Exclusive: Hear “The Gambler” From Reggae’s Gone Country

Some records you don’t see coming, such as VP and Warner Music Nashville’s Reggae’s Gone Country, a 14-track compilation of popular reggae artists shaking up country classics. Produced in part by John Rich of Big & Rich and featuring vocals by country music vet Larry Gatlin, the new disc (due August 30) was largely recorded at the famed Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica.

Bonafide brings a mixed bag

Reggae music has never been short of bands that are equally at home backing acts onstage or making hit songs of their own. The Bonafide band, reared in Montego Bay and based in Las Vegas, is the latest on that list.

The quintet is currently in Jamaica putting the finishing touches on their debut album, which will feature several collaborations with big names like Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley, Vybz Kartel, Etana and Busy Signal.

Peter Tosh: Reclaiming A Wailer

Bob Marley and the Wailers: The two names are practically inseparable. But in the years since they became the most prominent reggae band of all time, another name has diminished in history: Peter Tosh.

Tosh was a founding member of the Wailers, who went on to a rich solo career before his untimely death in 1987. Now his first two albums are being reissued with a wealth of bonus material, including rare demos and alternate versions of some of his best-known songs.

No Matter What the People Say, These Sounds Lead the Way

Jamaican culture has undeniably enriched London, and it is now impossible to imagine the city without the influence the generations of West Indians have had on it. The first islanders arriving on the Windrush, like all immigrants, brought their music and culture with them.

The calypso and Jamaican mento that arrived brightened up austere 1950s London, and subsequent generations brought ska and rocksteady, and later reggae and dub, and more recently the home-grown excitement of dubstep and grime. Jamaican music has become one of the biggest musical forces on the planet and nobody has done more to promote it to British audiences than the white middle-class boy from Oxfordshire, David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan.

Allen takes local music to virgin soil

T&T’s calypso music is reverberating at mainstream music festivals across the United States and former National Calypso monarch, Kurt Allen is the cultural champion on the frontline of this effort. He has a lucrative six-month deal secured by his US booking agent called Simon Says to do 75 shows in that part of North America. Apart from festivals, Allen would also perform at signature nightclubs, colleges and other civic performances and would take part in meet and greet sessions with influential record label executives from Warner Bros and Electra Records.

Buju turns to academics – Artiste pursuing master’s degree

As Buju Banton says goodbye to his freedom for what could be at least six years behind US prison walls for a drug conviction, the Rastafarian reggae artiste says he intends to spend his time seeking higher learning. Speaking exclusively with the Sunday Observer after his 10-year sentence was handed down in the Sam Gibbons Federal Court in Tampa, Florida last Thursday, Banton real name Mark Anthony Myrie said he was already attending classes inside the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa and planned to attain a master’s degree by the time his federal sentence is served.

Reggae star Buju Banton sentenced to 10 years in prison

Grammy-winning reggae star Buju Banton this morning was ordered to serve 10 years and one month in federal prison for conviction of cocaine trafficking.

The sentence could have been longer – a minimum of 15 years – had U.S. District Judge James Moody not granted a defense motion to dismiss a firearm charge because the singer did not have a gun during the crime, and the judge said Banton could not have known another conspirator had the weapon.

Buju Banton Sentenced to Ten Years For Cocaine Charge

Reggae star Buju Banton has been sentenced to 10 years in a United States federal prison for his conviction for conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine. In addition to the conspiracy charge, Banton was also found guilty of another drug trafficking offense and a gun charge.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge James Moody said that the 10-year sentence was the minimal allowed by federal guidelines. Banton’s attorney David Markus has requested that the Grammy-winning singer serve out his time in a prison near Miami in order to be close to his family.

Sizzla insists new singles aren’t aimed at Kartel & Beenie Man

Jamaican Reggae superstar, Sizzla Kalonji has publicly stated that two of his recent singles that have become YouTube sensations were not disses aimed two of Dancehall’s biggest names.

The singles, “Big 50 Calibah” & “Diss Rasta” were released last month; containing strong lyrics condemning skin bleaching & talking about the title of “King of Dancehall.” Both songs were considered by many as lyrical shots fired at Dancehall artistes, Vybz Kartel & Beenie Man respectively.

Stephen Marley defends his reggae roots

Stephen Marley, the second-eldest son of acclaimed reggae artist Bob Marley, has set out to prove to the media and music industry that “pure” reggae is still around. The Grammy Award-winning Jamaican artist just completed his third solo album, “Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life,” released May 24. Marley says he was inspired to produce a roots-reggae album after he read an article about how the genre was on a downward spiral. The album is his response that claim.

“It was me getting defensive and being, ‘What? OK, let’s go,’ ” he says.

In comparison with the “poppy” reggae promoted and played commercially, true reggae has integrity and is “the device of the oppressed people … and should always be upheld and defended,” he says.