Download or Listen to Johnny Osbourne – Fraudie from the Brown Sugar 45

After an extra day off because of the holiday, FMF is back. I’m sunburned, full of food, and ready to bring some Summer vibes to you. What better than to bring some Dancehall Reggae on a Monday morning? This time I have a side I picked up on my tour of DC and Richmond back in March. It’s a great side on Brown Sugar (that looks a lot like Brownstone) straight out of JA, from Johnny Osbourne, “Fraudie”.

Born Errol Osbourne in Kingston, Jamaica (Jonestown to be exact) in 1948, Johnny Osbourne has become well known through out the Jamaican music community as the Godfather of Jamaican Dancehall. Recording for the Wildcats in 1967, the manager Winston Riley would go on to finance a series of recordings at Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One. One full length came out of that session, Come Back Darling. However, upon completion of the record, Osbourne would emigrate to Toronto, Canada to be with his family. He recorded a few records with the Soul/ Reggae group Ishan people. See Light in the Attic’s release: Toronto to Jamaica for an interesting story on Canadian/ Jamaican Reggae relations. This would last until 1979, where he would return to JA. Upon his return to Jamaica he would hook up with Dodd once again and record a few sides, “Forgive Them” and “Jealousy, Heartache And Pain”, and his 79-80 recording sessions made it to a full length, Truth and Rights. His vocal style made him a popular and in demand vocalist in JA, recording for King (back then Prince) Jammy, Bobby Digital (not the RZA), and others. Johnny’s laid back dancehall style, to me is most prevalent in his side “No Ice Cream Sound”, a fave of mine. His song “Buddy Bye”, which he is most well known for not just because of the Sleng Teng Riddim, and was remixed years later by Kenny Dope who laced it with 90’s Hip Hop samples and kept it open so the audience could shout: “Who-a-ooooo”, etc. His vibrant, soulful voice continues to be a force today, and with a catalog of hits, he has earned the name the Godfather of Dancehall.

“Fraudie”, an upbeat side, at first listen, to me sounds like a faster version of “Ring the Alarm”. Obviously not the same riddim, but Osbourne is answering those who called him “Yardie” as opposed to knowing his name. Yardie refers to someone who was a resident or occupant of the government built yards in Trenchtown after Hurricane Charlie. These lower financial areas were built around a central courtyard with a communal cooking area. Gang activity followed, and those key characters to come out of the Tenemant Yards, whether they liked it or not, were called Yardies. Emigration to Britain gave birth to further Yardie culture, which spread violence and the drug trade throughout London. The Version of this tune kills it as well, so keep a look out for it. Props to DJ Birdman for selling me this. Enjoy this slice of Jamaica on the Monday morning (and pay no mind to the slight skip on the outro). Keep Diggin’!