there was a few things she
managed to put her finger on,

that I hadn't told her,

which freaked me out a
little bit to be honest.

So as weird as it sounds,

since I've got no other
options at this point,

I'm gonna follow up on this Yennis dude,

Sheila's possible husband
and see what comes up.

(reggae music)

Sheila Yennis.

Try one N

Sheila Yenis, well that would
definitely be an unusual name,

rhyming with penis.

No information found.

This whole thing is,

more than a little bit ridiculous.

Like I'm here,

looking up a name,

that was suggested to me,

by a psychic.

Like,

I'm starting to kind of
wonder what on earth,

I'm doing here.

This obsession is getting
a little bit out of hand.

I'm now following the advice,

of a complete cranks,

trying to find this woman.

I know next to nothing about her.

I should be like back in
Canada with my girlfriend.

But instead I'm chasing this,

70 year old woman who,

probably doesn't even want to be found.

I guess I could contact the
private detective and see if,

he can look for a Sheila Yenis but,

that also seems a bit crazy.

Yeah.

This is all getting a bit fucked up.

- [Female narrator] It's been two years,

Since Chris gave up the search for Sheila.

Well to be honest,

he never really stopped looking.

He put ads in newspapers,

all across America,

hoping that someone would recognize,

Sheila's name or photograph,

and get in touch.

He's just been contacted,

by a private detective in Arizona.

But this guy,

couldn't be more different,

from the one in Los Angeles.

He has a bit of an,

unusual sideline in,

paranormal investigations.

Basically, ghost hunting.

Chris, where do you find these people?

(dramatic music)

- My name is Lyle Sharman.

(beeping)

(dramatic music)

I'm a licensed private investigator.

Five years ago I became aware,

that there really are spirits,

and they want to tell their stories.

Is anybody in here?

(electronic beeps)

[Lyle]-So I know this stuff exists because,

I've done professional investigations,

and I've seen it happen.

- Okay.

- You know we've been interested in it,

for quite a few years.

- Okay.

- And being a PI I wanted
to take a much more,

scientifical, investigative,

realistic approach to the whole thing.

- Right.

I really appreciate you
getting involved cause,

you know I feel like
I've hit a bit of wall.

I've done a lot of,

my own digging,

but I feel like at this
point I really need,

a professional involved.

(reggae music)

It's time to call Lyle
and see if he's around.

- [Lyle] Hey Chris how are ya?

- [Chris] Not too bad, happy New Year.

- [Lyle] Happy New Year to you.

- [Chris] Oh hi is this
the private investigators?

(Gun shots)

- [Lyle] Yes it is.

- [Chris] So you said
you had some good news.

- Well I think it's pretty good news.

Okay so anyways, I ran
that comprehensive report,

which turned out to be
a really good thing.

- Okay.

- So I came up with a few
different phone numbers,

other than the one that I
had been trying constantly.

Honestly I don't see anything in here,

that indicates that,

Sheila's dead.

- So you think we've
got the right Sheila here?

- Absolutely.

Personally what I'm seeing,

I think she's still alive.

And I think she's probably
living in Mississippi.

- Mississippi?

Okay so I'm just about to call Lyle,

once again.

He's just sent me an email asking,

me to give him a call as soon as I can.

So I think there's news.

It's very exciting.

I'm gonna give him a Skype call and,

we'll see what happens here.

- Okay well let's just go
over this stuff with you.

- [Chris] Okay.

- [Lyle] Wrong lead.

- Really?

- [Lyle] None of it was the right person.

- Oh my God, serious.

- [Lyle] Yeah.

- [Chris] That's crazy.

- So all that pretty much
just turned out to be a waste.

- What, how did you find that out?

- [Lyle] I spoke to,

this Sheila that we were looking for.

- Oh, okay, okay.

- Yeah, yeah.

- [Lyle] Yeah not the right person.

- Oh man.

So just totally the wrong person.

- Yeah.

And I discovered one other thing.

- [Chris] Okay.

- I'm just screwing with ya,

I just got off the phone with her!

(laughing)

- You bastard!!

(laughing)

Are you serious?

You just got off the phone with her?

- Dead serious man.

We spent probably over an hour,

talking and she's an awesome lady.

- Wait this is Sheila Rickards?

- [Lyle] Yeah.

You just spoke to Sheila Rickards?

- [Lyle] Spoke to Sheila.

- Oh my God!

- [Lyle] She's alive and well.

- Oh!

- [Lyle] She told me all
these stories about her,

and Sammy Davis Junior.

- Oh my God really.

- All the cool stuff she's ever done.

She could talk forever man.

She'll be great for a documentary.

- Oh I'm so fucking
thrilled to hear that man.

You've made my well,

last four years I would say.

Did she have any idea,

that anyone was looking for her?

- [Lyle] She had no idea that
anybody even paid attention,

to her music or who
she was at all anymore.

- So do you think she's gonna
be willing to talk to me?

(Mysterious xylophone music)

I am quite nervous.

I'm not entirely sure what to expect but,

yeah she's finally agreed to meet,

which is fantastic.

- [Emily] Where are we meeting her?

- Yeah that's kind of the weird thing.

I thought we'd go and,

meet them at their place.

But we're actually gonna
go and meet them at,

a casino nearby,

at a cafe there.

Apparently Sheila used to be,

a professional poker player.

I guess that's the connection there.

Yeah she sounds like,

quite a character.

She actually doesn't
want to appear on camera.

She's been sick lately so,

yeah.

We'll see, it's just too bad but,

hopefully I'll be able
to recognize her anyway.

I think I'll be excited when I meet her,

but right now I'm just shitting myself.

(laughing)

(Moody mysterious music)

Could that be her there?

No.

It's not her.

[Emily] I see a white man
and a brown woman coming up.

Do you?

- Yep.
- Okay.

I think they're here.

- You think they're here.
- Yeah.

So I think they may be here.

It's her?

- Hello.

- Hello.

[Emily\} Jump Up, go, go, go.

Hi.

(rhythmic music)

Well it's really great
to finally meet you.

It's been,

quite a journey.

- [Sheila] Yes it has.

Nobody was more shocked,

- Yeah.

- [Sheila] Than I was.

I did not really wish to be,

found anymore.

Because it's been,

I broke my back about,

13 and a half years ago.

- Okay.

- [Sheila] And it's been
a rough road for me.

I couldn't exercise.

And I'm the one, if I gain,

half an ounce, I'd be
on the floor, you know.

- You look beautiful so,

you should not be camera shy.
- Oh bless you heart.

I like you.

You can stay.
(laughing)

- Okay I'm gonna ask one more time,

and then I won't ask again.

Is there any way we can film you?

You look beautiful.

You look great honestly.

- No.

This, look,

bad makeup.

'Cause I can't see.

Oh stop.

- Take a quick survey.

- [Andrew] Maybe like from a distance.

Just you guys sitting around?

- It would just be so nice to have...

- [Emily] Yeah we could
have it from further back.

- [Sheila] Alright.

- Thank you, that would be fantastic.

- [Andrew] You're radiant.

- This is quite an adventure for you.

- It really is.

I mean,

it's incredible to me to
be sitting here with you,

after all this time.

- This is wonderful.

This is a great,

honor and it's flattery,

oh it's a lot of flattery to me.

I'm not sure I deserve it.

- No well you certainly do.

I mean this track,

I've never made a documentary in my life.

I wasn't looking to make a documentary.

I just,

I found this song and it got,

so incredibly under my skin,

that I just had to find out,

who this incredible Shella Record was.

- Well you know something.

I believe in angels,

and sometimes,

you know our angels will put,

like put that stuff,

under,

a burr under your seat so to speak,

and let you do this.

Because I was really
done with show business.

Which is why I'm doing what I'm doing.

I'm hiding.

Because I leave myself open,

to despair,

the end is despair.

And I'm so tired of people using me.

I'm so tired of,

I'm very chatty aren't I.

- Yeah I like it.

It's great.

(laughing)

- I should probably shut
up and let you talk.

- No, no.

(laughing)

we've seen, well far too
much of me in this film.

- Here's another one too.

I love this one.

- Oh my God.

16 years old, dude.

(laughing)

16 years old.

Trying to look like a woman.

Oh let me tell you.

With the pearls, and the
makeup and the hairdo.

Not bad kid.

- [Chris] Its not bad at all.

- Tough you didn't make it.

(laughing)

- [Chris] You want to have a break now.

- Yes, let's have a break.

- Yeah, yeah let's go get some food.

(mellow music)

- There were two songs
written for me in Jamaica.

And I don't remember if
the second one made a hit,

but this one did.

It's called,

little Sheila.

# And if you see my little Sheila #

# Tell her to come on home #

# And if you see my little Sheila #

# Tell her to please come home #

(laughing)

I said that's cool.

I tell you who wrote a song for me

Sam Cooke,

who became like a loving
big brother to me.

he put me on his knee,

and he put the guitar around him,

and he started playing.

And he wrote this song
right there on the spot,

about me.

# Be nice to her #

# Whenever you can #

# And when you cross the street #

# Always hold her hand #

# 'Cause a little love to Sheila #

# Goes a long long way #

So the song was A Little
Love Goes A Long Way.

- [Chris] Right, wow.

- But it was written,

for Sheila Rickards, or Shella Record.

(laughing)

- So you've got the sense that I've,

been a little bit obsessed with this song.

- Yeah.

That's the word I'd call it.

- I just, I kind of wonder what,

it must of been like for to hear,

that there was someone
trying to track you down,

all these years later.

What you made of it?

- I was,

apprehensive and suspicious.

I did not know why,

you would go through,

what you did to find me,

because I had been away from,

music and show business,

for such a long time,

and been very happy away from it.

Because in Los Angeles,

whenever I wanted, I felt
like I needed to go sing,

there were lots of little jazz clubs,

and all the piano players
and all the musicians,

they all knew me.

And I'd go in there and,

we'd jam.

So that was my release.

I found my little niche.

I had my beautiful son.

I had my loving husband.

And that was good enough for me.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Sheila Rickards)

# We came #

# From a distant land #

# Our lives already planned #

# We came in ships #

# From across the sea #

# And never again our home #

# We'd see #

# And now we've become #

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

You can't beat that rhythm baby.

- [Chris] What do these lyrics,

mean to you, as a Jamaican?

- To me.

A tale of what,

Jamaican's went through,

coming to,

Jamaica from Africa as slaves.

And how,

we got out of that,

it's time,

we stopped thinking of ourselves,

as secondary citizens.

And we're all Jamaican's of African roots.

In other words, let us all be one color.

# Let us all be black #

# Let us all be black #

# And Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

(Moody ambient music)

[Female Narrator] 40 years ago,

before Chris was even an idea,

An uptown jazz singer,

from Greenwich town,

recorded her only reggae song,

in a bathroom studio,

in west Kingston.

A place from which an
unlikely magic was born.

I don't know if it's magic dude.

[Chris] It is magic Sheila.

[Sheila] Great music has a power,

that can never be silenced.

It is patient.

It will bide it's time,

and will always find a way,

to seep through the cracks,

finding the people,

who need to hear it,

no matter how far it has to travel,

or how long it takes.

Even if we may choose to go silent,

I don't like him.

- [Chris] You don't like that line?

- I don't like you.

(laughing)

Even if we may choose to go silent.

What, you know.

What am I a dummy or something.

No! I'm not stupid.

No I'm not taking it out.

I'm not taking it out.

I'm just joking.

(laughing)

The universe may have other ideas.

From a disembodied voice,

captured on a circle of black plastic,

a person can.

If we follow the right process,

be conjured into reality.

Now it's all come full circle.

After finding her,

Chris decided he needed
to do everything he can,

to share Sheila Rickards,

incredible voice with the world.

You think way too much of me dude.

What was the catalyst?

- [Chris] You're asking me now?

- Yes.

(laughing)

- [Chris] It was you.

It was your voice.

Simple as that.

- Are you sure?

- [Chris] I think so.

Can you explain anything different?

- No I don't know.

I don't know.

I think you were bitten by a duppy.

(laughing)

[Chris]- I thought it was crazy that
the only people who knew this,

incredible song,

were a couple of record nerds in Toronto.

So with Sheila and Bunny's blessing,

I've started Shella Records,

and pressed up five
hundred copies on vinyl.

- Right now,

this is Sheila Rickards,

Jamaican Fruit of African Roots.

Turn it up.

- It's a big tune,

coming from a big artist.

From way back when.

Jamaican fruit of African roots!

- This song is about slavery.

This song is about freedom.

Listen to this.

- Hear this next one,
this is Jamaican Fruit,

by Sheila Rickards.

Deep story behind this tune.

- Last tune this one yeah,

Sheila Rickards.

You know the tune called
Jamaican Fruit of African Roots.

("Jamaican Fruit of African
Roots" by Sheila Rickards)

# Our masters soil #

# We toiled from morn till night #

# Never given little human rights #

# Though long years passed #

# Things remained the same #

# Our little babies born #

# With no last names #

# Just tell me what's to become #

# Of the #

# Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# How were we to know #

# Just what this land would bring #

# And that our blood #

# Our very blood would flow #

# Because of the color of our skin #

# Being black #

# I am black #

# I love being black #

# Oh #

# The time has come for us to join hands #

# Let's not be punished by #

# The rules of this land #

# Now that we're aware
of what we must do #

# Let us no longer be fools #

# No longer fools #

# Let us all be black #

# Let us all be black #

# And Jamaican fruit #

# Of African roots #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan', me wan', me wan'
me wan' fi forward on a yard #

# Me wan' #

# Fi forward #

# I love to be black #

# I wanna be black #

# Leave me, let me be black #

# Black black is beautiful #

# Oh #

# African roots #

# (Horns fading out) #