Whenever Keith Poppin has ideas for a new song, he thinks about staying fresh while honoring the tried and proven policy that earned him success during the 1970s.
That approach can be heard on ‘Rocking’, the veteran singer’s latest single, which he wrote and produced. It was released in late March.
“We love music, yuh nuh, dat’s what we’ve been doing all my life. Di key thing for me is to reach out to new fans ‘cause dat is important,” he said.
Based in North Carolina, Poppin called on stalwart musician and longtime friend Ansel Collins to help make ‘Rocking’ a reality. Collins, known for his work with Jimmy Cliff and The Revolutionaries (house band at Channel One studio during the 1970s) played keyboards on ‘Rocking’.
He and Poppin were accompanied by guitarist Courtland “Gizmo” White, bassist Paul Madden and drummer Christopher Tyrell.
The versatile Poppin has been recording music since the 1960s. It was in the 1970s that he made his mark with easy-listening ballads like ‘Same Thing for Breakfast’ and ‘Envious’, produced by Lloyd Campbell and Phil Pratt, respectively.
At one stage, Poppin was signed to Peter Tosh’s Intel Diplo label. He also earned the respect of his peers as a harmony singer who sang on hits such as ‘Officially’ by Lloyd Parks, ‘Talk About Love’ by Pat Kelly and ‘Storybook Children’ by Ernest Wilson.
