‘Great is great... never underrate’

Edward O’Sullivan Lee Junior, better known as ‘Striker Jr’, ‘Young Striker’ or ‘Little Striker’, is only too aware of the wealth of history that comes with his name. As the son of legendary producer Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee aka ‘Di Gorgon’, he has huge shoes to fill, but Little Striker is comfortable in his shoes and he aims to always make his late father proud.

Striker Lee was a man with an imposing character and whose love for hats was almost as legendary as his music productions. Last Monday, Little Striker was wearing many hats at the soft launch of the Bunny Lee Museum and Recording Studio in Duhaney Park, an impressive passion project with a whole heap of purpose.

Little Striker speaks eloquently about his desire to create a space where, not just his father, but the icons and legends of Jamaican music are remembered. On the walls are numerous pictures of Bunny Lee at various stages of his career, locked in glass cases are history-filled items of clothing worn on stage by some of the music icons, as well as the instruments and original master tapes of some of the biggest tunes in Jamaica’s history.

“It is important to preserve the history of the music,” Little Striker told The Sunday Gleaner, in between acting as tour guide and chief cook and bottle washer at the launch. “What my dad was known for was to tell the story and give credit where credit is due. So this [museum] is important for all the unsung heroes so that their contribution will never be forgotten. Their legacy will be preserved starting here until something is done about documenting these great men. So it’s not a big thing but it’s a big thing.”

It was in 2010 that Little Striker and Bunny Lee started this journey, but a fire at the Duhaney Park studio in 2015 set back the project and then, in 2020, Bunny Lee passed away. But Little Striker emphasised that “nothing could stop this”.

“My father is my god. I am the gorgon now. I have the honour to carry the banner [although] I am actually the youngest son. My dad has a lot of children ... but he was married to my mom and they have four children. Since I was born we travelled the world together and I got first-hand experience and knowledge as to how the people receive not just the music but these great men and how they preserve our history. They can tell our history better than us, so I think that is important that we do the job,” the young producer stated.

To put his money where his mouth is, Little Striker commissioned a room within the museum which he calls the Hall of Fame. Painted on the wall, from floor to ceiling are the pictures of 66 producers and sound system legends who have made an invaluable contribution to the development of Jamaican music.

“Jamaica doesn’t do a good job of preserving the history so we are making sure that we start it. My father is very knowledgeable and always willing to share information and encourage people and motivate them. He taught me ‘never procrastinate ... delay is danger ... great is great, yuh never underrate’,” the son of Di Gorgon declared.

In the early 1970s, Bunny Lee revolutionised the music scene by purchasing Joe Gibbs’ studio in Duhaney Park and dedicating himself to the production of the emerging reggae sound, his bio states.

He savoured success with Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller, Cornell Campbell, Johnny Clarke, Derrick Morgan, Owen Gray, U-Roy, Gregory Isaacs and Prince Alla.

Little Striker, in a moment of sombre reflection, shared, “I miss my father dearly every single day. I can only hope and pray and wish that I can be half the man that he is.”

The official opening of the Bunny Lee Museum and Recording Studio will be in February 2025 during Reggae Month, but it is currently open to the public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Mondays to Saturdays. Bookings are accepted only through the Bunny Lee Museum and Recording Studio website.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com