It was fitting that trumpets, trombones and saxophones took centre stage and played in perfect harmony at last Tuesday’s thanksgiving service for pioneering Skatalites hornsman Lester ‘Ska’ Sterling, at the Holy Cross Catholic Church on Half-Way...
After being on the menu for the Fab 5 Band for more than 50 years, words like staple have been used to describe beloved drummer and musical arranger Grub Cooper. And then, somehow, the unthinkable happens — a divorce. The curious may ask, why...
African giant, Burna Boy, arrived in the island early last week as part of his ongoing birthday celebrations, which started on July 2 and surprised fans at popular weekly dance Weddy Weddy Wednesdays, where he was a hit. However, he had left many...
The thanksgiving service for Lester ‘Ska’ Sterling, a foundation member of The Skatalites, will be held at the Holy Cross Catholic Church, 77 Half-Way Tree Road, on Tuesday, July 18. The viewing will take place at 9:30 a.m., with musical tributes...
Singer Exco Levi has won Canada’s prestigious Juno Award as Reggae Artiste of the Year five times from a whopping 10 nominations; he has been awarded a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and is in demand for shows across North America and Europe. His...
On his social media pages, Rastafarian singer, Anthony B, describes himself as ‘The Most Controversial Reggae Artiste Ever’ and with good reason. From the early days of his career with the release of the controversial Fire Pon Rome to his...
Roots reggae singer Owen Knibbs’ story is a classic example of what one song can do. It was in 1987 that the then 19-year-old recorded his first single, Juggler, which was produced by his friend Leon Virgo. The producer gave the song to a...
It was in 1962 that Kenrick ‘Lord Creator’ Patrick recorded the song Independent Jamaica and it became one of the top songs marking the island’s independence from Britain on August 6, 1962. In 2022, on Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence,...
A reinterpretation of classics seems to be high on the things-to-do list of American DJ, record producer and emcee, DJ Cassidy. Having linked with multi-award winning reggae and dancehall artiste Shaggy and singer Rayvon for a reinterpretation of...
Award-winning writer, producer and actress, Dahlia Harris, is on a roll with her latest comedy revue, Jamaica Land We Love, which is scheduled to run from July to September at the Little Little Theatre, Arthur Wint Drive, St Andrew. Some of the...
On the eve of Canada Day celebrations in Jamaica last week Wednesday, the Jamaican-Canadian film When Morning Comes enjoyed its glitzy, international premiere at GATFFEST (Greater August Town Film Festival) in front of a full house of cast, crew,...
Considered by many to be a leading light in the gospel arena, Stronger singer Kevin Downswell has been working assiduously behind the scenes and is ready to unveil his album Grace, plus a bonus album, The Shift, on July 1. Last Wednesday, he...
With July 1, International Reggae Day (IRD), just around the corner, co-producer Lisa Ann O’Gilvie took the time to complete our Five Questions feature. IRD is an annual 24-hour hybrid global media festival, with events staged locally,...
The thanksgiving service for music industry stalwart Claudette Kemp, the manager for reggae artiste Capleton, will be held at the Boulevard Baptist Church, 2 Washington Boulevard, on Wednesday, July 19, starting at 2 p.m. In making the...
Graduations are always a milestone moment in one’s life, and artist Phillip Robinson can definitely relate. Having completed his four-year bachelor’s degree at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), the former security...
From a field of nine contestants, who all embodied the theme ‘The Jamaican Woman: Strong, Dignified, Creative’, Jhanielle Powell was last Saturday night crowned Miss Kingston and St Andrew Festival Queen at a well-attended event held at the Alfred...
Last Tuesday, dancehall artiste Suspense signed a three-year album and management deal with Savage Entertainment at the ROK Hotel in downtown Kingston. While the lyrically competent Suspense is well known, having been crowned Magnum Queen in 2017,...
He may be the king of warriors, but his songs reflect themes of love, commitment, humility, level-headedness and spiritual refreshing rather than fighting and war. Warrior King, however, easily explains what would seem to be an anomaly. He notes...
What is OCHO? If you ticked the box that said ‘Spanish word for eight’, then this time around you are not right. But, we will sweetly give you a scrumptious pass and tickle your taste buds with another OCHO. OCHO is chocolate and it comes with a...
Tributes are pouring in following the death last Friday of music industry stalwart, Claudette Kemp, long-time manager of reggae artiste, Capleton. Last Friday afternoon, some people in the fraternity received a WhatsApp message from Kemp’s family...
Eleven years after the release of his successful Jamaica 50 compilation, Tad Dawkins, founder and head of Tad’s Records, has assembled an eclectic array of artistes for his reggae album in tribute to Jamaica’s 61st year of Independence. Titled...
Within the reggae and dancehall space, songs glorifying the goodness of mothers – mama songs – are plentiful; however, the same cannot be said of songs paying tribute to fathers. But singer Althea Hewitt, in her quest to honour her own father and...
Kimmy Gold is perhaps not a name that is easily recognisable within the music ecosystem, but it certainly should be and the chants of “More Gold!” from the audience at her intimate album listening last Wednesday at Pon Top Bar and Grill on...
Singer, songwriter, model, actress, soccer star and former beauty queen are all titles which snugly fit Westmoreland-born, Florida-raised Racquel Service. However, the cape which she is wearing currently is decorated with musical notes, an...
Musician Lenford ‘Brutus’ Richards, who was the banjo player and at one time the band leader for famous mento group, The Jolly Boys, died suddenly last week Wednesday, shortly after collapsing at his home in Portland. He was 67. Richards’ widow,...
