By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Left: A Marley duo: Damian and Stephen raise the tribute to their father Bob during the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's free concert, Get Up, Stand Up, held at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, Hope Road, on Tuesday.   Right: Chuck Fender (left) and Cherine Anderson also moved the crowd during their performance. - Winston Sill photos

On Tuesday night a large crowd duly stood up on the grounds of the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, Hope Road, St. Andrew, in homage to Bob Marley on his 62nd birthday.

However, at what was working up to be an outstanding standout moment of 'Get Up, Stand Up', a free concert staged by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), with four Marley sons, Julian, Stephen, Ki-mani and Damian on stage, and Capleton on fire with his part in It Was Written, Fantan Mojah came on stage to chant 'watch it mek we bun dem'.

It was the beginning of a brief bout of snatches of song as Radakh and Turbulence took a Blazer and Notorious turn respectively, interrupting the delivery of entire songs which had marked the Marleys' set. Stephen, left hand over his forehead and eyes closed, led off with Soul Rebel to move the audience as pictures of their father were shown on large screen.

After the interruption they resumed with Could You Be Loved, each brother taking a verse, before Damian ended their stage stint past midnight with Welcome To Jamrock, which received less then its customary thunderous response.

Before the Marley sons came, there was a slew of performers in a near marathon tribute, MC Richie B at one point asking the performers to keep it short as there was a midnight curfew. After the Gong's sons came Ernie Smith, who delivered Redemption Song in his deep voice, to the accompaniment of the Gumption Band. It was one of the very few Bob Marley songs delivered by performers other than his sons on Tuesday night, Etana's voice soaring as she opened with Selassie Is The Chapel.

'Get Up, Stand Up' suffered from the hill and gully ride of better known performers interspersed with the hopefuls, as well as a few performers pressing the time limit on a crammed line-up.

Anthony B opened with Raid The Barn to tremendous applause as the concert shifted gears just past 9:00 p.m. He was recalled to end his relatively extended showing by completing a lyric about the female entertainers he wanted to 'clash' with, Perfect following and working up to a strong note with Handcart Bway. Kashu Man pushed for his third song, Lymie Murray's Only Conversation was appreciated and Cherine Anderson honoured Dennis Brown, whose birthday was five days earlier, with the opening lines on Here I Come.

But it was when she combined with Chuck Fender to ask 'are you coming over tonight?' that the audience really got up.

Chezidek asked those responsible to Leave The Trees, the many environ-mentalists giving wholehearted support. Sugar Roy and Conrad Crystal left the stage with an appropriate, 'clear!' and Mackie Conscious gave his music business experience with 'a jus' lucky me no lucky,' the audience listening throughout.

Etana's Wrong Address, Bescenta's query 'can you handle it?' and Queen Ifrica alternately rasped and crooned her status as Born Free.

The lovers' notes of Nanko's Lucky You and Lutan Fyah's observation "nuff a dem cyaan believe, Rastafari still deh bout" were among the contributions to 'Get Up, Stand Up' after Ernie Smith, before the hordes streamed out of the Ranny Williams Centre, many walking down Hope Road towards Half-Way Tree.