Island And Holiday - In The Summertime (Love Of The Common People) / Living
INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEW WITH DAVIDE ROMANI:
You are a self-taught musician. Where did that passion come from?
Already at a young age I came in contact with music. I had the opportunity to accompany my older brother who used to perform at dance halls with his band. Subsequently I began to play the flute and the organ in a group. At the age of fifteen after an audition with Pier Giorgio Farina I found myself catapulted on one of the stages of the renowned Bologna Jazz Festival, where the greatest names in jazz history have performed: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, Herbie Hancock, Chet Baker, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, B.B. King,... After the organ I discovered the bass guitar. One night when I had to do a live gig with my group the bassist didn't show up and I took his bass guitar. This was the first time I played the instrument and I liked it. After that concert I took my friend's bass home and I continued playing and it went really well. That's how I picked up the bass.
How did you get involved with Goody Music Production?
Amongst musicians it was told that in Ferrara there was a young, quite good bass player: that was me. Singer Marzio Vincenzi got in touch with me and took me to Bologna where he introduced me to Petrus and Malavasi. I was only 19 years old then and I had never played disco music before. In the studio they asked me to play the bass parts of the song “I’m A Man”. I enjoyed the agressive sound of the disco music, it was a very fascinating experience. They liked my playing and I joined the musician staff of Goody Music Production and I developed my personal bass sound. I collaborated on many projects like Rudy, Change, B.B.&Q. Band, High Fashion et cetera. Mauro Malavasi also persuaded me to compose songs besides playing the bass guitar. So, in 1979 when ‘Il capo’ (the leader) Malavasi was in the U.S. preparing new projects with Fred, I started composing tracks. I had never written songs before but the results were positive. My first composition was the Change hit “A Lover’s Holiday”, my second “The Glow Of Love”, followed by “Starlette”, “Paradise”, “Hold Tight”, and so on…
Were you influenced by the seductive Chic sound?
I must admit that I was influenced by the sophisticated productions of Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards when I composed songs. Their innovative harmonic solutions in those days appealed me. Their work was incredibly infectious and musically rested upon a solid foundation of Nile's rhythm guitar and Bernard's bass playing. They redefined Disco music. After the success of the first Change record many artists and producers came to our studio to see us at work. One of those visitors was Nile Rodgers, this was a great pleasure for me. Even Disco producer Giorgio Moroder was impressed and he absolutely wanted me to record for him but unfortunately the musical association didn't happen because of the exclusive agreement with the Goody Music Orchestra of Fred Petrus.
How can you explain that an Italian is so good at making black dancemusic.
I have no explanation. I’m indeed a white man from a small city called Ferrara. But in my heart I’ve always favoured soul music and other styles related with black music. In Italian music the lyrics predominate over the music. To me music is all about the groove, the vibe. I have never bought any Italian record or CD unless for professional reasons. I feel like an American producer living in Italy, an exception among the Italian producers. Making R&B or soul influenced music has always given me most satisfaction in my musical career.
Could you give a definition of "a groove"? What is it to you?
Groove is a concept of music that becomes very intuitive to experienced musicians, yet is somewhat difficult to completely describe. Basically, every view of what a groove actually is boils down to the rhythmic feel or pattern of a song. Music is mathematics but if every musician would play perfectly there would be no groove. The groove is inside every quarter note’s feel and swing percentage and gives an emotion that the mathematics do not succeed to give. The groove is the emotion that one should seek within every touch. The quarter note is the foundation of the groove. For bass players it is the most important rhythmic subdivision by far, since quarter notes are what make up a walking bass line. A walking bass line is rhythmically very simple -deceptively simple- but like many things that seem simple, playing good quarter notes for a walking bass line is very challenging and it takes many years of playing to do it really well. Musicians often say that the bass line is the heartbeat of the band. Together with the drummer the bassist constitutes the foundation of a band. The bass player is one of the most important elements in the swing equation. If the rest of the band is swinging and the bass player isn’t, the band isn’t swinging. Instead, if most of the band is not quite swinging but the bass is swinging hard, the band is swinging. So, as bassists we have a lot of power over the groove factor and a lot of responsibility too.
During the early eighties you worked with a lot of accomplished American studio musicians like Kashif. Who made the biggest impression on you?
I had the opportunity and satisfaction to work with many American top musicians in New York. I can’t tell you who I preferred because there were too many talented people. But sure Kashif had a very unique musical touch and a very good taste.
What was the usual procedure when you recorded songs?
Before we entered the studio with the other musicians we knew what we wanted. We had the basic track worked out. Usually I prepared everything concerning the compositions and arrangements, except for the lead guitar because I can’t play the guitar, I’m a bass player. Generally the tracks were constructed in Italy. The vocals were recorded and mixed in the U.S.
In 1983 you and Mauro Malavasi broke with producer Jacques Fred Petrus. What happened and why did you never produce black music again in the U.S.?
There was definitely a conflict with Petrus. He didn’t pay me anymore in the end. Petrus was only thinking about making money without recognizing the value of my work. So I stopped the collaboration and continued my professional carreer in Italy where I was busy working with Italian artists. Of course I regretted the impossibility of going on making black music in the U.S.. Now I realize that I made a big mistake there.
After your bad experience with Fred Petrus, financially speaking, you worked again for him in 1985. Why?
Because I'm crazy. But the main reason why I hooked up with Petrus again were his exceptional capacities as a business man. He was the right man in Italy to give my music and creativity an international boost. Without him this would never have worked. Fred Petrus did have financial troubles but he was a good fellow after all. A careful and happy person I’d say.
What do you know about the tragic end of producer Jacques Fred Petrus?
Fred was shot dead at home in his native country Guadeloupe about 1987 I think. He was hit by eight bullets. I don't believe the Maffia connection. I think the serious troubles started when he went back to Guadeloupe.
What is your opinion about today’s black music and the frequent sampling of music?
Evidently the clock has turned full circle, in the sense that I’m not surprised that the musical trace I left behind has turned up again. My songs have been used by black superstars like Aretha Franklin, R. Kelly and Janet Jackson. For a songwriter this is the ultimate honour. But considering massive sampling in dancemusic today, I think we’re in the front of a new wave of young incompetent producers who don’t know much about making music, except reproducing. Modern sampling technology means that whole sections of old records are being filched wholesale to prop up artists whose talent is dubious. In order to have success you need to have new ideas. The capacity of making music is not enough. Occasionally, something interesting and original is achieved, but mostly the whole thing smacks of creative laziness and musical inexperience. However there are excellent groups with courage that I admire and respect, capable musicians who really perform their music. I think of Incognito, one of the best groups around in the last years. I also adore Latin and Brazilian music as well as acid-jazz and funk. I’m tired of listening to rap CDs only but often it’s the last resource for rhythm. Let’s say that I like the groove but not always the melody.
In 1983 the Italian group Flowchart meticulously cloned the Change sound on their much overlooked album The New Harlem Funk (a.k.a A Little Love A Little Wine). Can you appreciate this?
At many points the concept was indeed similar to Change. The music was recorded by an Italian musician crew at the Umbi Studios in Modena and the vocals were taped in New York with session singers. Among them Mic Murphy, who arranged record deals for Petrus in America. Michael also sang backgrounds on The Glow Of Love. Former Goody Music musician Lele Melotti played percussion. Vocal arranger Fonzi Thornton, who penned the lyrics for several Change songs, was engaged to do the same for the Flowchart project. I was involved in this project as a bass player under the pseudonym of Dav. Mandingos. Flowchart's guitarist and songwriter Romano Trevisani was a friend of mine. I still remember the bass lines I played. I can understand that it was very tempting for Italian producers to follow the successful music formula we had worked out.
Why did you have a pseudonym on the Flowchart album?
I couldn’t use my real name because I was exclusively engaged in Petrus’ company at that time. I was not allowed to play on any other productions but those associated with Jacques Fred Petrus. I think also Mauro Malavasi played keyboards on a Flowchart session but you won't find his name anywhere on the record, he too had contractual agreements with Little Macho Music.
Who are your favourite artists?
My first love was Stanley Clarke and I've always liked the music of Chick Corea. My all-time favourite group is Earth, Wind & Fire. A tremendous female singer is Rachelle Ferrell and very nice male voices are Luther Vandross and Michael Bolton. But also a lot of other artists, too many to express a special favourite. At this moment I’m mad about the funky music of the British group Jamiroquai!
Are you still playing funky music today?
I'm not so fond anymore of touring with different artists. I'm doing what I really like now. My passion is Mr. Groove, a music band I formed just for amusement. The group has eleven members among which three vocalists and three background singers. But the nucleus consists of Nicola Morali on piano, Luca Longhini on guitar, Pitona on drums, Annalisa Vassalli on lead vocals and me on bass. We play new-jazz, black music, lounge, music from the seventies and the eighties. And also tracks by Tower Of Power, D'Sound, Sting and Jamiroquai, one of my favourite artists. It’s really fun doing this. No stress!
Can we expect a new Change album in the future?
Yes that’s possible. I recorded several demo-tapes with new, unpublished material. But I’m still looking for the right lead vocalist.
What are the essential qualities needed to become a good producer and what is your message to all the talented people who want to start a music career?
We live in a very ambiguous world full of dishonest people. I advise musicians to persist, to write and compose songs. Playing music only is not enough unless you are a first class musician. It costs a lot of money to reach your goal but it’s possible in music. If you want to be a winner follow my advice.
Thanks for the interview!
Francis DEPUYDT (2001.12.15) (Translation: Bruna Stefani, Francis Depuydt)
INTERVIEW WITH JEFF BOVA:
During many years you were keyboard player with Change. Could you explain the production methods of Petrus & Malavasi?
The Italians produced, wrote and arranged. If they weren't the writers then they still arranged the songs. Fred would have already approved the song before it was being recorded. Mauro and Davide would lay down the groove first (drums, bass and synthesizer) and then would overdub. Each song would require different approaches but I know they had at least the song blocked out before recording. Mauro and Davide were very organized and precise in the studio. Terry Silverlight was the main drummer they used. He was a real tight player and funky too. After the basic was down, then other musicians - guitars, saxophone, horns, more keyboards etc. would be added. That's when I came in to play my parts. So I got to see how they developed arrangements from the rhythm section up. Mauro and Davide were a big influence on me. There was however a difference with the recording process today. This era was pre-computers and -sequencers, so a lot of time was taken to make sure every player’s part was locked tight to the groove. One way was to slow down the tape and play the part at a slower tempo, then speed back up to normal afterwards. Finally the backing vocals and the leads were recorded and mixed.
Why were the vocal parts always recorded separately. Isn’t it easier to record music with singers in the studio?
It is standard practice to lay down the track first in this kind of music. Since it was very groove orientated and since the musicians all really have a great musical sense it works. A great musician knows where most things are going to happen. If someone went outside the bounds required, then Mauro or Davide would show us what they needed, based on their knowledge of what the song was. We never heard the vocals, except Mauro or Davide might sing over the track in the control room to make sure it was going to work. They would demonstrate how a part should go and then let you put your own spin on and play it yourself.
Was J.F. Petrus a reliable businessman or a shark?
Shark first, and a very reliable shark at that.
Is it true that you were playing with Change in 1981 already? How come that Petrus picked you for the Change project?
That’s right. In 1981 we were introduced by a friend of mine, Pete Cannarozzi, who was playing with Roberta Flack. He was offered the job but was tied up with her so he recommended me. In 1981 I toured with Change. We were the opening act of Rick James' successful Street Songs tour. I did three world tours with Change and I recorded for the 1982, 1983 and 1984 albums.
Was Jacques Fred Petrus ever present in the studio or was he a full-time office man?
He was there in the studio. Petrus definitely had input into the over all vibe. Mauro and Davide were the detail guys. Mauro led of course but Davide did contribute a lot to every aspect, he was more involved in the making of the rhythmics whereas Mauro used to give his finishing touch. They were a very valuable musician team.
Could you give a description of the mysterious Petrus?
To my knowledge there are no pictures of him. Petrus was born in Guadeloupe. He wasn’t black but dark skinned. The man didn’t have a tall figure but acted tall. Stocky and muscular is my best recollection. He was a very evasive kind of person. He had quite a macho attitude and an intimidating personality. He was all about power... macho was his running theme. Petrus was capable of a good laugh and did have a charming way at times. But he thought highly of himself and he was very passionate. Very direct too. You knew he had the last word, he was the boss. He said to us once: "I AM Change!", which requires no further explanation…
Do you know more about Petrus' assassination?
I heard it was a hit. He must have crossed the wrong guy, underworld/mob kind of thing.($$$$?)
What have you been up to since Change?
Well I’ve kept real busy. I composed, arranged, produced and did session work for a wide range of artists such as Iggy Pop, Sisters Of Mercy, Bonnie Tyler, Cher, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, Take That, Michael Jackson, Michael McDonald, Billy Ocean, Natalie Cole, etcetera. I also toured with artists Nona Hendryx, Herbie Hancock, Jeffrey Osborne, Akiko Yano and Cyndi Lauper. In my studio in New York I try to keep myself on the leading edge of the evolution in synthesizer programming and electronic synthesized instrumentation. In the last few years I‘ve picked up numerous digital instruments and effects generators. I realized that computers and synthesizers are not all separate things. Together with traditional keyboards they're tools for the musicians. The good musicians use the best and most versatile tools available that make the music sound better, and make creativity less encumbered by ‘mechanical’ limitations. I inter-connected computers, mixers, effects and instruments in a practical full rack system. But I keep my older analog gear in my system because I noticed that many producers are asking for acoustic sounds.
Thanks for the interview!
Francis DEPUYDT (2002.08.02)
INTERVIEW WITH MAURO MALAVASI:
I think that together with Jacques Fred Petrus and your mythical label Goody Music you were the first to introduce successfully Italian dancemusic in such a difficult market as the American music market. What are the differences between those times and the recent explosion of Italo house?
The music is more or less the same despite the fact that there are less means available. There’s also more confusion today and record companies are becoming more suspicious toward new artists and new talents. Italo house was born from a lack of means and the triumph of the dance hits of the past with addition of the loop and some other original melodic ideas. Working this way reduces the costs more. If one has the possibility to try out oneself, then this might lead to interesting and intelligent products. Combining all elements to a musical creation surely isn’t easy. If one succeeds in realising a project which lasts 10 minutes, it means that it really is something valuable. It is true that after a first listen Italo house can appear as an amorf kind of music, commercial, without depth as youth would wish. But all things considered, I believe this music can contain more truth and valuable ideas than those big projects realised with astronomical amounts of money. This music is a witness of our time and one can also find a historic meaning in it. There are artists who succeeded in making a respectable product of it, like the project Black Box (album: Dreamland, 1990) who were my companions at the conservatory (Rudy Trevisi, Sauro Malavasi, Raimondo Violi, Roberto Fontalan). I always knew they had talent, they’re well prepared musicians and an intelligent team that works. I’ve always supported them by saying that they should not weaken because sooner or later their time would come. Today they finally found a successful formula.
It has been told that the success of Goody Music was the result of the Italian melody combined with American musicality, a formula suited as well for listening as for dancing. Italo house brought the Italian melody again to the fore in combination with an ascetic sonority, sometimes hard to listen to.
The elements remain the same: if the music is good, the public reacts positively. If the artists work with sense and enthousiasm, the public is prepared to ignore the flaws and deficient sounds. What interests people is the creativity. According to me it’s possible to get more out of the success of Italo house: it should be a stepping stone in sight of new challenges which could be reached by Italian artists if they believed more in themselves. Now however we go to an over saturation in the genre of house to the success of products which are even vulgar and rude. But it is an understandable phenomenon: for dancemusic it was a moment of less success, a bit like in 1982 and 1983. At that time I was in America and I experienced the phenomenon from first hand, it were the record companies who decided that the hour of dancemusic was over and that it was time for a revival of rock, heavy metal and pop. Today we are in a moment which is favourable for dancemusic, the cyclus can start again.
What were the motives that led to the end of Goody Music in the US? One talked about a financial debacle.
I left the states in late 1982. Honestly I had enough of it. I didn’t feel like an American, I couldn’t focus my life on making money. I also missed Italy too much. I’m an ardent nationalist you know and I got just married. On top of that I came in conflict with Jacques Fred Petrus. At that time I was a bit more than 20 years old and I knew very little about the record business. There was actually a financial debacle and when I was aware of this I decided to quit.
With Paolo Gianolio and Davide Romani you formed a very strong and successful team. Why didn’t you continue together. Is it true that there were rivalries among you?
This isn’t true. Davide, Paolo and I, we see each other often and we get on with one another very well. Paolo often works with Celso Valli, Mina and so many others. Davide often works for his own account. What concerns me, besides collaborations with Lucio Dalla I work with Rudy Trevisi.
You are a real musician. Do you think that technology harmed musical creativity?
Instruments like samplers are not necessarely ascetic and cold. On the contrary they can be of great value for the creation process. They are a part of the technological baggage which is available and it would be foolish to neglect. I rather think that technology enlarged the possibilities of expression.
In the days of disco group Change you discovered and launched Luther Vandross who is now a superstar in black music. Do you hear from each other now and then?
We are in optimal contact, so well that Luther included two of my songs on his latest Best Of album. Luther would have loved to work with me but I don’t like to be far away from home for a long time: I’m lazy and I’m scared to travel by plane. In the near future we will work together again. From the moment that I find a song suited for Luther I’ll propose it to him.
Interview by Clay Montana - Appeared in Musica & Dischi magazine (Italy) in 1990, with special thanks to Yves LePage and Patrik B. Andersson. (Translation: Dominique Lannoo, Francis Depuydt)
INTERVIEW WITH PAUL A. SLADE:
How did you get in the music business?
I started playing the guitar at the age of 9 and when I was 13 I formed my first group. When I left school in 1965 I joined The Ray King Soul Band as bass guitarist and backing singer. For the following two years I toured England playing on gigs with big names such as: Ike & Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Cliff, Elton John and Jimmy Hendrix… After playing at “The Revolution Club” in London in 1967 I was offered a recording and management contract and recorded my first solo singles with Decca records. At the same time I started writing my own songs and began playing the 12-string guitar. In 1971 whilst playing in Paris I had the occasion to sign to CBS records. I decided to move to Paris where I recorded my first folk-rock album Life Of A Man that put me on the road to a long international career. A year later my next album Dutchman was released. I also became the top 12-string guitarist in the Parisian recording studios. I spent the best part of the ‘70s/‘80s doing session work in Paris as a guitarist and backing singer and writing and recording film music and TV commercial jingles.
How exactly did Fred Petrus get in touch with you?
In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s all the French artists wanted to sing in English and I was asked to write lyrics for countless artists and often had #1 songs in the French charts. I wrote songs for Jupiter Sunset Band, Dan Perlman, Bimbo Jet, Guy Frasseto, Danyel Gérard, Frank Dana, Jean-Louis D'Onorio (Sunshine On The World), Citizen Gang, Rose Laurens, David & Jonathan, Réjane Perry, Ringo, etc…Fred Petrus had connections within the Parisian disco scene and music publishing world and got in touch with me in 1979 via Marcel Marouani, who owned the publishing company Sugar Music. Marouani produced David & Jonathan at the time. I had just written lyrics for Marcel after having the # 1 hit "I Need A Man" in the USA with Grace Jones. Petrus was looking for hit lyrics. The first songs I did for him were for Change, Macho and the Peter Jacques Band. The biggest hit was "Is it it", not the best of songs I must say but it was catchy. Then I wrote the lyrics for the Change song “Searching”, my second international hit after Grace Jones. This one was followed up with the even bigger hit song “On The Beat” by the B.B.&Q. Band. More songs would follow like “Starlette”, “Time For Love” and “Keep It Hot” for B.B.&Q. Band; “Your Move”, “Hold Tight”, “Stop For Love”, “Got To Get Up” and “Let’s Go Together” for Change; “Going Dancing Down The Street”, “All Right Let’s Go” and “Drives Me Crazy” for Peter Jacques Band and “Break Up” for High Fashion.
Could you explain how the writing process worked? What was the normal procedure when you wrote songs for Petrus?
The first couple of times that I wrote lyrics for Petrus, he sent me the playback tapes (cassettes) home. Whenever Petrus sent me tapes it was 20 or even more songs at a time and I made lyrics for all of them! Naturally some of my stuff was never published. When you write 20 songs (and I ALWAYS work at the last minute under stress as it stimulates me) some of the lyrics are rubbish, specially when I don't feel the song! But as I didn't have much contact with Petrus he would either get someone else to rewrite the lyrics or to change some of them. He never contacted me to ask me to rewrite anything. This is probably what happened with the songs on the Silence album. I discovered there are songs on it that I am credited for that I don’t know. And I have certainly not signed any contract for them. Probably because Petrus got someone else to add some lyrics on the final recording and in doing so even changed the title of the original song that I wrote. On the tapes that I received someone just sang la la la for the melody. I had carte blanche for all I wanted to write. Nobody else had any say in the matter of lyrics. There are no rules for writing songs. I always tried to write lyrics with double meanings like "On The Beat". In English it means "on the tempo" and also "a policeman on his round". Writing funky lyrics was new for me but I have always worked with coloured musicians ever since the early ‘60s. Their music is natural to me. When I could I would just add my voice on the tape that Fred Petrus sent me, using a Revox tape recorder. But most of the time I just sent the lyrics by post to the USA because the songs weren't in my key for singing. When we did the tracks “All Right Let's Go”, “Drives Me Crazy”, etc. in 1985, I wrote the lyrics in Italy while Change and Peter Jacques Band were recording there. When I first met the musicians of Change it was in the studio in Carimate in Italy. When I arrived they were recording, so I just sat down in a corner. I was totally ignored by everyone until Petrus finally introduced me and they all cried out "Hey Man! We thought you were BLACK!". From then on we got on fine. I even sang backing vocals and the lead vocals on several songs of Peter Jacques Band, though my name was never mentioned on any record cover. I just sang the songs in the studio to show the group how I felt them. I didn't know that Petrus was going to release the songs with me as a lead singer!! In fact I only found out about it a few months ago and was very surprised to hear the tracks "Drives Me Crazy", “Don’t Say You’ve Gotta Go” and “Everybody Have A Party” with me singing lead!! Actually when you read about the history of Petrus I am hardly ever mentioned!?! They only talk about the music never the lyrics and who wrote them!
Do you still own some of the original tapes that Petrus sent you?
No idea where these cassettes are! It's so long ago I've lost them, probably threw them away with all my old Revox tapes. I don't keep everything I do, when things are done I move onto something else.
Can you express what you felt when you heard "On The Beat" on the radio for the very first time? Naturally I was always happy to hear my songs on the radio and in clubs. Just happy. I'm quite a reserved person, I like working on my own and always looking for new ideas. If a song becomes popular, all the better but it's not always the songs I prefer that work, although I do rather like "All Right Let’s Go" "Searching" and "On The Beat".
When did you discover that you were good at writing songs and lyrics? If people proposed you poor music, would you refuse sometimes or was it always a challenge to provide the lyrics?
I first started writing songs back in 1967 when I started a solo career in England. I rarely refused writing lyrics for others because 1) it is never the best songs that work and one never knows what will happen. Grace Jones was the proof. And 2) every song is a new challenge indeed.
How did you feel about working with J.F. Petrus? Did you always deal with him? What kind of a person was he to you?
Honestly, I’ve had, and still have enormous problems with Fred Petrus. He was a thief, a crook, whatever... For the past 25 years I have been trying to recuperate royalties for all the songs that I wrote and since my visit to Italy a couple of weeks ago I found out that Romani and Malavasi and their Italian publisher all have the same problem! So we are teaming up together to take legal action. Petrus was someone totally bad! He had absolutely no respect for anyone he worked with and considered that once anyone had worked for him, all the rights for the songs were his! And so he did whatever he wanted with all the works and pocketed all the royalties. That is without doubt why he was shot by the Mafia. The matter of the lyrics was never discussed with the musicians of Petrus. I never dealt with Malavasi or Romani.
Was Petrus a music producer? Was his creative or musical role in the studio important enough to be called so?
It all depends what your idea of a producer is. I think Petrus just had the lucky gift of putting the right people together to create a commercial product. I honestly never really liked the guy and didn't have a lot of contact with him. For a start he couldn't speak English very well, he spoke French and Italian mostly. Secondly he was just the sort of person that I didn't like. He was big headed and thought a lot of himself. Always talked about "His" groups and always called me "Slade" and not Paul. He even thought that I was having a big success in England but was mixed up with "Sade". I think he just knew a lot of people and had the gift to wrap them up.
How did Petrus fix it to enroll all those outstanding artists, musicians, songwriters? What was his clever trick to make it all happen?
Petrus was like a talent scout. As I said he was always looking for the best to do all the artistic work. I only met him twice. The 1st time was in Paris, I think he was just starting up. The first batch of songs I wrote was: “Counting on love”, “Is it it”, “You Got Me Running” etc.... They were released under the groups Peter Jacques Band and Macho. They were produced in Italy. He was based there with Goody Music and Little Macho Music. That was his first crooked thing I didn't realise at the time. All the contracts were in Italian and only much later did I find out that the contracts didn't stand up and he was in fact selling his publishing rights to himself in the USA and already illegally pocketing huge money from song royalties that he wasn’t untitled to under European law. He was very clever at playing that sort of tricks!
Do you know something about the tragic end of JF Petrus? I remember meeting Petrus' best friend Claude Ismael just after his death and he told me (and this is the truth): Fred Petrus was found in his bed with three bullets in his head whilst in his home in Guadeloupe. Probably the Mafia as he dealt with them and must have done something wrong!?! I met Claude Ismael a couple of times. He worked for Petrus in his NY office. He also helped run the night club Petrus owned in Le Gosier on Guadeloupe. He wasn't concerned with Petrus's productions but is probably producing his own stuff now in Paris. I remember that he once wanted to produce one of my songs but after being so stung by Petrus himself I didn't want to work with his close friends (I never told him that though).
You wrote for Petrus projects until 1985. You were a close witness of his rise and fall. Any idea why his Italian crew left him and why he wasn't so succesful anymore in the end?
No idea. Petrus was just one of the many people I wrote for. Quite honestly I thought he was a joker in the beginning and was very surprised to find “Is it it” at #1 in the Italian charts when I was on summer holiday there. The following year I was even more surprised that “Searching” by Change was in the English charts.There must be a lot of reasons for his rise and fall. He must have had a lot of enemies around. I was certainly always trying to get him to send contracts to me after working and writing all the lyrics that I did. Once he had his recordings done he was the boss and did whatever he wanted with the works and didn't give a damn about the people who worked for him.
Does a song author (lyricist) share the same amount of royalties as the music composer?
Legally Yes! The normal share is 50% publisher, 25% author and 25% composer. BUT the Italians split it different: 50% publisher, 30% composer and 20% author. Then again for certain royalties it always stays at 50%,25%,25%.
Of which realisations are you particularly proud of?
I rather liked "Searching" and "On the Beat". Otherwise what am I proud of? I guess the answer is nothing! I am an artist and I am never satisfied with all I do. Things can always be better. I think once an artist is satisfied he is finished! One must always try to do better. So I cannot really answer fully this question. All I can say is that I have written lots of songs and played and sang on countless sessions for other artists. I don't remember all of them. In the early ‘70s I spent years in the studios in Paris and played on hundreds of records and I never really kept track of all I did because right from the start I was writing my own material, in my style of music (far from dance music).
How did you actually meet Grace Jones at the time?
As for Grace Jones! I got done over that song too!!! I met Grace in Paris one afternoon when she had just been "discovered". I had already worked with her manager/producer Stephan Tabakov, a zero guy! Actually I was introduced to him because he had asked a couple of my English friends if they could work on his new discovery: Colin Caldwell (sound engineer at Acousti Studios in Paris) and Alain Reeves to do the arrangements. So I agreed to write the lyrics for Tabakov but told him that I needed to meet Grace in order to know what kind of lyrics she needed. When I met her she was only a model and was taking singing lessons (God! Did she sing out of tune!!!). She was trying to put herself up as being an American star but I had worked a lot with West Indians whilst in England in the ‘60s and there was no way she could fool me. She was West Indian origin! Anyway, I said that I would wri