by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – An elder of the South Florida sound system circuit, Andre “King Waggy Tee” Chue Sang has entertained dancehall/reggae fans since the late 1970s. On April 29, he celebrates 45 years behind the turntables at Backyard, located on West Broward Boulevard.
A number of guests, including sound system colleagues and artists, are confirmed for the gig which the guest of honor promises will have “total niceness and good entertainment.”
“We have close family on the event (such as) Eccentric Sound (Scotch Bonnet and DJ Keem). Scotch formerly was on my ‘sound’ Waggy Tee Movement and he branched out and joined Eccentric. We got Supa Twitch (Supa Sound)… bredrin fi life. First meet up in early ’90s when he was on Afrique Sound from New York,” Waggy Tee disclosed. “Waggy Tee Movement, the young ones on the sound, will all bring their energy and good vibes to the table. I will be doing a set playing all my anthems and more for my fans and peers..Surprise guests and artists will forward and support the years I have put in the business.”
Those years in the business officially started in 1979, shortly after Waggy Tee moved with his family to Miami. His first job was with Mystic Zone Disco owned by fellow Jamaican, Brian Yap Sam. That was followed by stints with Medusa Disco, Cosmic Force Disco and Soul Searchers Disco.
By the time he played his first major show with a Jamaican sound system (Stone Love) in 1990 at Club Strawberries in Hialeah, the name Waggy Tee, dancehall and reggae were synonymous in South Florida.
His influence as a sound system selector and Disc Jockey on WEDR 99 Jamz as host of The Bashment Explosion With King Waggy Tee has helped expose dancehall culture.
Through those mediums, he helped break a number of songs such as Romie by Beenie Man, Everyone Falls in Love from Tanto Metro and Devonte, Gimmie The Light (Sean Paul), No Letting Go (Wayne Wonder) and Ghetto Story by Cham.
With South Florida’s Jamaican population growing significantly in the past 30 years, the region’s dancehall/reggae scene has followed suit. That surge has impacted the sound system as well.
“A lot of sound system selectors relocate to South Florida from Jamaica to New York. It’s kind of more sellers than buyers now. Back in the day, three major dance events could keep (in the) north and south and all would be ram packed. Now, usually one will get the massive turnout which usually will be a name brand event and the six other events will maybe have an okay attendance,” he said.
