reggae`s top ranking selector

SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2015 T H E V O I C E 25
Music
REGGAE’S
TOP
RANKING
SELECTOR
Award-winning DJ Rankin Merva on establishing herself in a male dominated field
You’ve said you’d love
to receive an MBE from
the Queen. Why is that
important to you?
As the first British female
reggae DJ/presenter, who has
taken my musical career from
Kingston, Jamaica and established myself in the UK since
1991, I feel I have achieved so
much in the entertainment
business. I believe it is time for
a black woman to be recognised, as it is always the male
DJs/presenters who gain
recognition.
REWIND MY SELECTOR:
Ranking Merva and inset right,
the DJ in her earlier years
let me play only when the
venue was almost empty. I just
kept telling myself: ‘Don’t
worry, one day you will make it’
– and here I am.
How do you describe
your Roots FM show?
My Sunday show is called
Memory Lane Show and it’s a
relaxing segment for our more
mature listeners; mums and
dads who are retired and perhaps don’t go out much anymore. I bring back the memories for them to hear.
BY DAVINA HAMILTON
A
MUSIC industry
stalwart, Rankin
Merva has
enjoyed a successful career as
a reggae DJ for over two
decades. Born in London, the
skilled selector moved to
Jamaica with her mother as a
child. It was there that she got
her introduction to the world of
reggae music, when she was
taken under the wing of reggae
producer Dr Hawkeye, who
took the budding DJ to various
studios, allowing her to see
how records were created.
Upon returning to the UK in
1986, Merva went on to enter a
revival clash at Tudor Rose
nightclub in Southall, arranged
by renowned DJ Daddy Ernie in
1991. After wowing the crowd
with her skills and musical
knowledge, she soon established herself as a DJ to be
reckoned with and in 2013, she
received the award for Best
Female Community Radio DJ at
the British Reggae Industry
Awards.
Today, Merva can be heard
on Roots FM, where she spins
the sounds of yesteryear on
her Sunday show, aptly named
Memory Lane.
Here, the DJ born Merva
Montague, talks about facing
resistance from her male counterparts in her early years, and
her desire to receive an MBE
from the Queen.
What originally inspired
your love of music?
Living in Kingston, Jamaica, I
was always surrounded by
music of all genres. My father’s
house was the main headquar-
ters for the exportation of prerelease reggae records and it
became the ‘front line’ of the
community. Everyone associated with reggae music came
to spend time there and network with other artists.
We used to travel to various
record distributors such as
Dynamics, Sonic Sound and
Tuff Gong, to name a few, to
buy pre-release records, which
would be packed on a Friday
and sent by cargo Air Jamaica
worldwide.
“I remember
playing at
parties and
some of the
male DJs didn’t want to
play on the
same bill
as me”
T e l l u s a b o u t y o u r j o u rney to become a DJ
One of my most inspirational
supporters was reggae producer and event promoter Dr
Hawkeye. I had the opportunity
to visit various recording studios alongside Dr Hawkeye
and met some of Jamaica’s
top musicians to see how
records were created.
I was always inspired by
watching the male selectors
playing records and one day I
decided to approach Senior
Daley of Klassique Disco, and
told him I was interested in
becoming a female selector. I
must admit, he did smile, but
he wasted no time in assisting
me. I met up with him where he
played every Wednesday and
watched how he worked the
crowd; picking up tips to perfect my craft.
Senior Daley gave me my
first lessons in selecting and
after that, I became his warmup presenter – playing records
from his box.
How did you get the
name Rankin Merva?
Actually, my original name
was Merva. ‘Rankin’ was given
to me by Dr Hawkeye. At the
time, everyone had a pet name
and in those days, as a
woman, you had to stand out,
so the name stuck.
What do you consider to
be your ‘big break’ into
the industry?
When I entered a revival
clash arranged by reggae DJ
Daddy Ernie in 1991. I was the
only female DJ amongst some
of the top British DJs. I won the
heat and played a specific
record – Burial by Peter Tosh,
on the original label – after
which the compliments came.
When you can play a record on
the original label, people know
you know your music.
In your early years, did
you find it hard to earn
r e s p e c t a s a D J i n c o mparison to your male
counterparts?
Yes, very hard. I remember
playing at parties and some of
the male DJs didn’t want to
play on the same bill as me. I
would get comments like
‘bwoy, this woman ting, I can’t
deal with it’.
Other times, whenever it was
my turn to play, I would be told
by some of the male DJ’s that
it wasn’t my turn. They would
What is your proudest
achievement to date?
Winning the award for Best
Female Community Radio DJ
at the 2013 British Reggae
Industry Awards. It showed that
all the hard work and late
nights were not in vain.
How would you like to
see British reggae
develop?
In the UK, we have the
opportunity to use technology
and skills to raise the profile of
British reggae music. For too
long others have taken and
benefited from our music and it
is time we began promoting
our own. My vision is not just to
ensure my individual promotion
but to encourage everyone
around the world to get up and
fight the good fight to get reggae talked about more, listened to more, promoted more
and to ensure it goes from
strength to strength.
Anything else you care
to add?
I would like to encourage all
women in the industry to keep
up the work and continue to
show the power and skills we
have. I would also like to thank
everyone who has supported
me over the past 23 years, particularly Robert Quaye, Joye
Taylor, Angie Greaves, Pat
Bryan, Daddy Ernie, David
Rodigan, Danroj and management of Roots FM and RJR
community radio station. Also,
many thanks to my family for
their support and to the Almighty
for giving me a great talent.
Catch Rankin Merva’s show
Memory Lane on Roots FM,
every Sunday from 4-6pm. Visit
www.ukrootsfm.com