Interview with Ansel Collins – Part 2

Where: Jamaica/Los Angeles, CA (by phone)
When: May 16, 2026
Writer: Stephen Cooper
Photos: Courtesy of the respective record companies (pics/labels/sleeves). Video edited by Teacher
Copyright:  2026 – Stephen Cooper

Ansel Collins: The Best Instrumentalist in Reggae (The Interview, Part 2)

In Part 1 of my interview of Ansel Collins, Ansel and I talked about his earliest days as a musician, sowing the seeds that eventually led to him becoming the best instrumentalist in reggae. We also discussed Ansel’s close relationship and work with the late legendary drummer Sly Dunbar, including on the classic tunes “Night Doctor,” “Monkey Spanner,” and of course, what Sly once proclaimed the “biggest instrumental out of Jamaica,” the monster-hit “Double Barrel.”

Please enjoy the second half of this informative, insightful, and irie reasoning with one of the greatest Jamaican musicians ever, and if you missed Part 1, please be sure to read that too; if you prefer to listen to the interview instead, the entire audio file is available on YouTube. Blessings!

The first instrumental I have to ask you about—I love this tune—this tune “Cock Robin.”
Oh. “Cock Robin,” you know, [was] produced by me. I’m the producer.

Yeah, self-produced. And the way you make the organ—you make the organ sound like an actual bird.
Yeah, that’s why I call it “Cock Robin.”

Yeah!
Because cock-cock-cock…

*Editorial Note: Ansel mimics the song here with his voice.

(Laughing)
It’s like something [that will make you jump], you know?

Yeah. Right in the middle of the song—suddenly, you know—it’s just an amazing instrumental. Everyone listen to that on YouTube, because it’s just a beautiful [tune]. All these instrumentals I’m talking about are on YouTube—[the ones that] I’m gonna ask you about. And they definitely need to listen to the [instrumental] “Cock Robin.” I’ve never heard anyone do that with an organ before. It’s amazing. Now another instrumental of yours I love is called “Chukky Drums” from 1973. And I think I may have mentioned this to you, Ansel, before the interview that YouTube—on YouTube—it informs me that “Chukky Drums” is actually on the ‘B’ side of “Chukky Organ” but I couldn’t listen to that. Because I don’t think that’s been loaded up on YouTube.
Okay.

But “Chukky Drums” on the “Jaywax” label, man—
Oh. J.J.. J.J. Hmm.

Yeah, that tune is such a heavy tune.
Yeah man.

Are you playing both the organ and drums on “Chukky Drums?”
No. The organ.

Who was the drummer? Because I couldn’t find the answer to “Who was the drummer?”
I don’t remember.

Okay. Yeah. But it’s a very, very heavy tune. People should definitely check “Chukky Drums.” Ansel, also, “Atlantic One.” This is—
(Chuckling) Oh yeah. GG’s. GG.

Yeah. Alvin [“GG”] Ranglin. This is another of your famous instrumentals I just can’t get enough of. And it took me a while to realize that it’s the same rhythm of another song that I love. Which is, of course, Gregory Isaac’s “Love Is Overdue.”
The same riddim! The same riddim. I play organ [on] the vocals, you know?

Yeah! I realized that—
I am playing the organ, and [singing on] the vocal also. So after “Love Is Overdue” hit, GG called me back in to [the studio to do] the instrumental.

Wow, that’s exactly what I was gonna ask you next, how that came about and—
And the talking on the front [of the tune] was [Norman] Sidney Bucknor.

Ah! Sid Bucknor. Yeah.
Sid Bucknor—he was over at Coxsone’s. And he was over at the West Indies Recording Company. So it’s him say [at the beginning of the tune]: “Atlantic One. Atlantic One. This aircraft” so and so and so. That’s Sidney Bucknor.

Yeah. [He says] “This loving aircraft is super good.”
Wicked! Wicked! (Laughing)

Wow! I don’t think anyone knew that before you [just] mentioned [it]. And like I said, that [instrumental] “Atlantic One” is super cool. And it’s super-hypnotic when you listen to it. Did you guys—who came up with the concept of the airplane? Because it’s like, you know, the airplane [and] “this loving aircraft.” Was that Sidney Bucknor, too, or did you guys talk about that together?
What you mean? No man. Him just say that and I don’t know where him come up with that idea. I don’t have a clue.

(Laughing) Yeah.
Don’t have a clue. Don’t have a clue. I [just] know I played the music. (Mimicking Syd Bucknor’s vocals to start the tune:) “Atlantic One. This here loving aircraft is super—”

It’s—
And the organ—the organ—I recorded at Treasure Isle Studio.

It’s so wicked. So wicked. Another instrumental that you have—that I sent [the link to you for] just recently—because I love it so much and I said I was gonna ask you about it. The wicked, heavy instrumental track called “Spanish Town Road.”
Oh!

You’re playing melodica—
Yeah!

Yeah. You’re playing melodica—
Yeah. I recorded that song before “Stalag 17,” you know?

Oh wow. Really? Yeah.
Yeah, because the idea—you see, the idea—no other guy in Jamaica, when it comes to instrumentals, can touch me.

Right. Right. Well I’m starting to see—I see that from the research.
Hold on! Hold on! Hear what happened now. You have a few instrumental[ists]. You have Jackie [Mittoo]. You have “Gladdy.” You have Winston. And you have Ansel Collins. You have a whole lot more instrumental players, you know, but these guys, these guys [were] always playing good instrumentals.

Yeah.
And my type of instrumentals is different. If you listen to the bass lines— if you listen to the bass lines on those songs—they’re different. “Cock Robin” (imitating the bass line). It’s the bass lines dem. They’re different. And if you listen to “Spanish Town Road.” “Spanish Town Road” [is] wicked, man. Wicked bass line. All those bass lines—I create those bass lines.

‘Nuff respect. ‘Nuff respect.
All those bass lines, I create.

Now that song “Spanish Town Road,” it also made me think about Sly Dunbar. Because he was the drummer in—
Yeah!

—“Skin, Flesh & Bones.”
Yes. [And he plays] on “Spanish Town Road” (imitating the drums).

Yeah! And that tune, for some reason also, I think just because of the [connection to] “Skin, Flesh & Bones,” it also made me think about Carl Malcolm. Because Carl Malcolm used to [be] with “Skin, Flesh & Bones” at the “Tit for Tat” night club—
You mean the singer? The singer?

Yeah, the singer Carl Malcolm. I interviewed Carl in 2021, and I wanted to let you know [that] when I interviewed him, right before the interview I actually sent a message to Sly Dunbar. And I said, “Sly, I’m gonna interview Carl Malcolm. Do you have any questions for him?” And Sly responded, and he said, “Carl is a nice person. I played on three of his hit songs. We were in the same band. I played drums on ‘No Jestering,’ ‘Miss Wire Waist,’ and ‘Fattie Bum-Bum.’ Just big him up for me.” Now I was surprised to learn, Ansel—I had no idea—but you also played piano on—
(humming “Fattie Bum-Bum”)

(Laughing) Yeah!
[I] played [also] on “[Miss] Wire Waist” and—

Yeah!
—“No Jestering.”

So you played on all three [of those giant Carl Malcolm hit] songs?
Of course!

Wow! I didn’t know that!
That’s why they come out so good. (Laughing)

Wow. Why did they do that?
I don’t know.

When Carl went to [perform on] “The Top of the Pops” [in the U.K.] with “Fattie Bum-Bum,” were you with him then—did you perform with him?
No, man. [They had already switched the band.] (Laughing)

Wow. Wow. Crazy. That’s crazy.
Dem was stupid, man.

Yeah. Sometimes [people] make the worst decisions in music that you can never figure out.
Yeah man.

Now Ansel, [let’s speak about] two other enormous hit songs that you played on that I’m not sure folks know about. I confess that I didn’t know—I was awed when I found out that you played with Toots & The Maytals on [the hit songs] “Pressure Drop” and “Sweet and Dandy.”
And more, more, and more. [The album] “True Love.” And more, more, more tunes, man. I toured with [Toots] in 1975. Late 1975, I was [an] original [member of] The Maytals, you know?

Wow!
If you check back on the internet and put in 1975 with Toots, you’ll see me there.

Nice. Now how did you end up playing with Toots? How did that happen?
Because I’m great.

(Laughing) You’re “The Magnificent.” Yeah.
(Laughing) Yeah! And Beverley’s—because Beverley’s released the first song with me that I produced. A song called “Night of Love.” And when, the first day, [it] was a Saturday morning, [it] came out on Beverley’s label. And that was the first time I heard my name called on the radio. And that, I think, was 1969.

Wow. Yeah. I was able to reason briefly with Toots and he seemed like such a lion of a man. Such a nice man. What do you remember most about working with Toots—in general?
In the first part, doing recording with him, him would come in and sing, and we just find the vibes. You know, get the vibes going. But after a while, him change up now and when him come a-studio, him want you to play everything, [saying] “Play this. Play that.” And it just sound same way. You haffi leave it to the musicians dem, you know?

Yeah, that’s true.
But before—because in roughly 1960, [when] I said I record, I wasn’t even playing keyboard yet. In 1960, I was—

Yeah, you were 10-11 years old?
At that time, I used to go down by Tuff Gong and Federal Recording Studios there—a likkle studio. But all they does [there] is sing and the musicians dem find the beat. But after [Toots] get big man and ting now, he changed. He did change. But he was a very nice guy, you know?

Yeah. Now, Ansel, I have to ask—I want to get to some of your newer tunes in just a minute, but—because I’ve interviewed a lot of these guys before, with respect to Black Uhuru, you played piano on their “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” album.
The whole album. The whole album. The whole album.

And also [you played on] the [Black Uhuru] album “Sensimilla,” too?
Yeah man.

Did you go on tour with Black Uhuru during that time?
You know, no, I didn’t tour with Black Uhuru. I do one show in Montego Bay with them. That’s all I’ve done—the one show.

Well let me ask you this because you did record with them during their prime—when they were in prime form [during] these albums that you worked on with them. And I was just curious whether you remember, was there at that time, was there ever a good vibe between Duckie and Mykal Rose back then when you recorded those albums with them? Because you know, unfortunately, those guys have been you know kinda fighting with each other now for a lot of years—
Yeah.

—but I wondered whether back then—
No. No. At that time it was a very good vibes because dem wouldn’t show it—[any bad feelings toward each other]—in the studio. [But] after the studio, you know….

So it was a good vibe back then [in the studio at least]?
It was a good vibe, yeah man.

Now also I have to ask because this is one of my favorite reggae albums of all time: You played on The Mighty Diamonds’s album “Right Time?”
Yeah man. All the tracks. All the tracks.

Oh, they weren’t there!?
We do all the tracks and then Jo Jo gave them the tracks and they go and do their own work and come up with their hit songs.

Yeah, off of all those great instrumentals.
Yeah. “Have Mercy.” “Right Time.” All those songs. They went and did their own work and come up with some good stuff.

Now, Ansel, I’m gonna jump in a minute [to a different subject], because I definitely have to ask you a number of questions about Jimmy Cliff. But before I do that, I want to ask you—and I really thought hard about how I would ask you this. So bear with me, I just want to put this on the record for you and then give you a chance to respond however you want to do it. But, about the “Stalag” riddim, Ansel, which is one of the most famous, most sampled rhythms in reggae. And you know, and many others, too, in the reggae community, [you] know that I interviewed in 2020 the legendary drummer Santa Davis about the “Stalag” riddim. And I want to make it very clear: I’m not trying to be in the middle of any kind of dispute between two reggae legends, yourself and Santa. Not in any way. But, as a reggae journalist and interviewer, I think it would be unfair to you, Ansel, if I didn’t ask if you want to—you don’t have to—but if you want—
No, man! Mi want to! It’s unfair—it’s unfair to me!

So let me ask you this, do you want to respond—and I can tell you exactly what it is that he said—do you want to—
You don’t have to say it. Look here, 1974, Buster Riley called me down at Channel One studio to record six songs. And after the six songs done, I say to Buster I have a song—because I didn’t want to do anything for Winston Riley—[because] I wasn’t getting any money from “Double Barrel.” We didn’t get any royalties, right?

Yeah.
So when we did the tunes for Buster, I laid the track. And listen to me good. As Almighty God looking down on I and I, I give Fully [Fullwood] the bass line and I give Chinna the style that I want [them] to play because it’s an instrumental. You understand me? I didn’t tell Santa what to play. [And] I didn’t tell Tony Chin what to play because it’s the same—it’s just the five of us. So I tell dem men what to play and I am surprised. I didn’t know it was you—and when the argument come up, I didn’t even know it was even you [involved in that].

Yeah.
It’s me that tell dem men what dem a-go play. The bass and the guitar. And dem men want to [argue] with me. Because if you listen to “Spanish Town Road.” And “Stalag” same thing. “Cock Robin.” And the whole of dem [tunes], [they have] the same kinda bass lines dem pon di tunes dem. Go back [and play all of them].

So you’re saying your fingerprints are all over that, [the Stalag] rhythm?
Yes! [All of] dem tunes dem. “Spanish Town Road.” The songs you can hear them, you know? “Cock Robin.” And “Night of Love” (humming the rhythm). A mi!

You’re saying “Stalag” is a natural progression from those [earlier] tunes [you did]?
Yeah! Yes! Because I have it [a] long, long time. I had “Stalag” from “Spanish Town Road.” [And] this guy come talk about this track [was recorded] at Harry J’s studio. Dem not even know where the tune was recorded. It was recorded at Channel One studio.

Yup. Well, I wanted to be fair to you and make sure I gave you the chance to say whatever you wanted to say about that “Stalag” rhythm. So I’m glad that I [did].
You know, personally, I’m sorry that I do it.

Oh no!
I’m sorry! And believe you me that is the only instrumental that I say I’m sorry that I do.

Because of all this—
Mi no have to beg bass lines. I don’t play bass, but I’m a basslinist.

Yeah.
Alright. If you check—look here, you have a tune “Woman Is Like a Shadow”—

Yup. Yup. The Meditations.
Listen to the intro [of that song] (humming the intro). A-mi create the bass line, you know? The front part of it—not the rest of the tune. The front part. And all those songs. And all those songs dem and “Shank I Sheck” with Bobby Ellis. A-mi create that thing there (humming rhythm). [A] Bobby Ellis tune that we do over for Ms. Pottinger.

Well, I hear you. I hear you. I just feel bad—I feel bad that you feel bad about that—
Him act like him want to take credit. Dem can’t eat it—the credit [you] can’t eat. Hold on a minute. The funniest thing? Wi don’t get no money for it, you know?

Oh man. You never made any money from that?
No! Wi no get a cent. A free tune.

Wow.
Him no get no money. Fully don’t get no money. Tony don’t get no money. The drummer—everybody no get no money.

Who got all the money? Winston and Buster?
[The producers. And] it’s one of the biggest tunes that ever come out of Jamaica.

You played an instrumental with [The Soul Syndicate], I think, called “Elephant Trap?”
Everything, man, everything.

So there are plenty of times where you were playing with The Soul Syndicate and no disputes ever happened?
Of course. Of course. Dem just want to say I [don’t] deal with bass lines. But it’s me—it’s my instrumental. I come there with the instrument[al]. With the bass and how I want it. The bass line is more important—more than any guitar. Because if the bass line nah sellout the tune, the tune nah sell nothing.

Yeah.
If you go back and listen to “Cock Robin” (humming rhythm), [it’s] the same vibes.

The same vibes.
Listen to “Cock Robin” (humming rhythm). [And] another tune called “Spider Man.” Put in [to an internet search] “Ansel Collins” and “Spider Man” and you’ll hear the same thing.

I know that everyone listening [or reading this interview]—all the reggae aficionados [and] experts—Ansel, they’re gonna do this research. They’re gonna play those tunes and listen to them closely and compare.
All of dem. Listen to them. Yes. “Night Fever.” “Night of Love.” Joe Gibbs. ‘Cause I do a lot of tunes for Joe Gibbs, you know? [A lot of] instrumentals.

I was gonna say—I was gonna list, Ansel, I was just gonna mention—before I turn to Jimmy Cliff—I was gonna say that you played in just about every single studio band [during reggae’s golden era in Jamaica] of consequence. You already mentioned The Rainbow Healing Temple Invincibles—
Yeah.

You played with “The Techniques All-Stars” with Winston Riley. You played with “The Professionals” [for] Joe Gibbs. You played with “GG’s All-Stars” [for] Alvin Ranglin. You played with “The Thoroughbreds” over at The Stables nightclub. You played with the “Impact All-Stars.”
Yeah!

You played with Sugar Minott’s “Black Roots Players.” You played with Bunny Lee’s “Aggrovators.” You played with [Lee “Scratch” Perry’s] “The Upsetters.” Of course you played with—[as] we mentioned [earlier]—“Skin, Flesh & Bones.” Then of course [you also played with] “The Revolutionaries.”
(Laughing)

So it’s just so many different bands that you played with. People can’t even wrap their minds around how much music you’ve been a part of.
And you have a youth who can sing with any of them [named] Prince Lincoln [&] The Royal—

Yeah! The Royal Rasses. Yeah, Prince Lincoln [Thompson].
I remember I was [at] Channel One [and] I played a whole heap of tunes with Prince Lincoln [and] toured with the same youth—Pablove Black.

Yeah, yeah. He played with them, too.
We went to England, [me and] Pablove Black. And Bagga—Bagga—

Bagga Walker, yeah!
Yeah. But hear what happened now. I was at Channel One one day and I didn’t have any money. So mi go to Prince and say, “Bwoy, give me a likkle money,” you know? [And] him say to me, “If you want a money, you can get a money, but you have to go to England with me, you know.” (Laughing)

(Laughing)
Him say, “You can get a money but you haffi go to England with me.” So, I don’t know what year I went to England [with him]. I think it was 1980! When dem have a big war a-Jamaica, I went to England with Prince Lincoln. I went with Bagga Walker, and I can’t remember the drummer. I think it was Mikey “Boo” [Richards]. And we do a couple of shows and we come back home. That’s how I get to go to England with Prince Lincoln.

Wow. Yeah.
Because if I never take him and say “give me a likkle money,” you know?

(Laughing) But you have to go to England [first].
That [was] the way to get the money [from him]. [But, generally speaking,] inna dem times there, I [didn’t] have to go to no recording—no producer—I [didn’t] have to go to no producer and beg dem work, you know? Dem look for me.

Yeah, they’d come to you.
Dem look for me! I remember [somebody] called me and [said], “Duke Reid [at] Treasure Isle wants you, you know? Treasure Isle wants you to come play some parts.” Mi say, “Treasure Isle?” At that time dem a-do some big songs, you know? Like [Alton Ellis’s] “Girl I’ve Got A Date” and all dem tunes there.

Nice.
So I remember playing four songs. And him say, “You must go upstairs.” And I do four songs. One of them (singing) “Blessed Love that love, that love before…” Alton Ellis. If you listen to the organ. If you hear the organ, everybody a-say the organ [is] different from the rest of the thing, you know? I think I did four tunes there [at Treasure Isle]. When I came downstairs [after] I put on the organ [on those tunes], [Duke Reid] said “Yeah man. That sound good.” That was 1969. So when I come down, he give me some money. At that time, it was pounds, shillings, and pence, you know?

And Bunny Lee, he is such a cool guy to me. Every time I talk to people who knew Bunny Lee, I usually ask them [about him]. So it makes sense to ask you, too, because he always seem[ed] like he had such a good humor [about him]. [He] was always cracking jokes and being a funny guy.
[You wouldn’t care if] Bunny owed you money. You’d forget about the money.

Yeah. Yeah. I heard he was good with his artists—that he would give them money that they were owed.
I don’t know, you know? I don’t know about that. I remember doing a recording session at Federal Recording studio. Three producers. Bunny Lee, Niney [the Observer] and Lee [“Scratch”] Perry. All at the same time, you know?

Wow. That’s scary. How scared were you? I would have been scared.
The same time. The same night. Them three producers, you know?

That’s amazing.
And you have “Family Man.” You had a lot of musicians that night. We’d take turns, you know? I remember playing (humming) the piano for Slim Smith. And for Bunny Lee. And after I worked for Bunny Lee now, I turned over to Scratch. Instrumentals. And this song came out [called] “A Dangerous Man from M.I.5.”

Wow. Yeah.
You know that one?

I think I know what [tune] you’re talking about—yeah!
Yeah man. Done with Scratch. Lee Perry did the front part of it and say, “A Dangerous Man from M.I.5.” That was [an] instrumental.

I know—I remember now which [song] you’re talking about!
Ahh!

I was thinking also about—for a minute you had me thinking about—because I know I read this when I was doing research on you, Ansel: I understand you played on Junior Murvin’s [hit song] “Police & Thieves.”
Oh yes, I did! Yes, because—hear what happened now. [I was living right next to Scratch at the time.] So Scratch, he went and did “Police & Thieves” before. [And] him call me and say, bwoy, him want to do it over. Because him no like how it sounds. So him get me, Sly [Dunbar] on the drums, Winston Wright—Winston Wright on piano. Mi played the organ. And I think Hux [Brown] [or somebody else, too], on guitars. But when we record the tune dem, dem record the tune and bring it out back. And it was a smashing hit, you know?

Oh man. That song is so wicked. Everybody knows that song. Ansel, I do want to ask you, if it’s okay, questions about Jimmy Cliff and how you ended up—because you end up with Jimmy Cliff for like 20 years.
No, man. No, man. Before that.

Even longer?
Yeah man! Longer than that, man. I worked with Jimmy Cliff from Beverley’s days, you know? I don’t think he was even living in Jamaica [then] recording. But I was very small. I was so young. But Jimmy Cliff come with some classy tunes. So, in 1976, I remember I went out with him [and] Sly on tour. And we go to Senegal. [Some of] dem African places. And that’s where I started, in 1976.

He brought you out on tour with him and that’s how the relationship started?
No. No. [Actually] I went [on tour] with Toots [in] 1975. And then I used to so some recording. [And] in 1975, I went out on a few shows with Jimmy Cliff. And I came back and was in Jamaica [recording]. 1980 now, 1980, that’s when it start[ed], [when I began touring with Cliff continuously]. Nonstop. About 10-14 keyboard players came down there [to audition for Cliff]—same place. You have the biggest keyboard players. Everybody [came] to the same place. Dem good players, you know? Great keyboard players. But what really happened, him want people who have the [feel] of the music. And I had the feel—I had the feeling. (laughing)

You had the feeling. (laughing)
I had the feeling (laughing).

And you played on a number of Jimmy Cliff albums.
I don’t play on many. I produced many.

And you produced many.
Yeah man. Mi go back and mi produce.

*Editorial Note: Ansel’s answer was slightly longer here, but for a number of reasons wasn’t transcribed; his full response can be heard on the audio file from the interview available on YouTube; a link is available at the bottom of this article.

Nice.
Mi and Jimmy Cliff alone go [to the] studio to record that tune there. And Jimmy Cliff played the piano [on that] (humming tune). That is Jimmy Cliff playing the piano. And then mi play (humming) on the violin—on the strings.

Yeah! “Riding High.” That was your first solo album that I think [Jimmy Cliff] produced.
No. No. No. I don’t record that one for Jimmy Cliff. There was a song called “Skully Bone.” And why I did [a] tune called “Skully Bone?” [Because there was] this percussion[ist] [called] “Scully.” I just take Scully’s name and say “Skully Bone.” And then, after that now, [Bertram] “Ranchie” McLean—Ranchie was with me. So Ranchie wrote a part and give it to Jimmy Cliff to sing on the riddim.

Nice.
Yeah. The same riddim (humming tune). (Singing) “I’m gonna take you to a session tonight and dance with your music all night.” Ranchie write that. Jimmy Cliff don’t write that.

Such a good history, Ansel.
I wrote a few songs for Jimmy Cliff, too, you know?

Yeah.
[Like] “True Lover” (singing song). And then something “Dance Business.” And then “Jimmy Jimmy” now (singing): “Jimmy—Jimmy—Jimmy, go Jimmy!” I’m a part of the writ[ing] with that. When I did it, I didn’t even realize I was on the track as a writer with Jimmy Cliff. There was a company in Westbury [in] England. When I went to Westbury and check it out—and dem say, “But Collins, you have a tune named ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ [that] you and Jimmy Cliff write. And a whole heap of money pass through.” But mi not know—you know when you’re young? And the amount of money dem man say pass [because of] “Jimmy Jimmy,” you know? And mi no get none, you know?

Oh man, Ansel, that’s tough.
Nuh, sir, [I] no get the money. As a writer. Because you know, I’m the writer for “Jimmy Jimmy”—[it’s] between me and [Jimmy Cliff]. That album, me and Jimmy Cliff produced it. But that special tune (singing) “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy—Oh Jimmy.” How we get the idea? When Jimmy go to Africa, and he passed through Africa, the people [would say]: (singing) “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.” And I see dem gwan. And [when Jimmy was at the airport], the airport [was] full. Full of people.

Wow. And they were all at the airport saying “Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy!” (laughing)
“Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy!” So we just sat at the airport and mek a tune with it. (laughing)

Man, Ansel, it sounds like you had a great experience.
Let me tell you something. In music, you know, remember I tell you about the feel that mi have and the vibes that mi have. Mi can’t play music around hypocrites, you know?

Hypocrites and parasites are no good.
No, no. I don’t love [them]. I don’t love that part. Sometimes when you go around them you just feel weak. The vibes [are] cut, you know? [When I play] with certain musicians, mi no get the vibes. [You know] when I go to Japan, dem call me “Teacher.” Because dem listen to me. You know, you see the Japanese, they have some good musicians.

Yeah. Yeah and they have a lot of reggae fans there.
Yeah man! Yeah man. You have some great music[ians] [there] but dem say they used to listen to me. So I don’t know which it is. (Laughing)

That’s sweet. Now, Ansel, I have to ask, because like many people, I watched many years before—I watched Jimmy Cliff’s movie “The Harder They Come.” And I’ve seen that one more than once. But I didn’t watch until just recently this movie called “Club Paradise”—
“Club Paradise.”

Yeah. I watched it recently, and it made me laugh. And I saw you—I saw you on the screen a couple of times in the movie. And I saw [legendary musician] [Earl] “Chinna” [Smith] on the screen. He’s wearing military fatigues at the end with a rifle, [and] it made me laugh. And I was curious, even though you didn’t have a speaking role in that movie, did you enjoy the experience of being in the movie?
No, I didn’t talk in the movie. But the tracks—the music tracks? It’s me play them.

Yeah, there’s a lot of music in the movie where you’re playing!
Yeah man.

And you’re on the screen, too! I saw you.
It’s me [who] arrange[d] the music tracks in “Club Paradise.”

Did you enjoy being in the movie?
When you say, “Did you enjoy the movie?”, you a-joke man. (Laughing) Listen to me: The more rain fall, you know, we were so glad for the rainfall because the movie can’t go on but we still get paid. (Laughing)

(Laughing)
(Laughing) We prayed for the rainfall.

(Laughing) And the movie people would have to pay you because they couldn’t film, but—
Of course! (Laughing)

Ansel, during that movie, did you get a chance to meet and speak with the comedian—
Yeah man! Robin Williams?

Yeah! Did you talk to Robin Williams?
Yeah man.

Was he funny? Was he nice in person?
Yeah man. Him alright, man. Him alright.

And in 2024, so not long ago, you released an irie instrumental showcase album—volumes one and two—with Mark Topsecret—that everyone—
Oh Mark—Mark, Mark.

—should go check [out].
I want to tell you ‘cause I don’t now—we don’t have anybody research in Jamaica like you people. No, because as I said, I repeat again, we don’t love reggae music.

In Jamaica?
No. We never love—really dem never love—the people—I mean you have people who love ska and reggae, but the entertainers dem I don’t think dem love reggae music. I don’t think they love it. They’re just hustlers. At that time. To me. Because you guys can tell everything about us. [But] if you ask anybody about Ansel Collins in Jamaica, they don’t know me, you know?

I hear what you’re saying.
You can ask about [The] Soul Syndicate. [And] they may know about Third World—[which] is still around.

You know there’s a saying, Ansel, I think it goes something like, “Sometimes a legend is not honored in his own country.”
No.

And so sometimes—I hear what you’re saying that the Jamaicans—especially the government—should be doing a better job to honor the careers of musicians—
No, no. Mi no want the government on this (laughing). We don’t need the government.

Yeah. Just the people.
The government [just wants] to make money. We just play music and love music. (Laughing) We don’t have to depend on the government. We just make music.

*Editorial Note: Ansel’s answer is a bit longer here, but was not fully transcribed. His whole answer can be heard in the audio file on YouTube; a link is provided at the bottom.

Now, Ansel, if you go on any streaming service like Amazon Music or any of these things that stream music, you’ll find some truly beautiful new singles that you have released in just the past year. I was listening to these earlier. Songs like “When I Need You,” “I Don’t Want to Be Hurt”—
“I Don’t Want to Be Hurt.” Yeah!

And the song “Tonight” which I love. And it goes: “Sugar lips. Sugar lips…” (Laughing)
Some of those songs, my mother write them for me.

A: Your mother wrote them!? Ah.
Yeah, my mother. She was into the song business. “I Don’t Want to Be Hurt.” “I Don’t Want to Be Hurt.” I record that song a couple of times, you know?

That song is awesome.
The songs that my mother wrote and [gave] to me [became] big tunes, man, you wouldn’t believe it. Dem still play.

And there’s a song called “My Queen.” And everyone—all these songs—people should go check out these sizzling hot, recent, Ansel Collins tunes. Ansel, it’s been such a blessing and honor and joy speaking with you today. I want to let you know that I’m gonna be in touch with you in the near future about any possible clarifications from this interview. I’m gonna look up some of these songs that you mentioned that I didn’t even know about. And I’ll want to check with you on the spellings of certain peoples’ names and other things like that just to make sure everything is—
Okay.

Yeah. Just to make sure everything is as accurate as possible. But I want to tell you, this has truly been a wonderful reasoning with you. And it’s just so nice to talk to a foundational legend like yourself. Somebody who—you made so much music, Ansel, that’s made so many people—including myself—happy. And very joyful. All over the world. And I want to end our reasoning today, by offering you not only my profound thanks, but I also want to ask you if you want to send a message to all your many, many fans, Ansel, worldwide. And including—if you want to tell them—what they should look out for from you in the future and your musical plans?
You know, big up [The] Soul Syndicate band. Even though dem—The Soul Syndicate [is] wrong between Santa and Fully. Dem have it wrong. And Tony. But ‘nuff respect to them because they are good musicians and I big dem up. Mi love them. My brethren dem. Dem [are] good musicians, and [that] me can’t take away from them. I don’t grudge people. Fully is a good bass man, because Fully played [on] so much big tunes. I love them tunes there! And [he’s] a good bass player. But dem need to give me a chance with “Stalag 17,” man. Because “Stalag 17,” is me [who] create the tune. But I love them. And big them up! And keep up the good work. And big up mi fans all over the place! And big up the whole world who love[s] Ansel Collins. But there’s one thing I noticed, you see the producers them, them don’t book instrumental artists to come out [and play in] America. Dem book B.B. King. But the promoters dem don’t book the keyboard players dem [and the other members] of the band.

Yeah.
They need to do that.

They need to do it. I hope they’re listening. I really hope they’re listening, Ansel.
In America right now, Dave [Barker] [did] some shows over there, but dem need to have Ansel Collins out there, too.

They do. And you know, Ansel, if you ever come perform anywhere where I can travel to, you know I’ll be the first guy in the first row—
(Laughing)

I’ll have both my hands up [and] I’ll be bopping to the beat. So I just want to send you all the [love] and respect, Ansel. And I’ll be in touch with you soon. Thank you so much, my friend, for this reasoning.
Yeah man. Give thanks. Cool.

Ansel, you have a good night. Give thanks to you, too, and much blessings and respect.