Sanchez King of Covers now thrilling with original songs

“What a bad singer!” exclaimed social media influencer, Special K, a few minutes into Sanchez’s performance as he whipped up the crowd at Rebel Salute in Priory, St Ann, recently.

“He still has that silky smooth voice that melts my heart,” she remarked.

Thirty-four years ago in the Second City, Montego Bay, Sanchez, sporting his trademark rope chain, won the hearts of thousands of screaming female fans at Reggae Sunsplash after throwing down a mind-blowing performance that earned him several encores. His iconic single, Lonely Won’t Leave Me Alone, set his career in motion and was further propelled by a string of hit songs including Brown Eyes, Baby Can I Hold You, Never Dis The Man, One In A Million, Let Me Love You Down, Frenzy, A Change Is Gonna Come, Amazing Grace and Old Friends.

Last summer he made headlines for comments he made about not receiving his ‘flowers’ after 30 years in reggae. On August 6, 2022, the Jamaican government ‘right the wrong’, presenting him with the Music Icon Award during the Grand Gala independence anniversary celebrations in Kingston to acknowledge his milestone accomplishments in the music industry.

“I’m elated and very appreciative of this honour. I don’t have words to describe the feeling right now. I can proudly say I’m a living legend,” he said.

After being absent from the music scene for almost two years because of the pandemic, the singer announced his return with two hard-hitting singles, Original Song and Double For My Trouble for writer/producer Richard Stephens.

“ Original Song came out of a reasoning between me and Sanchez,” Stephens shared.

“We were talking about our many years in the business and how some people still do not recognise and appreciate the work we have put in. I had just sent him a rhythm and in that same conversation he asked me to vibe a song for him so I started with some realistic lines that formed the lyrics of the song ...’ A long, long time mi a shot it. From inna the ‘80s through the ‘90s until now. Now we a go kill them with original songs,” Stephens stated.

“Sanchez is family to me in this music business. We are coming from far and have great respect for each other. We both acknowledge our talents from the almighty by always giving compliments on our musical skills and achievements. This is something that you don’t see too much in the music business,” Stephens said about Sanchez.

Sanchez also shared his admiration for Stephens by saying, “Richie is my brother. When I say brother I mean it’s coming from my heart. You can’t get any more real than that, he’s my brother for life.”

The success of Original Song inspired Double For My Trouble that has been wreaking havoc on stations in Jamaica and the diaspora. The video has exceeded expectations, racking up over three million views on Youtube in just over a month and shows no signs of slowing down.

“It is one of the fastest rising songs I have ever released!” Stephens enthusiastically stated.

“Fans are loving it. Promoters are now calling to book me and Sanchez to perform together. It reminds me of the days when reggae icons Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, John Holt and Gregory Issacs ruled the airwaves with big tunes and promoters were booking them all over to perform as a package,” Stephens stated.

And it is not just on wax that the crooners are winning fans. After delivering a scintillating performance at Rebel Salute, they delivered an impressive encore performance for the Reggae Month celebration at Ranny Williams Centre in St Andrew that left fans begging for more. The two crooners are now planning to release more original songs for the ladies, plus they are working on a gospel track, as well.

“I’m excited about this project with Sanchez,” Richie reiterated.

“We have lots more collaborations and an album for this year. Gospel songs are just natural for me. Remember I was brought up in the church so you can’t get better than that,” Sanchez noted.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In Sanchez’s case, he has the most impressive catalogue of cover songs in reggae. The Amazing Grace singer doesn’t simply repackage something familiar with his cover songs, he completely reinterprets the original, creating something exciting, so much so that at times it becomes the definitive recording.

“For years it is said that I have done pure cover songs, but they don’t see the many original hit songs that I have done,” the ‘king’ of covering songs noted.

The truth, however, is that Sanchez has a million reasons to feel proud of his ‘King of Covers’ moniker. An article published by journalist Mallory Stratton titled, ‘Why We Love Cover Songs’, said, “If done with creativity, imagination and skill, a cover version can help us ‘re-hear’ an original song in new and thrilling ways ... The familiarity of the melodies and the lyrics allow our brains to form expectations, which, in part, are confirmed, thus giving us a certain amount of pleasure.”

While some critics in Jamaica have lambasted and devalued Sanchez’s contribution to the industry for recording cover songs, if we looked internationally, a different narrative emerges. One of the biggest songs ever recorded is I Will Always Love You. Written by Dolly Parton and originally released as a country song in 1974, the iconic ballad reached new heights only after Whitney Houston recorded a version for the soundtrack to the 1992 film The Bodyguard. Houston’s cover reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart and won awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance at the 1994 Grammy Awards. Other popular cover songs that have made it big include Wild World written by Cat Stevens in 1970 and re-recorded by reggae singer Maxi Priest in 1988. Eric Clapton’s cover of Bob Marley’s I Shot The Sheriff was a career defining song that helped to launch Marley’s career.

With all the massive hit songs that Sanchez has recorded in his 30 plus years in the business, we were curious which was his favourite.

“My favourite Sanchez song is Never Dis Di Man. I choose that because I’m talking about the Father and that song was written by me,” he reiterated.