The second annual Big Ship Music Festival will be held on Saturday, July 3rd, at the Port Charlotte Fairgrounds in Florida (U.S.A). Florida is one of the few American State that is not under any covid-19 restrictions; it is business as usual there.
Some of the confirmed performers for this year’s Big Ship Music Festival are: Cocoa T, Anthony B, Chino, Etana, Perfect Giddimani, Mykal Rose, and of course Freddie McGregor. Backing band is Code Red; with additional music by Earthquake Sound, DJ Diamond and Felix Intl Sound.
The first annual ‘Tico Time Reggae Festival’ will be held on Thursday, May 13th, through Sunday, may16th, at the Tico Time River Resort in Aztec, New Mexico (20 miles from Durango, Colorado). It will feature three-days of both live reggae performances and dancehall sound-clashes.
Among the confirmed performers are: Perfect Giddimani, Dan Kelly of Fortunate Youth, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, Lion Heights, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Karim Israel of Arise Roots, Zeb from Tribal Seeds, Kash’d Out and many more.
In mid February, Reggae Vibes Music released a five-track reggae compilation featuring Turbulence, Singer J, Rufftop Rock I, Dreama and Shemeika. The project, titled ‘Reggae Love & Unity Riddim,’ has been well received and is currently enjoying respectable rotation on music platforms all over.
A few days ago – March 8th to be exact – they followed up by premiering the official video on the popular European channel, Reggaeville. The visuals, which were directed and shot by Phoenix Studioz JA, were then sent to the Reggae Vibes Media Team for editing.
Although all the artists are in different parts of the world, the crew were able capture each of them in their respective locations and put it all together to tell the story of ‘Reggae Love & Unity.’ Both Singer J and Turbulence‘s scenes were shot in Kingston, Jamaica, while Shemeika‘s was done in West Palm Beach, Florida; Dreama in Queens, New York and Rufftop Rock-I in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
Learning that Toots Hibbert won the 2021 Grammy for Best Reggae Album is truly bitter sweet. I am sure all reggae lovers around the world, like myself, would have wanted him to be here to experience this moment. Sadly, he passed away last year.
Other reggae acts that were nominated are: Buju Banton, Skip Marley, Maxi Priest and The Wailers.
Jamaican-American record label Reggae Vibes Music continues to raise the bar! The team’s latest release is a brand new reggae rhythm-driven compilation, titled Reggae Love & Unity Riddim. The five-track selection features veteran vocalist Turbulence; trending performers Singer J and Rufftop Rock I; and emerging artists Dreama and Shemeika.
Though the project was initially conceptualized several years ago, it was put on hold to allow the label to release other albums in its stead. That being said, both Dreama and Rufftop Rock I recorded their vocals in 2015, while all the others were done this year (2021). In keeping with the name of the compilation, all the songs are centered around one of two themes: Love and Unity.
Dreama‘s song, “I could fall in love,” is already getting a lot of attention as it’s a remake of pop star Selena’s 90’s hit. For his part, Turbulence delivered a very inspirational track, while Rufftop Rock I calls for peace and unity. As for Shemeika and Singer J, they both did heartfelt love songs. Kenroy “Shortman” Mullings, who is the guitarist for Buju Banton and Beenie Man played the very distinctive signature rock guitar heard on the beat.
Reggae Love & Unity Riddim was officially released on Friday, February 12th.
Tad’s Record is proud to present the Queen of Reggae music, Marcia Griffiths, with her new double colored vinyl album, Marcia Griffith’s Sings Studio One: Timeless. The release of this double colored vinyl album is a response to the massive demand for the highly successful album in this format.
One of the foremost singers of Reggae music, Empress Marcia Griffiths, is continuing to break new ground. Her new album, which is appropriately titled Timeless, is a selection of 15 songs that pay tribute to the endurance of the Studio One label catalog which boasts the most solid collection of foundation songs in the historic art forms of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae music.
Marcia has had the incredibly good fortune of spending her formative years at Studio One, the record stable that shaped the career of other top-ranking artists such as Bob Marley and Bob Andy.
Timeless is produced by Donovan Germain and executive producers Tad A. Dawkins and Tad A. Dawkins Jnr. The classic renditions from this album are available on compact disc (CD), vinyl, and on all digital platforms worldwide.
In mid February, Sanchez, one of Jamaica’s musical gems, released “Better Must Come,” a song originally done by Delroy Wilson and Bunny Lee in the 1970s. This 2021 version is produced by international selector Supa Twitch and Bwill Productions.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 