Dukes of Roots ADD

A Movement To Keep Roots Alive - Interview with Dukes Of Roots

03/14/2024 by Gardy Stein

With the Bob Marley: One Love movie on everyone's lips, a renewed interest in reggae music and its roots can be expected. It is thus a perfect moment to introduce a project intent on preserving that original sound, a project like Dukes Of Roots. Its foundations were laid a few years ago with an encounter between American guitarist Rod Walkey, Congolese singer Mermans Mosengo, renowned bass player George "Fully" Fullwood and brothers Sean "YoungPow" and Courtney "Bam" Diedrick from Jamaica, and they just released their debut album called, simply, Dukes Of Roots.

The oeuvre not only unites some of the most talented contemporary reggae musicians, it also spans generations and continents, striking a perfect balance between the old and the new. To learn about the creative process behind it, Reggaeville reached out to the team and had a deep conversation with Sean Diedrick, producer and keyboarder in Damian Marley's band, joined halfway through by his brother, drummer Courtney:

Thank you for making this interview happen! YoungPow is a household name, of course, but today you are representing a new project called Dukes Of Roots. Can you take us to the beginnings, like, when did the inspiration come to do this and what were the first steps?

All right, so this whole idea came about with Rod [Walkey], who is a guitarist and one of the songwriters. He met Mermans Mosengo, so it all started with them. They sent Mermans a song, it started with Try Happy, and then Mermans introduced Rod to Fully, who is Peter Tosh's bass player, and he also introduced Rod to me and my brother, as musicians. So, while we were working on the songs, Rod found out that I'm a producer, and… you know, I'm not sure if originally it would have been an album, I know they were doing songs, but then I became a part of it and things just started to evolve into what it is today. It became interesting too, when you start to see people like Fully and Donald Kinsey, who is Peter Tosh's guitar player and he was the guitarist for The Wailers for some time, too, so, it was getting really historic. Yeah man, and I saw the potential in it, so, you know, I started to put more of my time into it.

And when did these first meetings take place?

We're talking about 2020, it was a crazy year, but I know that the writing started that time. It was 2021 when I started to be more involved.

Did the recording sessions happen in Jamaica?

It was kind of remote because of the whole pandemic, you know, so people sent tracks to me and I did what I could at my house, and then some were sent to my brother Courtney and he recorded it at Tuff Gong in Jamaica. Some was recorded in California with Rod and Mermans and Fully, so the majority of it was like that, different studios. And then we got the opportunity to record in Studio City, in California. All of us went in, and that's where we did Pressure Drop and I Can See Clearly Now.

When it became clear that the project will become a permanent one, when and how did you decide on the name, Dukes Of Roots?

We were throwing out names, you know, and somehow I just saw 'dukes' and then I say, "What about Dukes of Roots?" and I told Rod about it and he's like, "Yo I like that!" and we just worked with that. And there's meaning behind it, just the fact that you have everybody calling themselves king this and prince that, you know what I'm mean, we didn't want to come and do another name that was very typical. So I thought, what about Dukes Of Roots, because if you have a king and if you have a prince, what's next in line? There are other titles we could use, but we say we are dukes!

Even by right, too, if you check the musicians that were working on the project at the time, they are a member of the reggae community in those kind of terms. Like, you know, we have a general, and we have a duke, because we are the players of the instruments, we play a part too, so I guess that's probably the better meaning of it.

Was it a goal of the project from the beginning to really revive those roots or to cover some of the foundation artists like Toots and The Maytals?

To be honest, when you hear these stories from people like Rod and Mermans and Fully, you can see that this was their idea, and they are much older than I am. They appreciate this kind of music, and I appreciate them too, but they're from that school. Tosh is one of Mermans' favorite artists, I think he named his son Tosh, just to show you the love he has for Peter Tosh, and also he met Toots, and I think Fully and Toots were good friends, and so those songs are just like tributes to their heroes.

Before we talk some more about the individual songs I want to ask, did you ever perform as a band, as Dukes Of Roots? Did you ever play a live show?

Alright, so we had the opportunity, I think it was probably two or three weeks ago, we did this show in Long Beach, California. That was the first time we went before an audience, you know, and we did the songs and the reception was great, honestly. People loved it! I think it's just like a bit of fresh air, to play this type of songs… You know where the music is at now, everything is so commercial, commercialized, you know what I mean? And to see musicians just play and sing nice songs, everybody was happy, so it was a great feeling.

I can imagine! Are there more shows planned, for the release of the album, a tour or something?

Well, that's where we are in the process, because it took us so much time to just get it to where it's at. It was a lot of work to get those features and get everything ready, so we're at that point right now, you know what I mean? We wanted to do it in phases, and we wanted to get this phase correct, get all features right and the album released. Now that it's out, we're gonna plan the promotional shows and tours.

The first single, Pressure Drop, was released almost a year ago, and it comes with a nice video too which people can vibe to. The track features Tarrus Riley - how did he come aboard on this one?

When we had the song, we were looking at features and collab, and his name came up. I'm friends with Tarrus and also with Dean Fraser, people who work close with him, so, you know, I reached out to him and he said he'll do it. And he loved the song!

It's a perfect match!

Trust me, that song… and it is a tribute, I doubt anyone would say no to that.

Speaking about the other features, there is an amazing list of artists on this album. Stephen Marley, for instance. The song he does is called Stick With Love. Did he develop that song together with Mermans?

This song was developed with Rod and Mermans, because, as I said, Rod is involved in almost all the songs, and these are words, quotes, from Martin Luther King. These are very powerful quotes from him that they put into a song and put a melody to it, and then Stephen came in to sing it.

The track that features Kabaka Pyramid is also about love, it's called Feel The Love. It comes with a beautiful video, can you tell us about the shooting? How was the vibe that day?

We shot that video in Jamaica, at the Bob Marley Beach I think they call it, in St. Thomas. And again, you know, just being close friends with Kabaka, it just worked out. He wanted us to do the video, he didn't say no, and everything was just kind of in the moment. Because we… first it was just a mix and we needed a verse, and then it just turned out so well! It's just like the beginning of the album when everything just started to work out, that's how that song turned out so well, and then we said, okay this song needs a video, and then we went and shot it. It was a beautiful day on the beach, you know, a simple video!

Yes, and I love that it shows simple people too, no bling-bling, just the hard-working people, the cooks, the fishermen and so on… Was it a conscious decision to do that, like a tribute to those people?

Yes! And outside of just how the director would write a treatment for a video, outside of that artistic view... I think those were some of the thoughts that inspired it. That song was written by Rod, Mermans, Simon Bowden, myself and Mikey Bennett. You should probably know, Mikey Bennett is one of our greatest writers in Jamaica. First, that song was a more political song, and I told Rod that I think we should really… that I love the beat, the music, I really, really love the music and I said, "Why don't we try to write a more uplifting song, a happy song instead of this political song?" And the next day – that was during the Try Happy video shoot, when we were out in Jamaica, all of us – the next day he said, "Sean, listen to these words!" and we took those words to Mikey Bennett and we came up with Feel The Love.

Beautiful! And you just mentioned the other video which is out already, for the song Try Happy with Natiruts. You recorded that in Brazil, right?

Yeah, we went to Brazil for the recording of the song. This is straight up Rod's connection, I don't know how he met Natiruts, but he was in dialogue with them and told me about them. I went and checked out their social media and stuff, and before you know it, they wanted to do the feature with us, so we flew out there, I think we spent a week down there to get it done. But the video though, we did our part of the video in Jamaica, and they did their part in Brazil.

Okay, I couldn't tell!

(laughs) Yeah, exactly that. It would have been kind of difficult for us, and we didn't have enough time.

Another song that I have to mention is John Punch, with an artist called Darius Rucker. He's not a reggae singer, right? How did he join the project?

That again, we were looking for somebody to sing that song with Mermans. And the nature of the song… the song is talking about the first slave recorded in American history, and we were thinking that we need probably an American to sing about it. Mermans coming from Africa, with its connection to the American slave trade, that's two main points in slavery. So, we were just going through the options and it was Rod who found Darius Rucker, and he reached out to him and he said he'd do it. He's a country singer normally, he's quite famous actually, he's a big deal.

**That's cool. It's another original Dukes Of Roots song, right? So the only cover versions you did is actually Pressure Drop and I Can See Clearly now? And some of the lyrics in Tosh?**

Yeah, I mean, the Tosh song, there are melodies and some words from his Equal Rights track, but for most of the words, it's original. It's a song about his death, his murder.

And his son, Andrew Tosh, is the feature on this one. Have you worked with him before?

No, I've never personally worked with him before. But, I mean, just being in the business, I've worked close to him. And, you know, the Tosh family and the Marley family are close, and Fully is close friends with him, too, because he was the bass player for Peter Tosh, so the link was there.

We already mentioned I Can See Clearly Now, and this one is featuring a singer from South Africa called Titi Tsira. I think she might be a link from Mermans, right? Because she is also involved in the Playing for Change project, just like him. Did you get to meet her for the recording or was this a long-distance collaboration?

That is something that Mermans would have better information on. But from my perspective, I've met her a few times because I used to perform with Playing for Change. That's how I met Mermans from the first time working with Damian [Marley], like 20 years ago or more. And I saw her probably the last six years when I would do shows with Playing for Change, she was one of the singers too, so I met her from there.

You played with Playing for Change, too?

Yes, when they do shows sometimes. I mean, when they just started out, starting the whole movement, me and my brother, we were some of the first musicians to play on those videos, representing Jamaica. So, if you go and check out most of the videos from that time, you would see me and my brother playing from like 20 years ago or so.

Speaking of… we have another guest. Nice to meet you! I'm Gardy.

Hi, I'm Courtney! Nice to meet you too.

We are in the middle of discussing the album, and Sean already talked a lot about how the project started and how the songs were recorded. Can you add what was your part in the project from the beginning?

Courtney: Well, I'm the drummer, so basically how it started… Mermans, the lead singer, he's been my friend for a long while. He contacted me and told me he was linking up with Rod and they were doing a few songs and they needed to get the authentic reggae sounds, so that's when he contacted me and Sean. And then from there, when we started getting more in-depth, we realized that this can't be something we just record and leave alone, so we decided to collaborate and come together and make this more than just a few songs.

Yes, and now it's a full album! I didn't even say that yet, Sean, but it's really nice to listen to the whole thing, every song gives some new impression. I wanted to ask about the first one, Cross The Rubicon. What is the meaning behind that?

Sean: All right, thank you for your feedback! I'm just gonna give my perspective again, because, as I said, Rod might be the better person to explain some of the songs. But it's about a civil war, it has to do with Caesar. They said that if they would cross that river called Rubicon, then there would be a war, so it means like there is a point of no return. It's about that, and it became a phrase. Outside of that incident that took place, it's just saying that if you're making a decision you have to live with it, whether good or bad. That's the whole meaning of the song.

Does it have to do anything with the wars going on right now in Russia, in Israel?

Sean: No, no, it's not, but, you know, history is repeating itself, so you can say something from then and it's still relevant.

Courtney: It can apply!

Sean: Yes, it can apply, but it wasn't intentional, it was just a story.

Now, we've been through the songs and the features as well, but I still wanted to ask about the reception that you receive so far in Jamaica, or let's say in the reggae circles. What do people tell you, how do they receive the project?

Courtney: Well, we all get great feedback, even with the collabs. People are amazed to see that we're working with all these great icons, big names, you know.

Sean: Yeah, and just to add to that, people are gonna expect great things, you know what I mean? Just given the history of what we do and people who we work with. I think people are learning from it too, just the way we put things together and stuff. The feedback is great, even from the artists themselves. Because, you know, they have huge success, and to see when we have conversations with them and they're like, "Yo, I really love this song!", that's great. And people are starting to find us. It's almost like… you know, for me and Courtney and maybe for Fully too, being in the music space for so long and to see, from starting out to where we are now, to watch the thing grow and to see people becoming fans, we're getting that feeling again.

Yeah, that's nice. And I can imagine the excitement because, I mean, in the last few years there haven't been so many really roots reggae bands coming from Jamaica, apart from EarthKry and Raging Fyah and so. I think this could be the start of something big! So, the next question would be, what are your future plans? Like, where do you want to take that baby?

Sean: You really touched on some points, that's where our minds are right now. We want to preserve the roots music, and most of these players are lovers of that school. Roots music, you know what I mean? Everybody needs success, everybody wants success, and everybody wants a big song. But also, you need to stay true to the music and to the culture, to what really put people where they are in the first place, to even think about a hit song or to get an album. And that's why we are a movement, not just a band, but a movement, because we want to collab with other artists. This is a movement to really keep roots music alive. And to just play music!

And it's a perfect time now as well, with the huge success of the Bob Marley movie that can really draw more people to it, a younger crowd...

Sean: Everything is just on timing! And we did not plan it, everything just worked out perfect.

Courtney: Just to add to that… everything is happening within this time, the reggae month, the Bob Marley movie, Bob Marley's birthday, the release – everything! And I think the universe is speaking and we're listening, because most of what we've done, there's always something mystical about it. Even the studios we go, we would see a Bob Marley picture, on the door, even like a street that we're on, something that's relating to what we're doing. It always happens. So, trust me, big things are going to happen out of this!

Sean: Even the song, when we were doing Pressure Drop, we were in Studio City. And then for some reason Rod was using his phone to record Mermans while he was recording the song. And when he looked at it later, a Grammy trophy was there and it's from Toots and The Maytals (laughs). And we were recording the song Pressure Drop. Yes, it's crazy.

Did you see the One Love movie yet?

Courtney: Yeah, I saw the movie. I saw the premiere in Miami.

Sean: No, I didn't get a chance to see it, for two reasons. One is because we were trying to get this release done and everything is happening, you know what I mean? I just came back from LA, so I'm all over the place and I wanted to choose where I'm going to watch it. And also, me personally, I don't like to go to the movie theater when the movie just come on. I don't like the crowd. I want to go there and watch the movie.

Definitely. Actually, I'm through with my questions, but maybe you want to add something? A special moment in the recording sessions or a comment on your favorite song maybe?

Courtney: It's really hard to choose a favorite, honestly. I think Stick With Love and John Punch are my two favorites.

Sean: I don't want to say I have a favorite, but I definitely like Stick With Love and Cross The Rubicon, because it has that texture of roots reggae, with the horns, the mixing, everything. And one historic moment working on the album was being in the studio with Scientist. It was a learning experience, just to watch the science behind the dub music… This album, even for me too, working for Damian [Marley] for like 20 years, this would be like one of the first projects involving me as a producer. And really, I am put to the test, too. Even though the majority of the composition is from Rod and Mermans, just me being a producer, it's really is historic for me too.