Lover’s rock: the story of reggae’s Motown In 1979, Janet Kay’s piercing falsetto was one of the defining sounds of the summer. Silly Games, her bittersweet ode to a faltering relationship, enjoyed heavy radio play, thanks in part to a subtle arrangement by songwriter/producer Dennis Bovell, a distinctive drum pattern from Aswad’s Angus Gaye and [...]

‘Do not rush to judge’ – New York gets behind Denroy Morgan during legal woes Last week Thursday, New Yorkers woke up to the shocking news that beloved reggae artiste and hit machine Denroy Morgan, 66, had been arrested in the Bronx, New York and charged for possession of some 25 pounds of marijuana. ‘NYPD [...]

Catch music-heavy documentary Le Premier Rasta Le Premier Rasta could be Rastafarianism 101 for people whose knowledge of it doesn’t go much beyond dreadlocks, ganja and Bob Marley. The first Rasta of the title is Jamaican Leonard Percival Howell (1898-1981). Howell was the first to say that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I was the Messiah [...]