Jamaican-born reggae artist Ras Midas has found a home in Santa Cruz Among the many Santa Cruzes in the world is a town in southwestern Jamaica, close to the ocean, adjacent to rich agricultural lands and at the foot of the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains. When reggae singer Ras Midas came back to Jamaica after [...]
The hard task of aiming to please Drawing for the right song to hit the musical target at weekly, sometimes nightly, events is a hard task for any selector. Keeping ahead of the crowd with a catalogue of new music, finding dubs to spread your name and driving a party to its height is but [...]
‘High Priest’ remembered Roy Shirley, the theatrical singer known as the High Priest of Reggae, has died. An entry on the Trojan Records website said Shirley passed away last week in Britain. No cause, or date of death, was given.
Beres at his best Despite intermittent and at times heavy rainfall, patrons came out in their numbers for the second international night of Reggae Sumfest, a night which proved to be the most explosive of the three-day event. None of the artistes scheduled to make appearances failed to deliver, but it was the King of [...]
No parables from Tarrus Riley – Singer clear on ambition, desire To say that music is in Tarrus Riley’s blood is an understatement. Being the son of famed reggae vocalist Jimmy Riley (of Love and Devotion fame) may well have given him the music bug. But the rising reggae crooner admits that it wasn’t actually [...]
King of the dancehall indeed Beenie Man proved that he is really the king of the dancehall when he took the stage on Dancehall Night at Reggae Sumfest, held at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay on Thursday. Dapperly dressed in white, he came on stage amidst loud screams of appreciation from the [...]
Reggae CDs Under German Scrutiny for Anti-Gay Lyrics The homophobic lyrics of several Jamaican reggae musicians has moved the German government to consider blacklisting them and restrict their sales and distribution. The CDs by Elephant Man and T.O.K. could be put on the “Index of Harmful Materials,” which, while it would not censor the materials [...]
Jamelody chooses reggae over soca Trinidad is known mostly for soca music, but this is not the route along which Jamelody wanted to make his musical trod. Instead, it is reggae. Jamelody, whose real name is Michael Williams, is from Port of Spain, Trinidad. He said he was hardly exposed to carnival and soca music.
What’s Ianspotting? Good Question Somewhere out there is a guy named Ian who probably doesn’t know he inspired the naming of the latest of Kingston’s sterling bands. Ianspotting is the brainchild of Shaun Weima, who also played in the popular local bands Reno’s Hitmen and Mystic Caravan.
A Hasidic State of Mind There’s a strong push within mainstream music to categorize recording artists and stick them in a box. Case in point — take a look at New York-based reggae chanter Matisyahu, and he seems easy enough to classify. With a big religious beard, Hasidic attire, and pale skin, the fact that [...]