IN FINE STYLE: THE DANCEHALL ART OF WILFRED LIMONIOUS, a conversation with author Christopher Bateman and Chayne Japal (AUX.tv, Fader, Exclaim!) at TYPE Books, Friday September 9. See listing.
Reggae caught on early in Toronto. By the 1970s, Jamaican culture had established a secure foothold in the city and continued to grow and spread. Toronto became a hub – an access point where Jamaican culture was sought and found.
It’s no accident that it was here, then, that Chris Bateman first caught sight of an album cover drawn by Jamaican cartoonist and illustrator Wilfred Limonious. Visiting in 2003 from Edmonton, Chris dropped into S&W Soul King (which is now closed), a popular stop for reggae discs on the St. Clair West strip. Browsing the shelves, his attention was drawn to producer Winston Riley’s various artists LP Stalag 17, 18 and 19.
Depicted in bold colors and fine lines, a sound system is playing in a prison yard, its 10-foot high speakers in the corners, while the inmates and female guards are cavorting to the rhythm. Even the rats are rubbing up in close embrace. This captivating material sparked the journey that lead Chris to spend a summer in Jamaica and eventually move to Toronto (from Edmonton) in search of information on the elusive Limonious.
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Limonious had been working as a cartoonist for the local newspapers in Jamaica when he was drafted to illustrate album covers for Jamaican reggae distributor Sonic Sounds. His drawings appealed to boss Neville Lee because they were so uniquely Jamaican. Part political cartoon, part dancehall poster (as seen plastered on Kingston light posts and zinc fences), the illustrations gave the enclosed recordings a stamp of authenticity.
A Limonious original album cover told the world that this was no UK import, no major label American imitation. This was real hard core dancehall, straight from ‘yard.’ Limonious’s humorous and iconic work became so popular, and his style so widely imitated, it became the standard by which to judge all future dancehall album covers. Yet, as Chris soon discovered, no one knew anything about him.
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Toronto became Chris’s prime resource in the pursuit. Access to record stores to collect material was crucial. Toronto, despite the demise of many of the best outlets in this cloud- streaming era, still featured several good resources for discs, including local producer King Culture who helped Chris locate many of the covers that appear in this book – crucial work.
Here, Chris was able to make contact with Limonious’s brother who was in town for a stop-over (this would never have happened in Edmonton). And, this is where I came into the picture. Chris, who had read my books on reggae, contacted me on arriving in Toronto and grilled me for contacts and information (and, ultimately, offering me the great privilege of writing the introduction to In Fine Style.)
Even as they depict daily life in Jamaica (we find the higglers selling their wares, the rastas zipping by on motorcycles, the young lovers entwined on the dance floor, the deejays toasting, the rude boys hanging out on the corner, the stray goats….), Limonious’s illustrations embody the essence of the dancehall aesthetic, the frenetic energy, the humour, the exuberance. Through those 12-inch square canvases, we can experience the vibrant sound system culture that was taking hold in 1980s Jamaica following the death of Bob Marley and the decline of the Rastafarian influence in reggae, a culture that is now making inroads into the North American mainstream (witness the new movie opening at TIFF, King Of Dancehall, starring Nick Canon and Whoopi Goldberg).
Album covers make great pop art and Limonious’s work is as entertaining as it is enlightening. Like the music, the art is to be enjoyed and, like dancehall music, the energy and vitality is infectious.
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Beth Lesser is a Toronto-based reggae writer and photographer.
website@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto
