Roy Rayon and friends to rock Ranny Williams Centre

FOUR-TIME FESTIVAL Song winner and popular entertainer Roy Rayon and some of his friends will be singing and playing up a musical storm on Sunday, July 14 at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in St Andrew, in a show called 64/45.

For $5,000, patrons will be entertained by Rayon himself, Fab 5 band, with whom he has been singing for many years; the dynamic show-stopping songbird, Gem Myers; the inimitable Amina Blackwood-Meeks; Festival Song winners ‘Nazzle Man’ and Everton Pessoa; and special guest, world-renowned saxophonist Dean Fraser.

Roy Rayon is well known for four memorable Festival Songs, viz, Lover Fever (1985), Give Thanks and Praises (1987), Come Rock (1991) and 2008’s Rise and Shine. Another one come, not a Festival song, was another big hit. Only Eric Donaldson, with seven wins, has won more Festival Song competitions than Rayon, who was born in Westmoreland in 1959, but moved to Kingston at age 16.

Apart from his Festival Songs, Rayon is known for his dynamism and versatility, gracing the stage for a plethora of different events. And, what can patrons expect to get from the man who has been in show business for over four decades on Sunday? He is 65 years old this year, and has been entertaining for 45 years, thus the 65/45 moniker.

“So, basically, my part of the show is going to highlight what I’ve done over the years, also to show off to the audience another side of Roy Rayon, material that they probably knew or didn’t know that I do, and also material that they don’t know at all. So, that’s basically it, celebrate life,” Rayon shared with The Gleaner. “As it relates to the other performers, it’s going to be top, top entertainment.”

Originally, the show was slated to be held on July 7 in the lecture room at the Institute of Jamaica, under which the Jamaica Music Museum is managed. Part of the gate proceeds will go towards assisting the said museum in its acquisition of musical artifacts.

“Jamaica Music Museum is part of the mandate to protect our musical heritage. There are artifacts out there that they want to maintain, to restore, also they would want to acquire, but there is going to be a cost. It’s about supporting a cause that is going to be there for years,” Rayon explained.

Tickets are available at Fab 5 headquarters, 11 Springvale Avenue, and Music Mart, both in Kingston 10. Meet-and-greet is at 5 p.m., and, at 6 p.m., MC Elaine Wint will hit the stage to master the proceedings until the end.