Carlene Davis Releases "Christmas Inna Trench Town"

Located in the heart of Kingston’s so-called garrison communities, Trench Town was once the home of numerous reggae artists, the most famous being Bob Marley. It has inspired many songs, the latest being Christmas Inna Trench Town by Carlene Davis.

daviscaCarlene DavisCo-produced by Davis, her husband Tommy Cowan, Fitzroy “Dave” Green and Courick Clarke, the song resulted from the numerous visits she and Cowan have made to Trench Town in the past 25 years, to do community work.

“Our time spent in Trench Town over the years and doing ministry most definitely has inspired all of us who worked on the production, from the musicians, the graphic artist, our studio engineers. Trench Town is the birthplace of reggae and rock steady music, home to so many of Jamaica's legendary singers,” said Davis.

She salutes several of the artists who once lived there in Christmas Inna Trench Town, including Marley, Alton Ellis and Delroy Wilson. They helped put the working-class neighborhood on the map with songs like Trench Town Rock and Dance Crasher.

One of Davis’ best known songs is the Yuletide anthem, Santa Claus (Do You Ever Come to The Ghetto) which was released in 1981. Written by Cowan, it was inspired by the lack of Christmas cheer in Jamaica’s inner-city communities, known as garrisons because of their rabid allegiance to the Jamaica Labour Party and People’s National Party, the country’s two major political parties.

Davis, a committed Christian for over 30 years, says Christmas Inna Trench Town came naturally.

“When Dave sent Tommy the rhythm and asked him to write a Christmas song for Trench Town, I've never seen my husband move so fast, he got so inspired and started writing that same evening and before he went to bed, he presented me with the lyrics and said, ‘it’s your turn to work out the melody’. Christmas Inna Trench Town, it’s all about timing,” she stated.