What does the release of a new dancehall/reggae EP and the description “newly baptised Christian” have in common, other than the word ‘new’? Alicai Harley. The proud ‘yard gyal inna Britain’, born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in London,...
The body of legendary toaster Ewart ‘U-Roy’ Beckford will not lie in state at the National Arena as reported in some sections of the media, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport confirmed to The Gleaner. “There will not be a...
A snazzy play on words accompanied by the storied footprints in the sand of time are some of the elements that comprise the graphics for Calabash 2022, scheduled to be held from May 27 – 29. ‘For Word’, the theme for the Calabash International...
Total disbelief was the reaction from Jamaican reggae artiste Damion Darrel Warren, best known as 'Teacha Dee', when he was advised that his song, Rastafari Way, had been chosen for use in the new James Bond flick, No Time to Die. Rastafari Way was...
Birthday girl Carlene Davis is certainly festive as she pauses to celebrate her birthday today, and makes the point that somehow the birthdays of the women in the industry who are born in Reggae Month, February, are not acknowledged. But that...
The reggae-loving world awoke Thursday morning to the news of the death of pioneer and innovator, Ewart ‘Daddy U-Roy’ Beckford, the entertainer who took a simple sentence, “Wake the town and tell the people”, and transformed it into a rallying cry...
It was back in 1976 that reggae singer Max Romeo waged war against Lucifer with a song titled Chase the Devil, which was composed by him and respected producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. “Lucifer son of the mourning, I’m gonna chase you out of earth! I...
If you happen to see a Rastaman with locks reaching up to the sky, and it’s not David Hines from Steel Pulse, chances are it may very well be Blvk H3ro (pronounced Black Hero). The singer and songwriter readily admits that his conversation-starting...
Palace Amusement’s New Kingston Drive-In cinema will have to close its gates, at least until Ash Wednesday, as the new curfew hours announced by the Government are proving to be completely at odds with their schedule. “The picture scheduled to...
Despite Reggae Month 2021 being held against the background of a global pandemic which has forced the lockdown of the entertainment ecosystem for nearly one year, and with no signs of relief any time soon, as the number of COVID-19 positive cases...
In 1964, when the Jamaica Tourist Board and record label owner and producer Edward Seaga arranged for band leader, Byron Lee, to take a ska group to the New York World’s Fair to showcase Jamaica and its music, band manager Ronnie Nasralla was very...
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gramps Morgan released a “healing song”, People Like You. It was in May that he lost two persons who were very close to him, one of whom had succumbed to the coronavirus. That led Gramps to go in a friend...
Engineer Rorey Baker is beyond excited about being singled out by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) as one of the recipients of its 2021 Honour Awards. He will be officially handed his award at a ceremony scheduled for Sunday,...
For one hour on Tuesday, the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival held the attention of music industry players and sponsors as they used their official launch event to cement the festival’s return, after a five-year hiatus. All the various elements of...
The Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Honour Awards, the annual Reggae Month prestigious curtain-closer, will this year see 27 awards spread across 18 categories, as the organisation pays tribute to the stalwarts for their yeoman service...
While the music of reggae singer, Bobi Wine, is banned in his native Uganda and he is also not allowed to perform in the country, the artiste and politician is less concerned about that just now, as he fights for his life, while under house arrest...
With a Tuesday, January 19 deadline looming and 4,800 of the 6,000 signatures needed to get music icon Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals in the running for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the organisers of a petition are urging...
Autarchii (pronounced Aw-Tar-Chee), describes himself as a conscious reggae artiste whose mission is to elevate the mind of people through music. Quite focused on music as well as community service, he has a quaint way of painting the interaction...
Ugandan pop star-turned-politician Robert ‘Bobi Wine’ Kyagulanyi is scheduled to give the greatest performance of his life today, as Ugandans go to the polls to choose their president, and he is urging Jamaicans to continue showing their support...
A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist with the funeral expenses of veteran dancehall artiste, Sister Charmaine, who passed away last week in her sleep. The funeral is scheduled for this Saturday and the viewing takes place at the Crawford...
Producer Germaine ‘Blaqk Sheep’ Clarke had long ditched reggae in favour of dancehall, where he was convinced he had happily found his niche, turning out fast-moving projects which brought ultimate satisfaction. He earned his stripes for producing...
The year 2021 has started out with a bang for singer Nadine Sutherland, and at a time when the pandemic has reinforced life’s lessons on gratitude and the need to be constantly giving thanks to the Almighty for even the itsy-bitsy blessings, the...
From the spectacular launch event hosted at the Talk of the Town, Jamaica Pegasus, in December 2019, it was apparent that the stage was set for Reggae Month 2020 to be memorable. It was packaged as 29 days of live roots rocking reggae day and night...
Nearly one month after he allegedly hosted an illegal party in St Elizabeth, and was warned that he would be prosecuted, popular dancehall deejay Moses ‘Beenie Man’ Davis was served a summons to appear in the St Elizabeth Parish Court. “The summons...
Undoubtedly, there are some questions that are absolute no-brainers. When Little Theatre Movement (LTM) executive, Anya Gloudon-Nelson, was asked what she hopes 2021 will bring for theatre, her answer dropped even before the question sign: “That...
