by RICKY JORDAN
and DAVANDRA BABB

THE 'GENERAL' is once againthe Road March King.

With his hit song In The Middle Of The Road, Edwin Yearwood beat out Mikey with
I In Dat and Red Plastic Bag with Something Happening into second and third
place respectively in the Tune Of The Crop competition.

With his win, Edwin earned the top prize of $7 500, Mikey won $5 000 and Red Plastic Bag took home $2 000.

In The Middle Of The Road, produced by Monstapiece Productions, was indeed the song for the day, as its infectious hookline could be heard from the trucks of every
single band from the National Stadium along the route to the Spring Garden Highway.

Revellers showed their appreciation, dancing and jumping energetically to the sweet rhythm, accentuated by the repetitious "in de . . . in de . . . in de middle o' de road" that heightened their anticipation.

Edwin, who also won the title last year with Handle Yuh Business, "mashed up" the road with his live performance of In The Middle Of The Road.

Performing with the Lime-Contact band, he instructed revellers how to "wuk up" in the middle of the road, much to their approval.

When the results were given out, most of those on Spring Garden applauded as the krosfyah lead singer and the only calypsonian to win three crowns in one season (1995), said he was thrilled by the song's success.

"It's a wonderful feeling . . . a great feeling knowing you're not competing
in the Party Monarch and other competitions and yet the people are still supporting
your music," he told the DAILY NATION.

Describing the second and third-placed songs as "brilliant", he added: "Bag's song is a powerful song, and I can only feel good placing before it."