![[JAMWAX02] Owen Knibbs - Juggler [JAMWAX02] Owen Knibbs - Juggler](https://www.jamwax.com/image/cache/catalog/Releases/JAMWAX02-Flyer-1130x400w.jpg)
Owen
Knibbs was born november, 10th
1966 in Mt Salem, Montego Bay, Jamaica. He grew up with his mother
(mama granty), three sisters and nine brothers, Owen was the
youngest. He was introduce to music at a tender age by his mother,
she would host parties in the back yard every weekend. She own a
stereo vinyl player and Owen would play the records for her. Owen
study the lyrics of Tinga Stewart “Play The Music”, a festival
song in 1974, which became the first song he perform at a talent show
and receive one dollar. He started to perform in church and at school
and was very popular in the community. While attending St James high
school, he met a friend name Martin Reid in nine grade and they
became a duo. They call themself “Little Ista and Billy Dread”.
Owen
Knibbs wrote his first song about a young tenth grade female teacher.
His friends encourage him to sing it for the teacher but he was
suspended for a week because the song was kinda sexual. While still
in school, one of his classmate elder brother promoted a dance with
Owen Knibbs, Early B, Bruck Back and Sister Nancy on one of Montego
Bay top sound system “Ghetto International”. Early B like his
performance so he invite him to go to Kingston with him. With the
respect he has for his mother he told Early B to ask his mother which
Early B did but Mama Granty say no. He and Early B kept a close link
after that, Owen Knibbs became a regular on the Montego Bay dancehall
scene sparing with a DJ name “Jah Brown” who would take him to a
lot of dance where he master the art of making up a song on the spot
as the selector would play the version and he would chant on the
riddim. Around 1982 one of his childhood breathren Leon Virgo who
graduate two years before him and went to Kingston was on a visit and
heard the cassette playing with him and Early B and though it sounds
good, he make a copy and took it back to Kingston.
A
few months after Leon Virgo wrote Owen Knibbs a letter to come to
Kingston, this would be his first time going to Kingston but as he
quote “Mama Granty not gonna stop me this time”. So he went,
still very young around 17 years old. He found himself in Arnette
garden a section call Havana where Leon introduce him to “Joe Dog”,
a friend who knows a lot of producers at the time. While in Arnette
garden, he met Eek-A-Mouse, Squidly Ranks and Thriller so he knows he
was in the right place. Joe Gog promote a dance with a sound call
“Hot Sizzler” with Barrington Levy and squidly and many more DJ
from Jungle. Owen Knibbs felt good because he get to sing with
Barrington Levy who after the dance told him to keep going. Things
were looking promising for him but he ran into problem because he
never have any where to stay so one of his friend (Danavan) took him
to stay in Havendale where his grand mother live. He was not welcome
in the community as people thought he was a rude boy from Jungle and
believe he came there to hide out. He was heart broken because he
knew he would have to return to Montego Bay and go back to school
which he did not plan on doing but not having anywhere to stay he
return home very depress and disappointed. He still continue to sing
and was now listening to singers like Sugar Minott, Little John,
Triston Palmer, Michael Palmer, Junior Delgado, Hugh Mundell, Linval
Thompson and his favourite DJs Super Cat and Early B. After owen
graduate high school and Leon Virgo got himself better situated, Owen
return back to kingston around 1985 to continue his journey.
Two
years after Leon decided to go in producing so in september 1987 he
produced Owen’s first and only recording on his label Virgo
Production. “Juggler”, a song Owen have written in 1982 while he
was in school, a song about poor people hustling and working hard to
survive. The track was played and arranged by Jimbo and was recorded
at Aquarius Studio at Half Way Tree in Kingston. They had a big
vision. With not much experience Leon Virgo gave a respectable
distributer to distribute the song, which turn out to be a mistake
because he only distribute a few hundred copies in Jamaica and would
told Leon the song not selling. Another sad news was popular JBC
radio selector “Free I” who play the song a Thursday a week after
the song was released, was murdered along with Peter Tosh the
following Friday. To make matter worst Leon decided not to continue
producing music. Frustrated and disappointed Owen went back to
Montego Bay.
At
the age of around 21 years old, living in the salt spring area of
Montego Bay, a place with a bad reputation, Owen got caught up and
for a few years, he was in a dark place. A little good news came as a
friend from england was playing some cassettes he recorded off the
radio stations in London and on one of these cassette Owen heard the
“Juggler”. When he told his friend that was him, he did not
believe as everyone knew Owen as Ista. On the vinyl record, Leon made
a mistake and put Owen’s real name. So to convince his friend he
show him his passport and sang it for him. He told Owen the song is
big in Europe and if he went over there he would make lot of money.
His friend promised when he went back he would send for him. The
friend kept his promise and send Owen an invitation letter. But there
was a catch, Owen would have to carry a pound of weed. Owen refused
the deal and stayed in Mo’Bay.
Around
1993 he went back to live in Kingston and was sparing with up coming
DJ Chuckle Berry, hanging around Music Factory studio on Hagley park
road. He was ready to go again but soon after he migrated to the USA
and came to the Bronx in 1994. A few months after he won a DJ contest
at the popular night club call ACT 3, beating nineteen other
contestant and receive five hundred dollars. After that he wasnt
really inspire to continue performing, so he and a friend started a
sound call “Simple One Intl” which they play around the Bronx
locally for quite a few years. After living in the Bronx for ten
years his journey took him to Connecticut where he met Jah Mikey who
own a restaurant and a lounge. Owen would play there every friday
night. One night he play the Juggler by mistake and Jah Mikey ask
him who sing that song. Owen look at him and smile. When Jah Mikey
realise he sang the tune, Jah Mikey told him he should continue
recording. With no interest in singing again Owen still continue to
select his music but Jah Mikey would not stop pressuring him. So one
night he was in Dygon production studio chilling, he decided to
record his voice so Jah Mikey would hear that he dont have them vibes
again and leave him alone. But something strange happen, it was the
first time since 1987 Owen heard his voice on a track and to his
surprise it sound good. At that time he and Jah Mikey has just
started a program on One Love radio, a locall radio station in the
area and he play the song and the listeners love it. With
encouragement and financial support from Jah Mikey, he went back into
recording and now working with Dygon production, Hi Dawg production,
Hazematic production, Interrupt production and Lambsbread.
When
Owen was spotted by us, he could not believe that after 29 years a
french label wanted to repress the Juggler and make it available to
buyers because people were selling it online for as much as 200 euros
and all across Europe, Japan and South America. Owen was shocked.
Since
the Juggler reissue released in march 2015, Owen Knibbs started to
see his journey on the move again. He get to record the Juggler in
dupplate style for sound-system in Japan and Europe. He just released
his EP “Last Call” with seven tracks available on digital
download. Eric from Black-Catalog invited him over Europe on a six
weeks tour in april 2016.
A
very humble person in a real life and on a mission with his roots
rock reggae. When we ask him how he would like people to remember
him, his answer is “like how the they remember Junior Delgado, Hugh
Mundell and the great Sugar Minott”. You can link up Owen Knibbs on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud and Youtube. “Now I'm
motivated to record all these songs I have written from 1987 till
now. Thanks to all my supporters all over the world. The juggler a
juggler again…Jah Rastafari !” Owen Knibbs
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