Barnes Brothers Donate Records to Jamaica Music Archives

Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports(MICYS), the Hon. Olivia Grange, today (February 23) received the first instalment of a donation of records from Jamaican-born broadcasters, Jeff, Winston and Ed Barnes, to the Jamaica Music Archives, Spanish Town, St. Catherine.
The symbolic handing over of eight of the records from their vast collection, including four albums and four 45s, took place in the Press Room at the Office of the Prime Minister, Jamaica House.
They are among an initial batch of some 3000 albums and 45s which the Barnes brothers will donate to the Archives tomorrow, covering music from the Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae periods to the present.
Miss Grange said that the records will be used to rebuild the music archives, as well as replace some of the items which were stolen from the radio archives of the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation’s(JBC) collection, just over one year ago. Those items spanned the genres of Jamaican music over many decades.
“On behalf of the Government and the people of Jamaica, I can say thanks to these brothers who have stepped up to the plate and have decided that they are going to hand over these valuable records from the collections that they have built up over the years to us, so that we can rebuild the archives,” she said.
Minister Grange said that the material will be preserved, secured and made accessible to students, composers, performers and all who wish to draw on the information.
“We have a rich culture and a rich heritage of which we should be proud, and we are certainly very proud today of the Barnes brothers,” she added.
The Barnes brothers, include: oldest brother, Jeff, who started at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation(JBC) in 1964 and later emigrated to New York where he pioneered Jamaican radio in that city; younger brother, Winston, who hosts the “Open Mic” talk show on Radio WAVS 1170 a.m. and is a Commissioner in Miramar, Florida; and Ed, who is a popular radio sports personality in the Caribbean community in the United States.
Miss Grange noted that, as the country celebrates Reggae Month, her ministry is ensuring that the right foundations are laid and consolidated, to assist the younger generation to understand the past and be able to better understand the future.
The eldest of the siblings, Jeff Barnes, in his remarks noted that the collection will help to tell the history of the Jamaican music.
Youngest brother, sportscaster, Ed Barnes, said that it was a pleasure to be involved.
“It is important that we put back in place some of that which went missing from the JBC as our history is so important, so that youngsters will know about yesteryear,” he said.
Entertainment and Copyright Specialist at MICYS, Joan Elizabeth Webley, said that steps were being taken to ensure that the material was properly restored and stored.
“One of the initiatives that we will be exploring is having the material posted on a website, where international parties may be allowed to access and can buy the rights to use it,” she said.
“This will all be in a controlled and properly monitored situation, so that while the material is being exploited, it is done so for the benefit of the Jamaican people so that we can properly monitor and regulate how our legacy is being used in the future,” she argued.