Product Code Database
Amos Eughsha Edwards (born 13 December 1960)Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton (2004) The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn Rough Guides, , p. 284David V. Moskowitz (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, , p. 120Other sources, e.g. the Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Moskowitz, state that his real name is Anthony Edwards. better known by his stage name General Trees, is a dancehall deejay who was considered one of the most popular deejays of the 1980s, best known for his hits in the latter half of the decade.
When Johnson opened his own studio, also named Black Scorpio, he began producing recordings, including those by artists that had performed with his sound system, including Trees and Lord Sassafrass. General Trees' had a string of hits followed, including "Heel And Toe", "Monkey And Ape", "Ghost Rider", and "Crucifixion", although his best-remembered song is "Mini Bus", which lamented the demise of the "jolly bus",Mel Cooke (2008) " General Trees makes, marks history with 'Minibus' ", Gleaner Company, 23 November 2008. and which was awarded the title "Song Of The Year" in 1986 from the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation. The award raised his profile and he went on to record for a variety of producers in Jamaica.
Further hits followed with "Gone A Negril" (No. 2 in 1986)Mel Cooke (2008), " Story of the song: General Trees' 'Gone a Negril' ", Gleaner Company, 30 November 2008. and "Calling All Higglers", and he contributed to a "clash" album, Battle Of The Generals, that featured versions of "Lambada" and "Think Twice". Trees also recorded combination hits including "Coke Pipe" with Fancy Black, and "Nightmare" with Little John. In the early 1990s he again worked with Johnson, who also acted as his manager, but a falling-out between the two led Trees to work for other producers. Although he never repeated his earlier popularity, he had some success with "Eye Nah See", "Great Jamaican Jockeys" and "Goodie Goodie". He was less active during the late 1990s, although he recorded "Lik Him But Nuh Kill Him" for Linval Edwards in 1999. After that he was largely silent until he reunited again with Johnson in 2005, recording new songs including "Run di Place Again", "Mother of the Land", and "She Says She Loves Me".[4] A tour of Europe with the Black Scorpio sound system followed in December 2005. He then began working with the Stur-Gav sound system. In late-2019, Trees suffered numerous strokes that has hindered his vocal performance (specifically vocal-cord paresis).Loop News (2020), " Rebel Salute 2020: General Trees makes return to stage after stroke", Loop News, 18 January 2020.
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