Wild Bunch Disco

Gladstone ”Gladdy” Parker has been in the music business as owner, operator and selector of Wild Bunch Disco and an avid record collector for the past 50 years. Since 1963 when Gladdy Parker, George Phillpotts (1951-2008) and Charles Kennedy started Wild Bunch Disco, it has consistently served up a menu of musical excellence providing dance music both at home in Jamaica and internationally. .

Gladdy recalls that the girls kept telling them that they were a ‘wild bunch’ .

Gladdy takes us back to the beginning when in the early 60’s his brother Raymond, who was his mentor, played for Fitzie Murray’s Hi Fi and he, as a young teenager, would tag along with the sound.   For fun, he built himself a cardboard record player and pretended to play records – he did the vocals on every tune.  The bug had bitten and he started using his lunch money to buy records.  One of the earliest records he bought was a ’78 – “Show Me How to Milk the Cow” by Louis Jordan, the flip side was “Roof Over my Head”.  Other early sources of inspiration for Gladdy were Merritone and Duke Fuller.

Gladdy’s first real pieces of equipment were a Ferguson radio and a Garrard record changer.  Gladdy and Georgie lived off Rousseau Road and Charles lived nearby; they would load up their arms with the equipment and the records and walk to house parties to play.  Asked how the name “Wild Bunch” came about, Gladdy recalls that the girls kept telling them that they were a ‘wild bunch’ and so the name was adopted (we hope the statute of limitations has run out, or that if any original member of the disco who may be married, has enough brownie points to ride out the storm this revelation may cause).  There was also a notorious gang around that time who went by the name Wild Bunch. Wanting to take the business to another level, in the late 60’s the three foundation members pooled their resources and putting all their equipment together started to take bookings.  Their first date was a wedding.  On the night of the wedding when they had finished playing, the guests present hoisted Gladdy up onto the roof; they were so pleased with the music.  Another memorable night was a party near Seaward Drive.  While the party was in progress, a woman who lived at the house went into labour.  As her screams got louder, the DJs were asked to turn up the volume.  Today, the baby who came into the world that night has earned a degree in music.

When his two original partners, Charles and George, migrated to the States in the early 70’s, Gladdy linked up with Vincent “Little D” Davids (1946-2007).  It was around this time that he quit his day job and became a full-time selector.  Why?  “The job was getting in the way of my music.”  Little D had his own set and with his list of contacts the bookings increased.   With “Little D” concentrating on the business side and Gladdy being the selector – during the 70’s to 80’s – Wild Bunch was at the top of its game.  They even had to pass dates on to other selectors. From the mid 80’s, Wild Bunch was the resident disco at Piper’s Lounge on Constant Spring Road.  During that time also, Gladdy did guest spots at the Turntable Club whenever Winston Blake was travelling overseas. In the 90’s, Wild Bunch played at Priscilla’s; on some holiday weekends Gladdy promoted a $50 per-car-load party at Paradise Cove.  Some of the other spots where Wild Bunch could be heard were Blinking Beacon, Andante, Sombrero, Afrique Pub and The Oceana Hotel.

Back in the day, it was strictly vinyl being played; although in 2010 Gladdy switched to CDs, for a long time (for his peace of mind), he continued to carry his vinyl as back-up when playing. Wild Bunch has bridged the generation gap and maintained currency in their musical selections.  This was achieved largely through the presence and input of Ryan Solomon popularly known as “Sala” or by his radio name ‘ZJ Steel’.  He has been branded as the Wild Bunch “Ambassador for Youth”.

Over the years, Gladdy has been honoured by various entities.  In 1997, the Purple Masters presented him with an award in appreciation of his sterling contribution to the Jamaican music scene.  In 1989, he received the Desnoes & Geddes Award in recognition of his dedication and service to the Jamaican entertainment industry. In 1990, he received the Binns’ Entertainment Award in appreciation for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment scene.  In 2008, he was the recipient of a VRCA Lifetime Achievement Award from the VRCA. More than anything else, Gladdy cherishes his memories.

As part of Wild Bunch’s celebration of 50 years, this year (2013), he will pay tribute to the memories of “Georgie” and “Little D” with a weekend of parties to be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28, 2013 in Jamaica.