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West Indies Music Makes West
End Magic
"There's a joke about Jamaica:
There are only two speeds threre...slow and dead stop."
Tony Nicholson smiles when he describes his native island.
He says he returns there on occasion becaus the island makes
him "feel rejuvenated."
The reggae musician plays six nights a weeek at Daiquiri's
in the West End. It's no wonder the guitarist/vocalist feels
the need for Caribbean calm.
Nicholson came to Dallas 1ast summer. He began hawking his
album on West End corner,eventually selling 2000 records.
When Daiquiri's opened last fall, Nicholson convinced the
owner that reggae music was perfect for the club. Nicholson
banded together with bass player Austin Mathews of Saint Kitts
and Ian Ellis a rhythm guitarist from Jamaica. In the intervening
months Nicholson and company have developed a steady following.
The group play's a mixture of original and welI-known reggae
songs such as "I Shot the Sheriff' with an emphasis on
the original. Nicholson has even written a song called 'West
End Magic.' which blends social
commentary with a refrain about friends rocking in the West
End.
Ironically, it took a trip outside his Native Jamaica , the
birthplace of Reggae, for Nicholson to start performing the
music. "I visited Toronto and heard people playing music
they were calling Reggae, but it didnt sound like any Reggae
I had ever heard. I thought that the music needed to be played
by people who knew, loved and respected Reggae music. I knew
that I had to do it" He went back home for a brief visit,
but returned to Canada a few months later. When he returned,
Nicholson joined a group that became "Bloodfire."
During his five-year stay in the north, Nicholson and 'Bloodfire'
opened concerts for the biggest names in reggae, Bloodfire
played venues with Steel Pulse, Third World, Peter Tosh and
Jimmy Cliff, he even opened for the Police, But Nicholson
is quick to add, "It was before they were really big,"
Nicholson came to Dallas for two main reasons. His primary
reason was to join his family. His father was transferred
here five years ago. The elder Nicholson is an engineer at
a Plano based computer company.
Nicholson's other reason is a long-term goal: "To establish
the music here."
He explains his waist Iength dreadlocks are associated with
his faith. There are strict rules governing diet as well as
the law against cutting the hair. The rules of Rastafari also
give guidance regarding how to live everyday, and how to interact
with others. For Tony the Music is all that matters.................
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