Interview with Aura Msimang

Aura Msimang is the vocalist who perfomed with Bob Marley on the first take of Punky Reggae Party, in july 1977, with Candy McKenzie and members of Aswad and Third World. Born in South Africa, the daughter of political revolutionaries, Aura lived most of her life abroad in exile. Before settling in France, in 1987, she accompanied Jimmy Cliff in his “African and European Tours”, and took part in the film “Bongo Man” in 1980. In 1981, she accompanied Cedella Booker and The Wailers for the concert in homage to Bob Marley. She actually defends the cause of the Black Woman, creating ISIS-FAMA (African Women in the World of the Arts). Her first album was Full Experience produced by Lee Scratch Perry in 1977; her latest album is Itshe produced by Jean Paul Dispaux. Itshe is a musical voyage: memories of South African townships in the 50s, of Jamaica, NYC, Paris: an album decidedly “Roots” mixing South African folk songs with reggae and funk, but with no drums, just percusions. Now Aura lives in Africa. I had the opportunity and the honour to contact her via mail: she is a very reserved person and it has been difficult for me to interview her; but she is also very devoted to Bob Marley so she accepted to give me her memories about Bob. This is her letter.

Dear Marco, your questions brought back so many memories, especially of the ‘Punky session’ (May He rest in peace) – Aura writes – Punky Reggae party was one of those independent recordings that Bob occasionally took part in, outside of his Island/Wailers productions. Lee Perry was also working on the Clash s recording at the time and I guess the inspiration for the above mentioned song came from that experience. I had just finished a West Afrikan tour with Jimmy Cliff and Oneness as a backup vocalist, and we had stopped of in London on route to Kingston. Jimmy was preparing for his Bongo Man recording sessions, and he wanted to go and speak to a musician at Island Records. I decided to go with him as I wanted to see the famous Island Records studios.

We walked in, and there was Scratch asking Jimmy if he knew any singer they could call, as he was in studio and they needed another voice. Jimmy introduced me and said here she is. I didn’t know Scratch so I did not know who he was working with, so imagine my shock when I walk in the studio and Bob’ s sitting there. I knew him and he knew that my greatest dream was to one day work with him. So just like that my dream came true and he just smiled. I met Candy (the other Choriste) and the session musicians were members of Aswad and some Third World musicians, it was one of the most memorable studio sessions I’ve ever done and one I’ll always remember. We had a fantastic 4 days in studio with a lot of after work partying. Some of which included going with Scratch to his sessions with the Clash. Scratch and Bob had grown up together in the music runnings in Kingston and so they knew each other and the original Wailers Bunny, Peter and Bob had even recorded in Scratch’s now mythical Black Ark Studios. Most people even say that the Wailers’ sound in the Catch a Fire album was a B.A.S. sound of the late 60′s. So I would say the knew and respected each other as friends and brothers in Rastafari.

The memory I cherish the most, was the time I got to spend alone with Bob and his body guard during the time in London, listening to the music we had been doing with Scratch, and him discussing his plans for the future as he was excited about his Tuff Gong Production Company. We spent two weeks of fun and music in London.

I met Bob for the first time in New York city in 1973, when he was on tour with the original Wailers, on the Catch a Fire album tour. Then later when I went to Kingston and was enrolled in the Jamaica School of the Arts. I was the first dreadlocked Afrikan women Jamaicans had ever seen, and being an artist and from South Afrika, meant that I got to meet all kinds of people and had to perform and give talks about my country. So of course we would sometimes hang out at Tuff Gong on Hope Road (as Bob used to stay there) and chill with the bredren, or watch them play football. I had a lot of love and respect for Bob. He was a very generous person with his time, money and energy, as there were always so many people hanging around his house. I use to ask him when he would take time of for himself, it was just too much sometimes. I thought that some took advantage of things, but must also say that I don’t think he would let anyone go too far. Bob was a friend and we use to hang out sometimes in Jamaica or Florida with mutuals. I had met Bob’s mother Ma Cedella Booker, in Miami, where she lived in the house Bob had bought her. This is also where he would stay whenever he was in town. She was working on her solo album at the time, and she asked me to do the vocal arrangements. This was one of the first projects that Bob was going to do at the Tuff Gong studios and we were all very excited about it all. Unfortunately Bob was very ill at that time also and was preparing the 1980 tour which was worrying, but he wanted to hear only positive stuff around him so that’s how it was. The album Cedella Booker’ Redemption Song is the album, was only finished after Bob had passed on, and by then I was sidelined so I did very little on it. We were at Ma Cedella’s house waiting for her on Mother’s day, with roses all over the place, (the day Bob was flown back from Germany), to try to cheer her up, because she was so down about her Baby. Only to hear that he’d passed that morning, the beginning of the end!!!

The next most precious memory for me was the chance to sing with Ma Booker at Bob’s funeral in Montego Bay, St Annes, before the long funeral drive that went through most of Jamaica. I hope this answers all you would have liked to know, and I would like to thank you all for keeping His memory alive. I don’t usually talk much about my friendship with Bob, as he’s not around anymore and I don’t want to give the wrong impression. So please respect that, as it is just a private relationship and I don’t intend to capitalize on it, which is why it took so long for me to decide to answer all your questions. So until the next time, all the best to you and yours. Sincerely Aura.

Aura Msimang Berton, Yeoville, 29th September 2003
Please, visit her web site at http://www.idestnet.com/aura_m4/langue/fs_langue.htm you can order her latest Cd at http://www.amazon.com/

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