Prince Far I

Originally known as King Cry Cry (b. Michael James Williams), Prince Far I was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica in the year 1944 or 1945. He started deejaying for Sir Mike the Musical Dragon and also as a security guard at Joe Gibbs studio. And ironically it wasn't his deejaying that took him to Studio One. Coxsone Dodd employed him as a bouncer for his Sound System. It was a coincidence that Prince Far I had the chance to cut a single for the esteemed Coxsone. Coxsone had a session booked for his long time friend and follower the deejay King Stitt. When he didn't turn up Dodd let his bouncer toast instead. That day he recorded the single »Queen Of the Minstrel« under his name King Cry Cry. The name he had gotten by Mr. Downbeat who had witnessed more than once Far I burst in to tears when immensely angered. The name stayed with him even when he recorded for other producers, such as Bunny Lee for which he had his first hit »I Had A Talk«. His next single, »The Great Booga Wooga«, was an even greater hit.

In 1976 he released his debut album, »Psalms For I«. The album was comprised by 10 tracks on which nine of them were biblical psalms and one the Lords Prayer. The album was dedicated to the illiterate who couldn't read the bible.

He was murdered in his house the 15th of September in 1983.

»The killing of Prince Fari on 15 September 1983 was the final element that convinced Roy Cousins to emigrate to Liverpool for good. ‛I went blind with cataracts and I divorce and remarried,’ Cousins explains. ‛Me there work with Fari and them kill him, and me just decide fi call it a day. Them kill him over a dance: they wanted to keep a dance and him give (a promoter) half of the money and owe him half, but (the promoter’s) woman mash up the dance the night, she have a fight, so Fari say him nah pay his other half of the money. Prince (is) one of the man who come through the system the hard way. Is a man who go to prison a Jamaica and certain things, and Jamaica is (about) survival. Edgewater him live, and him go home to water him garden, and the (gunmen) them a watch him, and as soon as him roll up the hose to go in, they go with him. Them say everybody fi lay down on the floor, and I hear him lay down neatly, him don't put up any resistance, but him wife, she know the boy them, and she a put up resistance, and they shoot she first, but she never dead, and they shoot him, kill him like an animal. In the living room you see the blood with his fingermark all over the wall, when a person in agony.’«

Cited from Solid Foundation; An Oral History of Reggae by David Katz.


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