Archive for November, 2009

Toots brings authentic sounds to Tahoe

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Toots brings authentic sounds to Tahoe Calling Toots Hibbert’s music old-school reggae would be an understatement. He the inventor. Toots and the Maytals 1968 song “Do the Reggay,” was the first time the word defining the style of music was used in a recording.

Jah Works just keeps going on

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Jah Works just keeps going on

Is Jamaica losing reggae?

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Is Jamaica losing reggae? Few Jamaicans chart in Japan, US and Europe signalling, as pundits suggest, that international reggae doesn’t need Jamaica. The charts in Japan, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand, up to yesterday, had only one Jamaican-born artiste – Bob Marley – in the top ten. The US and France were also low at [...]

Ky-Mani Marley gets personal in autobiography

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Ky-Mani Marley gets personal in autobiography Although he is the son of music royalty, Ky-Mani Marley says life has not always been a bed of roses. The 33-year-old singer/actor tells his story in Dear Dad, his autobiography to be released February 6. Marley is best known for minor hit songs like Dear Dad and Warriors [...]

Beenie Man Dropped From Big Day Out

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Beenie Man Dropped From Big Day Out Jamaican dancehall MC Beenie Man has been dropped from the line-up of the Big Day Out Festival, which is due to begin touring Australia and New Zealand in January, after protests about homophobic lyrics penned by the performer. Beenie Man, as we have reported before, has struggled to [...]

Dancehall dawn

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Dancehall dawn The country’s reggae scene is thriving – and may finally be ready to hail its first star, writes Andrew Drever. Australia has yet to enjoy the emergence of its first home-grown reggae star. But with the increasing popularity of roots, reggae, dub and dancehall sounds in this country – especially here in Melbourne [...]

Echo Minott asks ‘What the Hell the Police Can Do?’

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

Echo Minott asks ‘What the Hell the Police Can Do?’ With a consistently high murder rate, guns coming in from Haiti on fast boats and a surprise police commissioner resignation, many a law-abiding Jamaican citizen may jut be asking, ‘What the hell the police can do?’ Doubtless many were asking the same thing in 1986. [...]

Reggae album sales plummet

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

Reggae album sales plummet It has not been a good year for Jamaican pop music. Sales tracker, SoundScan, reports that music buyers in the United States showed little interest in what Jamaican artistes had to offer in 2009. SoundScan has released sales figures to the end of October. It said, collectively, reggae/dancehall music sold just [...]

Ready steady Eddy

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Ready steady Eddy As if he hadn’t done enough performing of late, Eddy Grant is ready to roll once again Reggae rocker Eddy Grant is preparing to go on the road – again. The veteran performer is no stranger to performing, having spent much of last year doing just that. (Appearances at the Glastonbury and [...]

Blakk Rasta, Asem perform at Face of Ghana Holland 2009 grand finale

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Blakk Rasta, Asem perform at Face of Ghana Holland 2009 grand finale Ghana’s reggae music sensation Blakk Rasta has flown out of the country to Amsterdam to perform at the 2009 Face of Ghana Holland pageant grand finale. Blakk Rasta’s show follows a recent performance he did at Holland’s biggest reggae festival. Although the show [...]