Reggae singer Maxi Priest was in-studio editing on Tuesday when his phone started blowing up with congratulatory messages. At first, he wondered what on earth was going on. A subsequent call from his manager, Toby Ludwig, confirmed the good news....
In May of this year, OMI’s Cheerleader quietly clocked the one billion mark on YouTube, a great feat by any standard. Then in November, when song recognition app, Shazam, released its ‘Top 100 Most Shazamed Songs of All-time’ list, there was...
The importance of backup singers cannot be denied. One school of thought is that it is the backup singers who make a song sing. Often overlooked, they provide harmonies and vocals that complement the melody line performed by a lead singer, and are...
Back in January, weeks before the world as we knew it changed forever, Grammy award-winning United States singer John Legend released a ballad, another of those unconditional love ditties, which, on reflection, he must have been guided by a special...
A passion for dancehall music evolved into two friends, Jordan McClure and David Hayle, messing with beats, building riddims and muscling their way into the industry with what would eventually become known as Chimney Records. Both past students of...
Everybody knows that Merritone memories are forever, whether they take place in the real or the virtual world. The year 2020 is a big one for the sound system which the founders and followers agree has been “the vanguard of quality entertainment...
Veteran artiste Barry Biggs, who was the lead singer of pioneering Jamaican band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, is mourning the death of his former bandmate, Courtney Robb, who passed away last Friday in Florida. This most recent death is poignant...
After announcing that Grammy Award-winning reggae singer Buju Banton was one of the recipients of the 2020 Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards, the organisation seems to have had a change of heart and has rescinded the offer. “Our official...
Musician Courtney Robb, a former member of legendary Jamaican band, Byron Lee and The Dragonaires, has died in Florida. Frankie Campbell, chairman of the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artists and Affiliates (JAVAA) and bass player for Fab 5 band...
When the final chords of his extraordinary journey were played, guitarist Dalton Browne was elevated to the status of hero and his send-off was soaked with as much love and harmony as the humility that defined his existence. For his mother, Miss B...
In a social media-loving era, when many entertainers try to control the narrative by posting their stories on various platforms, Grammy award-winning entertainer Buju Banton has taken things a few steps further. Mark Myrie is editing his own...
As Profiles in History, the world’s largest auctioneer of Hollywood memorabilia, prepares for a two-day auction of James Bond souvenirs on Thursday and Friday, many 007 fans across the globe are taking strolls down memory lane. Among them are a...
An event utilising a slick play on words is set to unfold in the virtual space on Wednesday, November 11, and for those involved, it is a dream come true. Organised by the Jamaica Legion Poppy Appeal, the Veterans for Veterans concert will see...
Saxophonist Conrad ‘Sax Melody’ Pinnock, like many out-of-work musicians in the COVID-19 era, is adapting to the almost clichéd ‘new normal’ and he isn’t shy to talk about the fact that right now he is a kept man. In fact, he heaps praises on his...
The entertainment fraternity is in mourning following the death on Sunday of musician, Dalton Browne at the University Hospital of the West Indies. The 64-year-old musician had undergone a quadruple bypass surgery on Thursday, and family,...
The long-awaited date for the interment of the body of reggae legend Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert at National Heroes Park in Kingston was announced on the weekend. Toots will be laid to rest on Sunday, November 15, exactly one month after a...
In the world of musical achievements, a Billboard plaque is considered the barometer of international success, right next to the Holy Grail – the Grammy Award. Little wonder then that it is much sought after by record companies, artistes, producers...
Richard ‘Richie Mac’ McDonald, a former member of the popular seventies reggae group Chosen Few, passed away on Wednesday after a battle with cancer. President of the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artistes and Affiliates (JAVAA) Frankie Campbell...
Jamaican cinematographer Nile Saulter takes comfort in the fact that the local film industry is generally heading in what he calls “a beautiful direction”. The 34-year-old director, editor, and founding member of New Caribbean Cinema is on the cusp...
Godfrey ‘Bobby’ Anderson, the son of late, great, reggae singer and songwriter Bob Andy, said his father often used a line of American singer Frank Sinatra’s popular song My Way to describe his life’s journey. “My father would say that ‘like ole...
Ever since the passing of reggae pioneer Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, various members of his family and the entertainment fraternity have paid heartfelt tribute to the legend on multiple platforms. The most recent comes from his granddaughter,...
Music analyst Clyde McKenzie says the messaging of coronavirus (COVID-19) campaigns, both locally and globally, needs to be examined. This amid uproar over Buju Banton’s denouncement on social media of mask-wearing as one of the protocols...
Ever since the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), often referred to simply as the Recording Academy, announced the January 31, 2021 date for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, the music industry has been waiting impatiently for...
Mr Boombastic, Shaggy, has completed another trip around the sun, and the reggae and dancehall artiste is less concerned with ageing and more focused on longevity and the fact that he has found his purpose. In a recent interview with The Gleaner,...
For those who don’t know exactly what it means to be a water-baptised, Holy Ghost-filled, Zionist singer, the latest album, Jerusalem, by Kukudoo, the gospel artiste, gives a fairly good idea. Known for his signature revivalist style and his “Hai...
