A boat parade, a street parade and a sports festival are all part of the offering on Independence Day as Treasure Beach in St Elizabeth launches its grand celebration of Jamaica 60 in its own unique way. And chief cook and bottle washer is none...
A spectacular showcase featuring a never-before-seen 300-drones will be one of the main highlights of this year’s Independence Grand Gala, which will be held at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday, August 6. Minister of Culture, Gender,...
“I feel great! Feeling more than elated. Super proud, super blessed. I am not surprised because I know the type of child she is,” a beaming Ras Ghandi told The Gleaner on Monday night after his daughter, Velonique Bowen, took the 2022 Jamaica...
Rev Dr Devon Dick made his feeling clear about Skillibeng’s Whap Whap song on Sunday morning during the ecumenical church service for Jamaica 60, which was held at the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. Dick, host pastor at the church, was...
The moment that Sacaj’s Nuh Weh Nice Like Yard was announced as the winner of the 2022 Festival Song Competition last Thursday night, the entire National Indoor Sports Centre erupted in celebration. The audience was out of their seats and jostling...
Christopher Meredith, one of reggae music’s most prominent bass players, passed away on Wednesday in Miami, Florida, his son Chrissano confirmed to The Gleaner. Meredith said that his 54-year-old father took ill on Father’s Day and had been...
Always referred to as “a songbird”, Mary Isaacs can also recall hearing herself being spoken of as “the white girl who does reggae”, but she refuses to be thrown off course by such oblique references. Isaacs, who has been playing the reggae game...
Bob Marley’s iconic reggae ballad No Woman No Cry is prominently featured in the official teaser for the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, and, after amassing more than 18 million views in two days, it is being hailed as “the best trailer...
Pier 1 in Montego Bay was the place to be last Thursday night as five big bad sounds vied for the coveted Reggae Sumfest Global Sound Clash title. At the end of the night, Bass Odyssey was left standing, having demolished all “dibby dibby tin pan...
At the end of what was arguably the biggest ambush in Sting’s history, Merciless walked away with the spoils, having annihilated a fearsome trio of Ninjaman, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man in the year 2000. Years later Bounty Killer called it his “...
‘Nothing happens before the right time’ neatly sums up reggae singer Sanchez’s reaction to the announcement by the culture ministry that he is one of two recipients of the prestigious Jamaica Music Icon Award, which will be presented on...
The music industry has been plunged into mourning following the sudden death of veteran deejay Leonard ‘Merciless’ Bartley. Reports are that the 51-year-old deejay was found on Tuesday afternoon face down inside a motel in St Andrew. The deejay,...
On-the-rise entertainer Sacáj sees herself as one of the vibrant, new faces of music and is determined to engrave her name among the greats. Her first huge step towards that goal is the Jamaica Festival Song Competition, a showcase which has...
Two of dancehall’s favourite female veterans, Tanya Stephens and Patra, are doing what some would call the unthinkable. Totally dismissing annoyances like ageism and sexism, they are celebrating getting older with a spate of lyrics that couldn’t be...
On Friday morning, two attorneys-at-law representing dancehall superstar Andre ‘Popcaan’ Sutherland held a press conference to update the media on the legal steps they have taken to clear the name of their client, whose reputation they say has been...
It will go down in history as the Festival Song Competition that nearly wasn’t, but that was almost totally forgotten when the 10 songs were unveiled with a flourish to the media at a Zoom press conference on Thursday. With 20 days to go until the...
In an industry where names are everything, a name like Lawgiver the Kingson from Kingston is a lot of things – a mouthful, a conversation piece, and even fodder for the always-hungry trolls. But for Oneil Phoenix, who was born in Kingston, his name...
Looking as if they shared a secret which they had a hard time keeping to themselves, the incomparable and always-fabulous Myrna Hague and the illustrious Jimmy James, seated side-by-side and holding hands, opened last Saturday’s concert at the...
Kevin ‘Sanchez’ Jackson, simply put, is the singer’s singer. Blessed with a voice that has oft been described as “golden”, Sanchez is as adept at smoothly hitting the highest note on the scale as he is at riding a precarious dancehall ‘riddim’ like...
An incredible milestone that has been achieved by few film festivals in Jamaica is how Dr Olivene Burke, executive director, Mona Social Services/UWI Community Film Project, hailed the 10th anniversary of GATFFEST. The Caribbean’s largest community...
Veteran singer Tinga Stewart, who has been ailing from a debilitating illness that doctors have not been able to diagnose, surprised many at the thanksgiving service for his wife, Andrea, which was held at the New Life Assembly of God Church on...
The children of dancehall legend Rodney ‘Bounty Killer’ Price were only too happy to share in their father’s big 50th birthday at the party in downtown Kingston at Digicel Headquarters parking lot on Sunday. His son, Javar, who is very rarely seen...
Any conversation surrounding the great OG (original) bad boys of reggae music must include names like Junior Byles, whose Beat Down Babylon provoked the ire of Babylon; Inner Circle, whose Bad Boys mega hit needs no introduction; Freddie McGregor,...
In celebration of its 60th anniversary this year, the Soroptimist International of Jamaica, Kingston Club, will stage a special ‘Classics in June’ showcase on June 16, under the patronage of Ambassador of France to Jamaica Olivier Guyonvarch and...
Renowned artistic director Trevor Nairne was the person with the most names at Jambiz International – among them ‘Trevs’, ‘Nears’, ‘Missa Nears’, ‘Missa Muir’, ‘Trevorn’ and ‘Bossie’ – and he answered to all 10 of them “with a smile”. Such was the...
