GARFIELD BLACKMAN

 

LOVE FATHER, LOVE SON: OC REFLECTS ON RAS SHORTY I

 

By Debbie Jacob

Express

Section 2

July 19, 2000

Pages 12 & 13

 

He accomplished the unthinkable; becoming an overnight success for nothing more than a beer commercial when he sang "Move on".  His perfectly styled, shoulder-length dreadlocks bounced merrily and his deep, husky voice conjured up images f his father's early sexy soca days.

 

But no amount of charisma; no promise of the possibility of fame could ease the pain Dereck OC Blackman was fighting when he first ventured into show business on his own terms.

 

His father, Ras Shorty I, was upset about his son's personal and musical direction and the fact that Dereck and brother Haile had broken away from the family's band, The Love Circle.  The boys were starting their own band, Upstream.  It was a perfect reflection of their lives.

 

Last Wednesday night, when Dereck Blackman received the news of his father's death, he reflected on his own life with a musical icon, a man who is credited with "inventing" two forms of music; soca and jamoo.

 

"I was part of both of my father's lives," said Dereck from his home in Los Angeles, "and for me it was two extremes.  He never seemed to be there in the beginning of my life and then he was there all the time, right there in our face."

 

Growing up with Ras Shorty I was not easy, Dereck said, and there were many quarrels about differing opinions.  "But I admire him.  I admire his strength whether he was right or wrong.  I couldn't do what he did, give it all up; turn a new direction like he did.  Few people could.  He was an extraordinary person and I'm glad to be part of his stay on Earth.

 

It was around Easter 1978 when Shorty moved his family to Piparo.  Dereck still remembers the glamour and the glitz before his father's drastic decision.  "He smoked a lot of ganja.  He and my mom (Claudette) argued sometimes for weeks non-stop.  It was hard."

 

And he remembers his father's sudden decision to abandon his flamboyant image and make a new life in Piparo where a friend had offered him a piece of land.

 

"He took us out of school and moved us to a jungle with bugs and mosquitoes no electricity.  It wasn't easy."

 

Shorty's so-called fans were extremely cruel.

 

"People thought he was crazy.  They used to come and say my father had a daughter with my sister and we all have maggots in our hair.  When I walked down the street, people used to spit on me."

 

But this, Dereck says, seemed to strengthen his father's convictions to stay.  Gradually, Dereck began to reluctantly adapt to his father's new way of life.

 

The happiest years of Dereck's life were from 1983 to 1986.  "We were together as a family and playing.  It was an intense vibe.  I remember one night in Sparrow's Hideaway it was so packed.  I played bass.  I was backing my dad up."  It was even better than the moments alone when Abbi sang "I'm Young and Moving On" and Dereck, at age ten sang "Don't Stop Dancing".

 

Dereck was beginning to see what kept his parents together through thick and thin.  "I've never seen two people love each other so much.  I mean, she followed him to the jungle.  She's an extraordinary woman, like superwoman."

 

In 1987, Dereck decided to leave.  "My father was upset.  He disowned me and it took a while to work through that cloud of tension.  We'd see each other, hug, but I avoided him.  I didn't want to hear what he had to say."

 

Three years ago, Dereck said he wrote his father a detailed letter dealing with all the issues he kept inside.  "I got it out of my system.  I had to do it.  Every night I dreamed of us fighting.  One night, I dreamed I killed him.  It was totally killing me inside.  I never dealt with my father on a one-to-one basis.  I'm glad I finally did.  Now I don't feel lost.  I feel calm."

 

Last Easter, OC decided to come to visit his dad.  His brothers Gary and Daniel, who are based in Malaysia, were able to come when their gig in India was cut short.  Shawn, who plays with Panazz, also managed to come.

 

The entire Blackman clan was together for the first time in ten years.  They were shocked at their father's health and Dereck suspected he might not see his father again.

 

Now, Dereck remembers his father's trip to Los Angeles two years ago.

 

Shorty wore his white toga and shoes and seemed to fit right into Los Angeles.  "He saw us perform," says Dereck.  "He came on stage and sang 'Fugitive' with us.  Afterwards, he told us he was pleased with the performance.  That meant a lot to us because he never sugar-coated anything."

 

"He told us he was proud of our achievements."

 

There is no doubt, Dereck says, that his father was a man beyond his time; beyond his environment.

 

"He had his faults because he's a man.  But I know," Dereck says, "that if any one's going to heaven, it will be Ras Shorty I.

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