by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – AS a youth in the gritty Kingston community of Waterhouse, Trevor Castell grew up with a number of reggae singers who would become stars. They included Michael Rose of Black Uhuru, Junior Reid, Don Carlos and Hugh Mundell.
None had a greater impact on him than his brother, Lacksley Castell, who died in 1983 at age 24. He pays tribute to him on The Castell Brothers, an EP containing six covers of Lacksley’s songs.
The EP was released in March.
Based in South Florida, Castell has had the project in the pipeline for several years. Because he wanted to do Lacksley’s legacy justice, he delayed a release until he was certain things were right.
“It is important to get it out because people asking me what’s up with the album,” Castell explained, adding that he “spiced up the songs a bit” to make give the songs a contemporary feel.
Those songs include Black Sheep, Raggy Road and Leaving which Lacksley originally recorded for the Negus Roots label from Waterhouse.
Two years younger than Lacksley, Trevor began his recording career in the early 1980s with famed producer Bunny Lee. He also cut songs like Gypsy Lady and Mr. Carpenter Man for singer/producer Sugar Minott, as well as a spattering of singles for other producers.
According to Castell, “I was doing fine; just didn’t have honest people around me.”
With The Castell Brothers, he gets an opportunity to finally introduce Lacksley’s music to a generation that knows little about an artist who showed great promise before his untimely death.
“Me an’ him used to do everything together as bredda an’ bredrin. Dis is something I always wanted to do an’ it finally happen,” said Trevor.
