He did not perform Prison Oval Rock at that dance. I am telling you man, it was a sight,' Levy said, remembering how the prisoners signalled their delight by pushing clothing through the ventilation openings. I see some breed a white merino come through the prison hole. 'That night at the prison, I never forget what go on. Imagining the scene, he sang about what was to be - and, soon after, saw what he sang about become reality. In coming up with the lyrics, Levy said 'this is what they told me - the dance a keep in a prison, down side a de prison'. 'Believe you me, my Lord, it shot!' he exclaimed. 'Da dance deh was a huge dance over Prison Oval,' Levy said. The reaction is etched in Levy's mind as well. 'The prisoners came out and started dancing on the roof they were lighting newspapers and Barrington Levy was just singing,' he said, his eyes lighting up at the memory.' It was from there that one of Jamaica's most entrenched dancehall tunes came about - Barrington Levy's Prison Oval Rock. A Gleaner story in 2003, when Sting celebrated its 20th anniversary, records that Laing 'actually started his show promotion career in 1976, when he put on dances at Spanish Town Prison Oval, with the immortal Volcano and Gemini sound systems. Nuh Laing (Isaiah Laing of Sting promoters Supreme Promotions) keep da dance deh?' Levy said. ' Prison Oval Rock is not really a song, is a dubplate for Volcano Sound,' Levy said. However, Levy told Entertainment, he did not write Prison Oval Rock about what he saw, but what he imagined he would see. Then he moves on to those who would be able to hear the music, but not to move around as they would like to: Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters.Īnd he sings about a number of dance moves from the period, which makes it appear as if Levy saw the crowd moving at the time and put his observations into words:

Between a rock and a dubplate