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<span style="font-weight: bold">February is Reggae Month in Jamaica. Tidbits Tuesday continues its recognition of great moments in reggae with a look at the Junior Murvin song, Police and Thieves. </span>
In 1976, Junior Murvin was a lounge singer in his native Portland when he cut Police And Thieves, a song that would become his career statement.
Police And Thieves was <span style="font-weight: bold">produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry at his Black Ark studio </span>in St Andrew and <span style="font-weight: bold">featured musicians like Boris Gardner on bass and drummer Mikey 'Boo' Richards</span>.
The song was a breakthrough for Murvin who previously recorded for producers Derrick Harriott and Sonia Pottinger. It was a hit in Jamaica and the United Kingdom where it was released by Island Records in 1977.
Police And Thieves entered the British Top 20 chart and <span style="font-weight: bold">was a rallying cry at the 1977 Notting Hill Carnival.</span>
<span style="font-weight: bold">British authorities, fearing the song would inspire rioting by rebellious youth, banned the song from radio.</span>
Police And Thieves was discovered three years later by influential British punk group, The Clash, and by Boy George in 1998. The Boy George version also entered the British national chart.
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