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