Brushy One String: "I grew up on blues and reggae, so I fused the two and created my own thing!"

Brushy, you're widely known as the king of the one-string guitar, playing all your music on a single string. Let's start there: was that a deliberate artistic choice, or did it come out of necessity?
Brushy One String: "It all came to me in a vision when I was about 12 years old! I had a vision of a small man with a large guitar who handed it to me and told me I could play, but when I picked it up and looked at it, it had only one string. As I started to play, I noticed all kinds of animals gathering around me; alligators, ducks, bears, bees, you name it. At the end of the dream, the same man who had given me the guitar returned, handed me a donkey and a straw hat, pointed to a house on a hill, and told me I should live there. That's when I woke up. I went to my uncle's room and told him I'd had a vision of a one-string guitar, but he started cursing me, saying it was just a nightmare from eating too much the night before and that no such instrument existed. At the same time, his girlfriend burst out laughing and asked where the guitar was. I replied my guitar was broken, with only one string left, but she told me to play it anyway, saying dreams do come true sometimes. I picked up my guitar and went outside, practicing all day until I came up with a song. The rest is history, and here I am today, still playing my one-string guitar!"

Is the guitar you play on stage still that same one-string guitar we've been talking about, or have you since added other guitars to your collection?
Brushy One String: "No, I bought other guitars. The guitar from my vision is still at home. It's all broken up now, but I still keep it."

Since you play a one-string guitar, what happens if that single string snaps mid-performance? Do you have a backup ready, or does the show come to a halt?
Brushy One String: "I'm a good performer, so most times people won't even know if the string on my guitar has popped because I have them clapping to the songs or do a solo with just my voice. Most times I have two guitarists handy anyway. I'm always prepared!"

You're the son of the legendary Freddie McKay, who passed away when you were still very young. What are your memories of him?
Brushy One String: "He was always a well-dressed man, but even in the simplest moments he would break down in tears. He constantly struggled with work and not getting paid. When my mother went to see him for food or money, she often found him crying, saying that Coxsone wasn't paying him, that he had no money to feed his children, and that he felt like running away."

Your mother also had a career in music, though it's perhaps less well known as she worked as a backing singer with major artists like Tina Turner.
Brushy One String: "She definitely worked hard and stayed behind the scenes, always helpful, a September-born woman with a kind nature who loved music and dedicated her whole life to it. Even if she never quite reached where she wanted to be, she was always on stage."

At one point you met movie director Luciano Blotta, who made the 'Rise Up' documentary.
Brushy One String: "Yeah, we met in Jamaica. At the time I didn't have a job because hotel work was very slow, so I was out on the street with my friends, smoking some weed and just having a bit of fun. Suddenly I saw a white man coming up the road with a camera, so I said to him: "Hey, I'll sell you a song for $20!". He replied that everyone was trying to sell him something for $20 and asked if I could go cheaper. I told him I was broke and that the song could make him a lot of money. He moved on for a moment, but when I picked up my one-string guitar he asked if it could even play. I just started playing 'Chicken In The Corn'. He ended up giving me $40 and recorded the song. Three weeks later he called me to tell me the video had amassed 30,000 views on YouTube, and the rest is history!"

How did that whole thing blowing up change your life and your career? 
Brushy One String: "Well, for starters I am not paying rent anymore! (laughs) I bought a piece of land. I haven't built my house yet. I'm trying to fence it. And well, things are much better because I'm not begging anymore. A lot has changed!"

You just mentioned 'Chicken In The Corn'… To date the accompanying video to that song has gotten over 70 million views on YouTube. But for the few people who don't know it yet, what is it about?
Brushy One String: "Well, the song is about life itself. 'Chicken in the Corn' is about trying your best but getting nowhere. 'Chicken In The Corn' is about working hard but getting very little reward. 'Chicken In The Corn' is about trying your best with your girl just to get cheated on. 'Chicken In The Corn' is about trying to do good but being treated badly yourself. That's what 'Chicken In The Corn' stands for."

Your music goes beyond being just reggae. Can I describe it as "blue reggae", a blend of blues and reggae?
Brushy One String: "Definitely. I grew up on blues and reggae, so I fused the two and created my own thing."

For your 'No Man Stop Me' album (RiseUp Entertainment, 2017), you collaborated with several other musicians. What led you to make that choice, and why haven't they joined you on tour?
Brushy One String: " So far I've just been taking stock of how things are going, but I think it's time to step up my game and start touring with a band soon."

Listening to you, it's clear that much of your vision has already taken shape, but what dreams are still out there for you, and what would you still like to realize?
Brushy One String: "I don't think I've sung my best song yet. I'd also like to have a stab at becoming a movie star. As a kid I promised myself to go from the streets to the stage and from the stage to the screen. I've already made it to the stage, so I'd still like to make it to the screen."

Your style of music and the instrument you play seem perfectly suited for street performance. Do you ever take it to the streets and go busking?
Brushy One String: "When I was still living in the UK I used to go busking in the West End (of London, red.) a lot, yeah. The same when I was living in America with my aunt, and even when I was still in Jamaica. But since my career has taken off, I've kept away from playing in the streets."

To end on a more spiritual note, does the philosophy of Rastafari in any way influence your music and the way you write?
Brushy One String: "Yes, it's all about life for me. I like to sing about life, about Christ, and about the good things he does for me. I grew up both as a Christian and a Rasta. My grandmother was a revivalist and most of my uncles are Rastafari. That spiritual side has been in me long before I even understood it myself. I can't get rid of it; it's what I use to get by!"