Bunny Lee grew up in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston, where his father was a shoemaker. Lee began his career working as a record plugger for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label in 1962, later performing the same duties for Leslie Kong. He then moved on to work with Ken Lack, initially in an administrative role, before taking on engineering duties. Lee then moved into producing (i.e. financing) records himself, his first hit record coming with Roy Shirley's "Music Field" on WIRL in 1967. Lee then set up his own Lee's label, the first release being Lloyd Jackson's "Listen to the Beat". He produced further hits during 1967–68 by Lester Sterling and Stranger Cole, Derrick Morgan, Slim Smith and The Uniques ("My Conversation"), Pat Kelly, and The Sensations, establishing him as one of Jamaica's top producers. Between 1969 and 1972 he produced classic hits including Slim Smith's "Everybody Needs Love", Max Romeo's "Wet Dream", Delroy Wilson's "Better Must Come", Eric Donaldson's "Cherry Oh Baby", and John Holt's "Stick By Me".
Lee was a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to the Palmer Brothers (Pama) and Trojan Records in the early 1970s.
The mid-1970s saw Lee work with his most successful singer, Johnny Clarke, as well as Owen Gray and Cornell Campbell, and along with Lee "Scratch" Perry, he broke the dominance of Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid. This era also saw the emergence of the "flying cymbal" sound on Lee's productions, developed by drummer Carlton 'Santa' Davis, with Lee's session band, The Aggrovators.
Lee was instrumental in producing early dub music, working with his friend and dub pioneer King Tubby in the early 1970s. Lee and Tubby were experimenting with new production techniques which Lee described as "implements of sound." Working with equipment that today would be considered primitive and limiting, they produced tracks that consisted of mostly the rhythm parts mixed with distorted or altered versions of a song.
With all the bass and drum ting now, dem ting just start by accident, a man sing off key, an when you a reach a dat you drop out everything an leave the drum, an lick in the bass, an cause a confusion an people like it...
Lee encouraged Tubby to mix increasingly wild dubs, sometimes including sound effects such as thunder claps and gunshots. In addition to King Tubby, dub mixers Prince Jammy and Philip Smart also worked extensively on Lee's productions, with most of Lee's dubs from 1976 onwards mixed by Jammy.
In addition to dub sides and instrumentals, Lee would be one of the first producers to realise the potential of reusing the same rhythm tracks time and time again with different singers and deejays, partly out of necessity – unlike some of the other major producers Lee did not have his own studio and had to make the most of the studio time he paid for. The latter half of the 1970s saw Lee work with some of Jamaica's top new talent, including Linval Thompson, Leroy Smart, and Barry Brown.
By 1977 Joe Gibbs and Channel One Studios with the Hookim Brothers became "the place to be", reducing Lee's prominence. However, during the late 1970s Lee produced almost every deejay, notably Dennis Alcapone, U-Roy, I-Roy, Prince Jazzbo, U Brown, Dr Alimantado, Jah Stitch, Trinity, and Tapper Zukie. Most of these were quick productions, usually to classic Studio One or Treasure Isle riddims. The aim was to get deejay versions on the street quickly and were usually voiced at Tubby's studio in the Waterhouse district of Kingston. In the early 1980s, Lee purchased Gibbs' studio in Duhaney Park, and continued producing, albeit on a less prolific basis than in the 1970s.
In 1982 an episode of the Channel 4 documentary series Deep Roots was dedicated to Lee. Filmed in the control room of King Tubby's studio it included a lengthy conversation with him and some of the musicians he has worked with over the years including Delroy Wilson, Johnny Clarke, Prince Jazzbo and Jackie Edwards. It then shows Lee producing a dub while Prince Jammy mixes. The program has been released on DVD in January 2008.
Lee also produced the first album by a future star, a 10 year old called Beenie Man ("Live Contact").
In 2008 he was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music.
In 2013 a documentary film was released, I Am The Gorgon – Bunny 'Striker' Lee and the Roots of Reggae, directed by Diggory Kenrick, telling the story of Lee's life from childhood to the present, featuring U Roy, Dennis Alcapone, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly and Robbie, Johnny Clarke, John Holt and others.
In March 2015 a fire at Lee's Gorgon Entertainment Studio destroyed equipment with a value estimated by Lee at JA$100 million.
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Bunny Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I refuse to let you go,
If I have to beg, plead for your sympathy,
I don't mind 'cause you mean that much to me.
Ain't too proud to beg and you know it,
Please don't leave me girl,
Don't you go,
Please don't leave me, girl,
Don't you go.
Now I've heard a cryin' man
Is half a man with no sense of pride,
But if I have to cry to keep you,
I don't mind weepin' if it'll keep you by my side.
Ain't too proud to beg and you know it,
Please don't leave me girl,
Don't you go,
Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby,
Please don't leave me, girl,
Don't you go.
If I have to sleep on your doorstep all night and day
Just to keep you from walking away,
Let your friends laugh, even this I can stand,
'cause I wanna keep you any way I can.
Ain't too proud to beg and you know it,
Please don't leave me girl,
Don't you go,
Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby,
Please don't leave me, girl,
Don't you go.
Now I've got a love so deep in the pit of my heart,
And each day it grows more and more,
I'm not ashamed to call and plead to you, baby,
If pleading keeps you from walking out that door.
Ain't too proud to beg and you know it,
Please don't leave me girl,
Don't you go,
Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby,
Please don't leave me, girl,
Don't you go.
Bunny Lee's song Ain't Too Proud To Beg is about a man who doesn't want his girlfriend to leave him. He is so in love with her that he is willing to beg and plead for her not to go. He is not afraid to express his vulnerability, even if it means he has to cry or sleep on her doorstep. He knows that his love for her is deep, and each day it grows more and more.
The lyrics of this song reflect a common theme in love songs: the fear of losing someone you love. It also highlights the importance of expressing your emotions and vulnerability in a relationship. The man in the song is not too proud to beg for love, and he knows that losing his girlfriend would be a significant loss.
The chorus of the song repeatedly declares that the man is not too proud to beg and plead for his girlfriend not to leave. It's a powerful statement that shows how much he values the relationship. The song's melody is upbeat and catchy, making it an enjoyable tune to listen to.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you wanna leave me,
I am aware that you intend to depart from me,
But I refuse to let you go,
However, I am not willing to let you leave,
If I have to beg, plead for your sympathy,
If it is necessary for me to beg and plead for your understanding,
I don't mind 'cause you mean that much to me.
I am okay with that because you are very important to me.
Ain't too proud to beg and you know it,
I am not too ashamed to plead, and you are aware of that fact,
Please don't leave me girl,
I appeal to you not to leave me, my dear,
Don't you go,
Please, do not walk away,
Now I've heard a cryin' man
I have heard that a man who cries,
Is half a man with no sense of pride,
is not a complete man and is considered to lack dignity,
But if I have to cry to keep you,
But if my tears will keep you with me,
I don't mind weepin' if it'll keep you by my side.
I do not mind shedding tears if that is what it takes to have you close to me.
If I have to sleep on your doorstep all night and day
If it is imperative for me to spend my days and nights at your doorstep,
Just to keep you from walking away,
Just to ensure that you do not leave me,
Let your friends laugh, even this I can stand,
I can tolerate your friends' mockery,
'cause I wanna keep you any way I can.
because I am determined to keep you by my side, whatever it takes.
Now I've got a love so deep in the pit of my heart,
I have a deep and profound love in the depths of my heart,
And each day it grows more and more,
And every day, my love for you grows stronger and stronger,
I'm not ashamed to call and plead to you, baby,
I am not embarrassed to call and plead with you, my dear,
If pleading keeps you from walking out that door.
If my pleading persuades you not to leave me.
Ain't too proud to beg and you know it,
I am not too proud to beg, and you are aware of that fact,
Please don't leave me girl,
My dear, please do not depart from me,
Don't you go.
Please, do not leave me,
Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby,
I am not too ashamed to plead with you, darling, darling,
Please don't leave me, girl,
My dear, do not leave me,
Don't you go.
Please, remain with me and do not go away from me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NORMAN WHITFIELD, EDWARD JR. HOLLAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind