Sierra Nevada World Music Festival 2023

Sierra Nevada World Music Festival 2023 3 day tickets & camping on sale now: bit.ly/snwmftix More information: snwmf.com Established in 1994!

Jah Shaka: dub and reggae pioneer at the helm of London sound system culture has died

Dub and reggae pioneer Jah Shaka has died, according to social media posts from close friends and collaborators. His precise age and the cause of death have not been disclosed. The singer, producer and label owner also known as Zulu Warrior was at the helm of sound system culture in London, releasing some of the scene’s most seminal records and spearheading the influential Jah Shaka Sound System, which he began operating and touring in the 1970s. Read more HERE

Micah Shemaiah - Run Things 2023

SUGAR MINOTT - The People Have To Know [1979]

RONNIE DAVIS - Never Leave You [1975]

SNWMF 2018

The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival is pleased to announce that Steel Pulse, Tarrus Riley, Teddy Afro, Dread Mar I, Protoje, MAX ROMEO, Romain Virgo, Flavia Coelho and ALIKA & NUEVA ALIANZA have all been added to our 25th annual summer solstice & world peace celebration. Come celebrate with us! snwmf2018.eventbrite.com

Beats of the Heart (Reggae Documentary-1977) Full Length 52mins

HUGH MUNDELL - Jacqueline [1982]

Mark Tyson - Thank You Jah

Rita Marley hospitalised

KINGSTON, Jamaica — OBSERVER ONLINE has been reliably informed that Rita Marley, widow of reggae superstar Bob Marley, has been admitted to a Miami hospital after suffering a major stroke in the United States city last night. Sources have informed the Observer that Marley is in Miami to attend an event, but her appearance has been cancelled. It is understood that she had suffered a stroke before, but this is considered the most serious and members of the family have been tight-lipped about her condition, but have been closely monitoring her condition. Seventy-year-old Marley, born Alpharita Anderson in Santiago de Cuba in July 1946, is the mother of three of Bob’s 13 children — David (Ziggy), Cedella and Stephen. She married Bob in 1966.

Edwin Countryman Lothan star of the 1982 film Countryman dies.

The fisherman-turned-actor passed away at home in Hellshire, St Catherine, on Sunday. He was 70. Countryman became a household name following the release of the cult classic of the same name, written and directed by Dickie Jobson and produced by Chris Blackwell. Jobson, who died last year, said in an interview he first met Countryman in the 1970s when he was a fisherman living on the beach in Hellshire — a beach which was only accessible by boat. He remarked he was struck by his incredible sense of humour and wisdom.

RIP Prince Buster

Regarded as Jamaica's first international musical legend, Cecil Bustamente Campbell hailed from Kingston,, having been born on Orange Street – now known as the heart and soul of Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae. The records that Prince Buster released in the 1960s – such as I Feel the Spirit and Fly Flying Ska – set a blueprint for ska and rocksteady anthems to come and had a profound influence on the UK music scene of the 1970s / 80s – primarily Coventry's 2-Tone ska label, home of The Specials and The Selecter. Madness originally covered Buster's 1963's B-side Madness on the 2-Tone label and recorded a tribute to Campbell called The Prince in 1979. The 1960s were prolific for Campbell not only for the songs released but also for his production work on Oh Carolina by the Folkes Brother in 1960. The year 1964 saw a heavyweight meeting between Campbell and boxer Muhammad Ali, who invited him to attend a Nation of Islam talk in Miami, and in 1967 The Prince had a huge top 40 hit in the UK with the single Al Capone. Campbell returned to the UK charts in 1998 with his song Whine and Grine, which was used in a Levi's advert. Tweets came in from fans and industry figures alike, including DJ Rob Da Bank and reggae mainstay David Rodigan, who said: "It is with great sadness that I have just learned of the death of Jamaica's music icon and pioneer, Prince Buster. A true music legend".

Hopeton Lewis - The Godfather of Rock Steady

Late in 1966, Hopeton Lewis played a significant role in transforming Jamaica's musical landscape with a series of singles that pioneered the new rock steady sound. Over the next decace, he cut a series of superior records for Federal, WIRL, Treasure Isle, Dynamic Sounds and Techniques Records before finally moving into gospel music - a style that was to dominate his output for the remainder of his singing career. To read more about Hopeton's successful and hugely influential career, while enjoying some of his most significant secular recordings, simply click here or on the Artists link at the top of the homepage, then scroll down the alphabetically-ordered list of names until you reach 'Hopeton Lewis'. via trojanrecords.com

10 Things You Didnt Know About Tenor Saw

Clive Bright, aka Tenor Saw, is generally regarded as one of the greatest voices of the dancehall era. Like too many artists from this period in Jamaica, Tenor Saw died at a young age, his lifeless body discovered on the side of a Houston, Texas freeway in 1988. 1. Tenor Saw, who honed his unique voice singing in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, recorded his first single “Roll Call” in 1984. A religious song sung over the “Queen Majesty” riddim, the single was produced by George Phang and released on the Powerhouse label. 2. Tenor Saw sought out Sugar Minott, whose Youthman Promotion sound was the ruling sound, by throwing rocks at his house until Minott came out to confront him. According to Minott, Saw apologized and said “bwoy Fadda, a long time me a try yuh nuh and mi cyaan get nobody fi listen mi.” Their friendship started right there in front of Minott’s house. 3. Tenor Saw’s biggest break came in 1985 when he followed Minott to Jammy’s studio in Waterhouse so that Minott could voice over a dubplate of Jammy’s Sleng Teng riddim. The dubplate is made to contain 4-tracks, two on the A-side, and two on the B-side. Minott voiced three tracks and invited Tenor Saw to voice the fourth. The result was “How Water Walk Go A Pumpkin Belly.” The title was eventually shortened to “Pumpkin Belly” and was Tenor Saw’s first big hit. 4. Tenor Saw’s stellar “Victory Train” anthem was arranged and co-produced by Freddie McGregor. It was released as a 12″ in 1985 on the Black Victory label. 5. Tenor Saw’s biggest hit was “Ring The Alarm,” which he voiced over the Stalag 17 riddim. 1985 was the year of a legendary four-way clash between Minott’s Youthman Productions, Prince Jammy’s crew, the Black Scorpio sound system, and the Arrows crew. Tenor Saw made dancehall history when he deconstructed the opposing sound and jumped to the stage to declare “Ring the alarm, another sound is dying.” 6. According to Minott, Tenor Saw was most interested in singing conscious lyrics and that the “bad bwoy” songs were usually written strictly for the sound clashes. 7. Success in Jamaica sent Tenor Saw to the U.S. in 1987, where he toured extensively with Freddie McGregor. Rumors started circulating about Tenor Saw’s excessive cocaine use and unraveling mental state. 8. In 1988, Tenor Saw was signed to RAS Records by label chief Doctor Dread. They got to work on a new album immediately. The Roots Radics were brought into Lion and Fox Studios in Washington, D.C. to lay down the riddims. When it came time to voice the riddims, Tenor Saw could not be found. He never resurfaced and those riddims were eventually voiced by Yellowman at Lion and Fox Studios for the album Yellowman Rides Again, which was released in 1988. 9. On October 26, 1988 the Jamaica Gleaner reported that Tenor Saw had been shot and killed in New York City after a domestic dispute. What the paper did not know at the time was that Tenor Saw was killed two months earlier in August 1988. His body was found on the side of a road with the official cause of death determined as a case of hit and run. However, after performing an autopsy, the Houston medical examiner listed his cause of death as pneumonia. Others insist to this day that he was murdered. 10. As Rick Sawyer points out in The Tragedy of Tenor Saw “’Ring the alarm, another sound is dying’ was meant as taunt, but, in retrospect, it sounds like Tenor Saw’s epitaph.” posted April 21, 2014 by Midnight Raver Reggae Archives

RIP Tenor Fly

Tenor Fly was a British singer, rapper and freestyler, who rose to prominence in the ragga movement of the early 1990s.

Born Jonathan Sutter, Fly had been a member of Freestylers and has worked as a solo artist. Fly had been active in the music business since 1988, and was best known for his work with other artists, such as Rebel MC, Top Cat, Barrington Levy and Sir Coxson Sound. Fly died suddenly on 17 June 2016.