Grange: Independence honour for Derrick Morgan and Sanchez

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced that Jamaican music stalwarts Derrick Morgan and Kevin 'Sanchez' Jackson will be honoured at the Grand Gala on Independence Day, August 6, at the National Stadium.

They will be presented with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport's Music Icon Award for their sterling contribution to the popularity of Jamaican music on the world stage.

“As a nation, it is important that we celebrate the achievements of our troubadours who have worked tirelessly to help put Jamaica on the world map,” said Minister Grange.

“Derrick is among the elite group of artistes who has dominated from the eras of ska and rocksteady and continues to make an impact to this day. We must always remember that in 1962 Derrick gave us 'Forward March', a song which celebrates a significant milestone in our history, Jamaica's independence from Britain.”

Grange continued, “Sanchez has a voice that is incomparable. He has remained on top of his game internationally and it is not surprising that he has excelled in both the secular and the gospel arenas. 

We are extremely pleased to honour them as we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.” 

The presentation of the Jamaica Music Icon Award has become one of the highly anticipated features of the annual Grand Gala. 

Derrick Morgan and Sanchez will join an impressive list of recipients, who include Jimmy Cliff, Marcia Griffiths, Freddie McGregor, Strangejah Cole, Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley, Toots Hibbert and Richie Stephens.

Foundation artiste, Derrick Morgan, has enjoyed a storied career, which has seen him being the only artiste to ever fill the slots from one to seven on the Jamaican pop chart. Among those hits were 'Don't Call Me Daddy', 'In My Heart', 'Be Still' and 'Meekly Wait and Murmur Not'.

Morgan had a major success in 1962 with 'Forward March'. 

He has also written several songs that have won the Jamaica Festival Song Competition for other artistes, including 'Jamaica Whoa', 'Fi Wi Island A Boom' and 'Progress'.

From an early age, Kevin 'Sanchez' Jackson sang on both the junior and senior choirs of the Rehoboth Apostolic Church in St Catherine. However, the former choir leader met new friends in high school and soon became a selector for the Rambo Sound system on which many of his close deejay colleagues also worked. 

By 1988 he was one of Jamaica's most popular singers, and at his performance at Reggae Sunsplash that year he was called back for six encores. He had further hits with 'Loneliness Won't Leave Me Alone' and with his version of Tracy Chapman's 'Baby Can I Hold You'. 

Sanchez has worked with several of Jamaica's top producers and has built an extensive discography of both secular and gospel favourites. His version of the gospel favourite, 'Amazing Grace', is a dancehall classic.

The global celebration of Jamaica 60, the Diamond Jubilee, is under the theme 'Re-igniting a Nation for Greatness'.

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