I got an invitation to speak to one Tony Roy, while I was in the middle of one “big helleva” news – the announcement of Grammy Consideration. And, if you have even a pinch of music interest you could not, in your right mind, leave that behind. It would be like a dog leaving a butcher’s freshly-cut steak bone which fell virtually in his doggy mouth.

But, somehow, what struck me about the invitation is that Tony Roy, born Fitzroy Gordon supposedly wrote and released a GREAT song called ‘Bad Boy Johnny.’ The song produced by Fitzroy is on his owned Whylas Records imprint.

“Wow! I said in awe, there goes another fascinating story. And, it did turn out to be just that, in more ways than one. ‘Bad Boy Johnny’ does sound like another perfect title for a movie script. And, I can assure you, this story could be a bestseller.

“Good Day, heard you had a wonderful story?”

“It’s rather a song, a song about ‘Bad Boy Johnny’… everyone keeps telling me this is my real goldmine. Yes, they do, so what do you think?”

I was fascinated to say the least. People keep coming up with the same belief, even when that goldmine turns out to be an empty Spanish Jar with a few rusty pennies. But, this one had me glued to his conversation; it had substance.

“So, who was Bad Boy Johnny?” “My schoolmate and he was a pretty bad boy.” “You mean ugly bad boy? There is nothing pretty about Johnny,” I said jokingly. “Well, I agree with you one hundred percent, except that one of his sisters was quiet and loving, unlike her brother Johnny.”

Tony was obviously getting excited and I was fearful he would lead me off my track.

“But, did you know not all bad apples come from the same tree,” I interrupted. Then I immediately remembered the Jackson’s Five song, “one bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch girl…”

Realizing I might fall into his same trap of youthful exuberance, I quickly steered my mind back to Bad Boy Johnny’s hot story.

He was the typical boy who got and did everything wrong at school; rude, disrespectful, and obviously feared, According to Tony.

“We lived in the same Seaforth St. Thomas community and attended the same primary school right there in the town. Two of my friends were Johnny’s best friends, so I could tell a lot about Johnny.”

I also learnt Johnny was one of five children, his mother was a housewife, his father a butcher, and a student who usually believed that when his father died he would become a rolling calf. People would say they encountered a rolling calf at night and that became a popular bedtime story. Other people claimed it was all made up to get children off to bed early.

Tony was a real storyteller. He reminded me of Jamaica’s Miss Lou (Louise Bennett-Coverley), the folklorist, who had a Saturday morning television show for kids called Ring Ding.

“Johnny took one book rolled into his back pocket to school and there was no ticky or stars to be found on any of those pages.”

Tony Roy – Bad Boy Johnny

“We used to get sweets too but Johnny never got any. He didn’t do any homework or schoolwork. And, in those days teachers could beat children. Not now, when students are bold enough to bring their parents, or bad man friends to threaten principal and teachers, ” he mused.

This was nothing to laugh about and I listened to more.

“We played marbles during school breaks, but Bad Boy Johnny did not take lightly losing. He would never give up his last marble. And, would even bully us to give up ours. He had this mean, grimy look on his face that could scare even the dead; everyone seemed to fear him.”

I tried to imagine Bad Boy Johnny left at home with his siblings and having had his plate of food, demanding each of them to give him a portion.

“Bad Boy Johnny had a stern father. He was a butcher and when he caught Johnny he would tie him to a big sowersop tree which was close to the road where everyone could see him struggling to get Johnny firmly tied. And, he would beat Johnny so badly that we would beg for him. But, as soon as Johnny was freed, the more he did wrongs, stealing and bullying.”

“Bad Boy Johnny never graduated from Primary school. He left when he was about eleven years old. My friends and I moved on to secondary or high school. I went to Seaforth High School. We had great dreams. I wanted to be a fireman because I was fascinated about solving problems and saving lives.”

“But, what finally happened to Bad Boy Johnny?” I asked concerningly.

“Johnny started to rob people in the community. He started with a long blade knife about this length (using his arm to show the extent), and he disguised himself by tying a black handkerchief over his face.

“I even heard Johnny had a gun, as a teenager, but I had never seen that gun.”

I knew something bad was in the making and I could hear it as the tone in Tony’s voice began to crack, slowly. I too was feeling the same pain. And, it wasn’t before long he blew the whistle.

“Bad Boy Johnny life’s came to an ugly end. He reportedly confronted the police while on a robbery spree and was shot dead. The police reportedly removed the gun he had in his possession.”

“Did you go to his funeral?” He stuttered for a moment and I knew what that meant, so I went for the other question. “So, what lessons have you learnt from this story which you have documented in your BIG song Bad Boy Johnny?”

“Sir, there is a lot of Bad Boy Johnnys everywhere in this world. My Bad Boy Johnny was from Jamaica, but there are Bad Boy Johnnys everywhere, even in some homes.”

“So, I would like this song to remind others that we need to ensure that we do not have too many Bad Boy Johnnys in society, or none.”

“Parents, the school, and communities need to ensure that they play a part in the lives of our children, especially our boys who are vulnerable and could end up like Bad Boy Johnny. And, to our youths, my word is, to find the friends who can motivate you in the right direction. So, instead of becoming another sad story, like Johnny, people will remember you as a positive role model, changing lives for the better.”

Oops! I totally forgot that the interview was about Tony Roy the entertainer. I must confess I went off track without realizing it. It is a case of youthful exuberance? Not at all, the world needs to hear Tony Roy’s story.

Stay tuned for Part Two. The final, only in the number one pure class magazine, Reggae-Vibes.

(Photo contributed)