KINGSTON, Jamaica – In November, 2015, Jamaican radio legend Barry “Barry G” Gordon and his British counterpart David Rodigan celebrated the 30th anniversary of their music clash at Empire Roller Rink in Brooklyn, New York. They did so with another friendly standoff at Resort World Casino in Queens.
Like the first event, the venue was packed and patrons rocked to the best in dancehall-reggae. For Rodigan, his clashes with Barry G, who died in Jamaica on October 29, were memorable.
“I believe what made the clashes so special was our mutual respect for each other and pride in the power and influence of Jamaican music,” he told South Florida Caribbean News.
Barry G, who dominated Jamaican radio in the 1980s, reportedly died from pneumonia at age 70 in Westmoreland. He embraced dancehall music when conservative radio rejected it. This made him the most popular DJ in Jamaica.
At that time, he hosted the 2 To 6 Supermix on the state-owned Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). Barry G moved to the rival Radio Jamaica in 1987. He then went to several smaller stations, before making a massive comeback with the Montego Bay-based Mello FM in 2010.
The 74 year-old Rodigan currently hosts a weekly programme on BBC Radio 1Xtra. He and Barry G shared an unbreakable bond.
“I had the good fortune to work with him in the mid-1980s and from then on we became very close friends; his wit and repartee was quite unique and broadcasting alongside him, for all those radio clashes, was without doubt one of the great highlights of my career,” said Rodigan.
