Prominent Dancehall/Reggae superstar, Busy Signal has returned to the streets of Jamaica after serving his six month prison term in the United States on a charge of absconding bail. The popular entertainer, whose real name is Glendale Goshia Gordon arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Friday night. Busy Signal was met [...]
AARON Talbert, VP Records’ vice-president for Sales & Marketing, thinks the real problem for reggae music at the moment is its failure to produce a new superstar. “What’s happened to reggae is that we have not broken a new artiste since Sean Paul in 2002,” Talbert said to the Jamaica Observer at last Friday’s launch [...]
How did the brand, scourge of schoolchildren, become the music genre’s footwear of choice? A new book about this strange love affair explains why Kingston’s reggae stars regularly travelled to buy up the Somerset firm’s wares via Clarks, the shoes that tap to Jamaica’s reggae beat.
In the glorious eras of the 1980s and ’90s of reggae/dancehall music, there were various recording artistes who held major sway in the Jamaican music industry.Many of the artistes of the era were so good at their craft, that some music lovers will argue that local music was at its best in the ’80s and [...]
One of the most popular and controversial books documenting the life of late Jamaican Reggae legend, Bob Marley will hit the shelves for a second time in the New Year. Marley and Me: The Real Bob Marley Story has been scheduled for a February 2013 re-release by Kingston-based publishing house, LMH Publishing. The second edition [...]
Pop Quiz: What is the most successful reggae song in 2012? Who won the 2012 Grammy for best reggae album? Too many Jamaicans are not able to answer those questions correctly. Reggae music has come a long way since its inception in the 1960s but the evolution seems to be greeted with waning interest. It [...]
Half-way up the stairs to the fourth floor at The Gleaner’s North Street, Kingston, office, Jahmali responds to the standard query about his well-being with “great!” A few steps pass as he expands briefly that it is the best of musical times for him, a recent return from a performance in Bermuda part of the [...]
It was 38 years ago that Peter Tosh began work on Legalize It, the album that would become his career statement. American Lee Jaffe, one of the persons who helped him craft that set, pays tribute to the singer on Saturday with a photo exhibition in Los Angeles. Also titled Legalize It, it showcases some [...]
48 years ago yesterday, one of Dancehall’s patriarchs was born as Gerald ‘Bogle’ Levy began his journey towards becoming Jamaica’s most decorated dancer. Though controversy surrounded his life, Bogle graced the world with his slick moves, undeterred ego as well as an ability to wow a crowd at every turn with his feet. The works [...]
Boy, what a month! With the JA Jubilee celebrations still ringing in people’s ears a well-deserved congrats to Jamaica for breaking the world record in the relays and taking home gold, silver, and bronze at the London Olympics. Apparently the party hasn’t even started in Jamaica yet as they are still waiting for USAIN BOLT [...]