Description
Wayne McGhie, the Jamaican-born singer-songwriter signed with Axe Records producer Greg Hambleton in 1972 and, with former members of the Hitchhikers, recorded several tracks including “Love Is The Answer” and “The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)” at Toronto Sound Studios with engineer Terry Brown. “Love Is The Answer”, and the instrumental ‘B’ side, was released later that year as a 45rpm single under the artist name RAM on Greg’s Tuesday label. “The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)” recorded by Wayne at the same session was never released as a single. This long-lost track is now available here for the first time.
In the 1970’s, Toronto was home to any number of top-notch Jamaican musicians, and Wayne McGhie became a sought-after songwriter, penning tracks for Jo Jo Bennett’s combo Jo-Jo & the Fugitives (“Chips-Chicken-Banana Split”) and the Hitchhikers (“Mr. Fortune”); he also befriended Jackie Mittoo, the keyboard virtuoso who co-founded the Skatalites before serving as musical director of the famed Studio One.
Mittoo helped oversee the 1969 sessions at executive producer Art Snider’s Sound Canada Recording Center that would yield McGhie’s debut LP: “Wayne McGhie & the Sounds of Joy” (re-issued in 2004 by Light In The Attic). Recorded with a dozen credited musicians including Alton Ellis, Jo Jo Bennett (Toronto’s Sattalites), Everton Paul and Lloyd Delpratt, the album essentially created Canadian funk — expertly fusing reggae, jazz and R&B.
But as the ’70s came to a close, Wayne abandoned his music career and disappeared from the music world. Years later, his sister Merline tracked him down and took him in. Now, more than three decades later and shortly before his death in 2017, Wayne’s talent has been re-discovered and his songs and musicianship are finally receiving the attention they deserved.
Credits
Musicians: Wayne McGhie, Wallace Blair, Roland Desilers, Marcel Loiselle & Earl Heedram
Produced by Greg Hambleton
Engineers: Terry Brown
Mix Engineer: Bob Liftin
Publisher: Belsize Park Music
ⓟ & © 2016 Greg Hambleton
Axe Records A120
