By Lady English
MIAMI – Another year, another 12 months of craziness!! The tropics were hit with a record number of storms, and here in South Florida Hurricane Wilma, which impacted our lives in many ways, visited us, as did Hurricane Katrina. All over the world, natural disasters reigned and wars continued, but in the entertainment world, the turntables kept on turning.
It was the year that Roots and Culture music reigned on the Reggae airwaves yet again.
Worthy Entertainment News…
In the entertainment sector, the year began with news of Dancehall DJ Sizzla ‘Miguel Collins’ Kolonji, being arrested and charged with breaches of the Town and Countries Act, after he used expletives on stage at the 2004 staging of Christmas night’s East Fest concert. He was released on $50,000 bail, then later sentenced to prison for two weeks after being convicted of the charges by a magistrate who said that he was determined to stop artists and entertainers from using profanity. He was allowed to remain free pending an appeal, however.
Wray and Nephew’s Rum Cream brand signed Dancehall deejay Macka Diamond to an extensive advertising deal in January. As a result, Macka Diamond has appeared in radio and television commercials, print advertisements and billboards to promote the Rum Cream brand in Jamaica. Another leading lady – Lady Saw got some attention for her album release, Strip Tease, which reportedly sold more than 20,000 copies by January. The video for the Billboard charting hit I’ve Got Your Man was rotated on MTV2 and aired on BET’s 106 & Park as the “New Joint” of the day.
Downsound Records added sing-jay Junior Kelly to its roster in January. Kelly shot to prominence in 2000 with his hit, “If Love So Nice.” Since then he has released two albums for VP Records, with the most recent one being Smile.
News broke that Rita Marley, wife of reggae legend, Bob Marley, planned to exhume her husband’s remains in Jamaica and re-bury them in his ‘spiritual home’ of Shashemane, Ethiopia. Mrs. Marley first denied the rumors, then later retracted them, causing confusion and speculation among his fans. Month long celebrations to mark the late star’s 60th birthday, who died of cancer in Miami in 1981 at age 36, took place in February.
The month also saw a deal struck between Reggae’s Dancehall artists and gay rights organizations to prohibit violent homophobic lyrics. Under the agreement brokered in London with the help of Scotland Yard, record companies, promoters and publishing firms representing up to 90% of the Reggae industry agreed to ban any future material that could be seen as inciting violence against gays and lesbians. The deal committed the music companies to ensure no provocative references at live concerts and international releases.
Love him or hate him – the battle to release Siccaturie ‘Jah Cure’ Alcock from jail continues to rage. Last year February, he was transferred to the Tower Street Adult Correctional Center from the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre, had his application for parole turned down despite a passionate campaign launched by his clique of concerned friends, family members, and entertainers. This comes after he became eligible for parole on July 28, 2003.
Jah Cure was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on April 26, 1999, for two counts of rape, robbery with aggravation, and illegal possession of firearm, all arising from the same incident. He received this sentence at age 19. Major Reese said that Alcock’s earliest date of release, if he does not breach any regulations, is July 28, 2007.
Deejay Bounty Killer’s poetic love verses in the track ‘It’s Ok’ continued to generate discussion about the Killer’s softer side, as well as thrust his poetic endeavors internationally on the HBO Cable. Bounty Killer was a celebrity guest on Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam series, and shot scenes for the taped series in February.
While singer Richie Stephens tied the knot at the beginning of the month with long-time girlfriend Bernadette, the other Richie, who was voted ‘Top Local Artiste for 2004’, Richie Spice, complained of harassment by immigration officials at the Nassau International airport in Bahamas after members of the Fifth Element Crew completed their performances at sold-out shows on the island.
Sizzla hit headlines again in March after being questioned by investigators from Operation Kingfish in connection with the discovery of 13 illegal high-powered weapons, a quantity of ammunition and other items at Judgment Yard in August Town, Kingston. The reggae artiste was one of 33 persons arrested but was not charged. As a knock on effect, Barbados police commissioner Darwin Dottin said he should not be allowed to perform at a concert there the following week at the National Stadium, and urged the government not to give Sizzla a work permit allowing him to enter Barbados.
On a positive note, Buju Banton, whose United States visa was revoked the previous year due to his conviction on marijuana charges, was allowed to travel to the United States from this month also. The deejay who lit up the charts with explosive hits such as Bogle, Untold Stories, Love and Mi Browning, got back his US visa during the month after being unable to travel to the United States for a year.
Deejay Mr. Lex aka Lexxus who has been relatively quiet in recent times, re-hired his former manager Earlton Clarke of E-Mar Entertainment in March, and changed his name to The Prince. We’ve yet to see if the name change will revitalize his career.
Towards the end of April the entertainment community was jolted by news out of the Fifth Element recording label camp, via a press release, announcing that label-founding artiste Chuck Fenda was to be dropped; however, the artist, Chuck Fender, was one of the last people to find out about his cut! Rumors of ongoing problems and a disagreement between the parties later surfaced; however, both management and the artiste later maintained that there is no ambiguity about the situation. Singer Spanner Banner, the brother of Richie Spice, signed an official contract with the Fifth Element Label soon after.
An apologetic Fantan ‘Owen Moncrieffe’ Mojah pleaded guilty in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate’s Court in April for the expletives he used during his performance at the Western Consciousness 2005 show in Westmoreland. During his court appearance, the entertainer told them, “Mi guilty but mi sorry.” He was subsequently fined $1000 with an alternative of 10 days in jail. Major corporate giant Red Stripe, withheld sponsorship money from the promoter of ‘Western Consciousness’ after the behavior on stage of Fantan Mojah. This unprecedented move came on the heels of a decision by the Coalition of Corporate Sponsors – a group of local companies – to disassociate themselves from events featuring top DJs Bounty Killer and Beenie Man for their behavior earlier in the year at Jamaica Carnival. A contract was signed through their product Guinness with promoter Worrell King and in it they included a clause that spoke to issues such as the successful completion of the show and the conduct of the artistes. As the agreement was breached, they took this action.
Female Deejay Lady Patra was arrested in Montego Bay in April and slapped with fraud-related charges. According to the reports, Patra, whose real name is Dorothy Smith, was arrested by police in Montego Bay following complaints by persons in entertainment circles who accused her of taking money from them for overseas work permits and clearances, which she did not deliver. She was arrested and charged, but later received bail. Patra made her debut album Queen Of The Pack in 1993, and was known for tracks like Bumper, Halla Fi Di Wuk, and My Property among others.
It was a good year for Tami Chynn, as she signed a four album deal with music giant Universal Records in May. Executives at the label were reportedly blown away by her flawless performance and amazed by both her singing ability and song-writing skills. Rock You and the Renaissance label-produced Hyperventilated are among Tami’s more familiar recordings. Tami Chynn also launched her website: http://www.tamitunes.com/main/main.html.
Rumors surfaced this month also, that Reggae star Sizzla would be signing to the giant US-based recording label, Def Jam Records, after weeks of enjoying several spins of his track with Rapper Foxy Brown, Come Fly With Me. By July; however, it became official that Sizzla signed with Damon Dash Music Group.
June 1 was the launch date of a new Dancehall channel for both its music and its culture. The new Dancehall Channel, as it is tentatively been titled, started transmission tests on cable providers Logic One’s channel 24 in Jamaica.
In July, Canada established a new law for Jamaican artistes who wished to perform there, requiring that they must sign documents stating that their lyrics will not harm certain groups. The artistes have to declare their refusal to perform any discriminatory lyrics even before their work permits are processed. The declaration states that the entertainer will not engage in activities in Canada that will break the Canadian Criminal Code, or engage in or advocate the hatred of persons due to race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex or sexual orientation.
Omar Barrett proved a blessed man when he jumped away with first place for his entry Bless Me Lord at the Grace Tropical Rhythms Gospel Song Finals in July. The singer received $400,000, the National Gospel Song trophy, a Digicel cellular phone, a gift basket courtesy of Grace Tropical Rhythms and a performing contract for one-year after winning the contest.
Actor/comedian Steve Harvey stepped up his school adoption program in Jamaica in August, with the number of adopted schools now standing at 10. As a result, some 20 children will go to school free for one year as Mr. Harvey, through the Steve and Mary L. Harvey Foundation, will pay their tuition and cost of meals. The Steve and Mary L. Harvey Foundation is a non-profit organization that started in 1997.
The prestigious reggae and world music publication The Beat had an extensive feature on the resurgence of Roots and Dancehall music in its 2005 Dancehall edition. Its main-artiste feature was on I Wayne, whose Lava Ground album came out in August. The issue also carried profiles of Bounty Killer, producer Tony ‘CD’ Kelly, TOK, Baby Cham, Assassin and Gentleman, as well as a feature on slain Dancehall choreographer Gerald ‘Bogle’ Levy.
Veteran comedian Oliver Samuels celebrated his 35th year as a professional comedian in 2005, with celebrations for this milestone kicking off in August. Samuels, Jamaica’s leading comedian was born in Tremolesworth near Highgate, St Mary in 1948. He joined the Fowlers’ Little Theatre Movement (LTM) and starred in 11 pantomimes while with them. He has since been known for his famous television series, Oliver, and stage events Ras Noah and the Hawk, Breadfruit Kingdom, Oliver’s Posse, Guava Jelly, Christopher Cumbickus and Oliver & Pinnochio.
TOK officially severed their management ties with Olu Burns in September, who had assumed management of the group after they split with Richard ‘Shams’ Browne who managed them previously. Group members said they decided to move on and handle its own affairs after things with Burns didn’t work out the way intended. TOK’s 2005 album, Unknown Language, went gold in Japan (100,000 units) two and a half weeks after it was released.
MTV Networks – the entity that operates MTV (Music Television), launched a new cable network, dedicated to Caribbean music and culture in October. The new cable network, named Tempo, represents the diverse facets of Caribbean culture and lifestyle, and debuted in the Caribbean region first – Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, St Kitts, the Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Antigua, and St Vincent – and plans to go into the US market this year.
The 2005 South Florida Family Reggae Festival was held on Sunday, December 4th, at the Coconut Grove Expo Center in Miami, Florida. The first of the annual free event honored the late Clint O’Neil, bestowing him with the South Florida Reggae Pioneer Award. The festival was headlined by Reggae music legends Third World and Marcia Griffiths, and featured a Caribbean Marketplace and the official Reggae Music Row, which highlighted the history of Reggae in South Florida and the many musicians and reggae related businesses that are now based here.
In Cyber Music…
With I-Pod becoming the leading name in MP3 players, non-exclusive digital distribution deals were signed between VP Records and Apple’s iTunes, MSN music download service, and Rhapsody music. The contract ensures that the most sought after Reggae music from VP Records will be available to the online community. Lady Saw’s Striptease, Capleton’s Reign of Fire, Beres Hammond’s Love Has No Boundaries, Strictly the Best Volume 32, and a variety of Riddim Driven titles were the first albums available.
February also saw Dancehall deejay Buju Banton’s label Gargamel Music Inc sign a distribution deal with Fat Beats Distribution Inc, the largest distributor of hip-hop vinyl in the world, as well as his single Magic City being available for exclusive download also on Apple iTunes. By June, the distribution of Jamaican music became officially limitless with the opening of the reggaecountry.com website. Not only is it a download sale site, but a total Jamaican music experience, with up to date entertainment news and in-depth information on the artistes included in the package.
December saw leading Reggae label VP Records announce the launch of their new website – www.vpreggae.com – where consumers and businesses can order directly from the distributors. The site holds one of the largest archives of reggae music on the net and offers music in a variety of formats including CDs, DVDs, 7-inch vinyl, 12-inch vinyl, VHS cassette, and audio cassette. Described as a ‘Reggae lover’s dream,’ www.vpreggae.com will have every reggae title in the VP Records distribution catalog of over 25,000+ available to its consumers.
Worthy Chart News…
Dancehall deejay Baby Cham returned to the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks chart in January. His collaboration Turnin Me On featuring Nina Sky, from Black Chiney label’s Kopa rhythm, debuted at number 74. His local comeback song for the year was Ghetto Story. I Wayne’s Can’t Satisfy Her debuted at number 73 on the Billboard R&B chart at the end of February.
Barbados born reggae singer, Rihanna, made her debut on the Billboard R&B and Hot 100 charts in June with her dancehall tune Pon De Replay. The 21 year-old Rihanna is signed to the Def Jam label and her debut album was released later in the year.
Kip Rich scored his third number one hit with Telephone Ting on the Big Yard label in early July on the South Florida Reggae Chart, while Ediat Ting Dat by Assassin became the first top 10 hit on the New York Reggae chart for the young deejay. It spent two weeks at number one in Jamaica the previous year.
Others who saw chart success over the year included Leftside and Esco with the humorous, Tuck Een Yuh Belly, Elephant Man’s Willy Bounce, which was perhaps the biggest dance hit for 2005, as well as the track that immortalized dance icon Bogle, who created the dance. True Reflection, from Jah Cure stirred some controversy due to its powerful lyrics, as did quartet T.O.K’s Footprints, which brought more much international acclaim to the group and spoke of the effects of violence on the family.
I Wayne scored with the motivational piece, Living in Love, and Serious Times, became a hit for by Gyptian with its reflection of the harsh social reality. We Be Burning put Sean Paul in the spotlight and Notorious became an anthem thanks to Turbulence, a refreshing and uncommon response to the ‘gangsta’ mentality in the dancehall.
The Downsound label hit gold with three number one chart hits – Fantan Mojah’s Hail the King, the already mentioned True Reflections from Jah Cure and Nanko’s Lucky You. The Don Corleon label also scored several hits over the year.
Several artists who saw multiple chart action included Richie Spice with Righteous Youths, Operation Kingfish and Devil, Sugar Roy and Conrad Crystal took Don’t Stop the Music and Education Wise to the top; Sizzla ran notched up the hits including I’m With the Girls, Run Out Pon Dem and Ain’t Gonna See Us Fall. Assassin earned two number one hits with As a Man and Step Pon Dem; Bounty Killer delivered Warlord Walk and Say You’re Leaving; and Vybz Kartel came strong with the hits I Neva, School Bus, Emergency and Realest Ting.
However, it was Gyptian’s Serious Times that emerged as the number one selling Reggae track for 2005 on the bMobile Mega Jamz Top 20 Reggae Hits for the year, after spending five weeks at number one. While over in Dancehall circles, the top selling Dancehall recording for 2005 on the Top 20 Dancehall Hits chart for 2005 is Tuck Een Yuh Belly by Leftside and Esco, which single spent nine weeks on top.
Albums & Riddims…
Eight76’s talent roster is was hot in 2005. Fyah Blaze released his debut album, Truths and Rights with artist/producer YahBreeze and the rest of the All Arc production team at the end of January. The album featured a refreshing set of consciousness and love stories set against a variety of musical backdrops, including the single, “Truth and Rights” on the Detrimental riddim.
No Guns To Town, the first full-length album by rising reggae talent Natty King, and featuring guest appearances from Sizzla and old school toaster Trinity, dropped in February. Twenty seven year-old Natty King, whose real name is Kevin Roberts, shot onto the scene in late 2004 with the number one hit No Guns To Town.
Donovan ‘Vendetta’ Bennett’s Don Corleon label, enjoyed strong sales from the singles on its Drop Leaf rhythm. The album with 11 tracks became available on a compilation album in February and scored three number one hits prior to its album release – namely Jah Cure’s Longing For, Sizzla’s Be Strong and TOK’s Footprints.
Jah Cure’s released the hits Longing For, Jamaica and Jah Bless Me and 14 others in April, on his long-awaited sophomore album Freedom Blues: The Testimony of Siccaturie Alcock.
In 1985, Wayne Smith scored a big hit with the song Sleng Teng. The rhythm of the same name, which was produced by Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James, became a dancehall sensation, spawning a number of hits. 2005 and 20 years later, the Sleng Teng returned to the airwaves in April with an updated beat remodeled by King Jammy. Bounty Killer and Wayne Smith, Sizzla, Luciano, Ninja Man, and Anthony B, amongst others all released tracks on the revitalized riddim.
To commemorate the 20th birthday of the Sleng Teng, King Jammy re-released the rhythm, this time with a string of younger and fresher artistes recorded on it, as well as released a double album with the old version featuring the old acts, and the re-mixed version with the new acts.
Sean Paul’s October released album, The Trinity (VP/Atlantic), topped the Reggae charts and sold over 107,000 in its first week, the highest ever Reggae debut and single week sales for a Reggae artist. A week earlier, Damian Marley sold 86,000 in his first week, which was then the biggest debut for a Reggae release since Nielsen SoundScan starting collating data in 1991. However, his reign as champ of Jamaican music was short-lived due to Paul’s Trinity release, which gave Sean Paul his highest chart position to date. The 2002 Dutty Rock release sold 65,000 in its first week and went on to sell over 6 million worldwide.
“Year of the Gong”
2005 should officially be declared “Year of the Gong”. Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley broke records and it all began with the song Welcome To Jamrock. The song, which features a sample from Ini Kamoze’s 1980s dancehall hit World A Reggae Music, hit the number one spot on the New York Reggae chart at the beginning of April, making Junior the first offspring of the late reggae legend Bob Marley, to reach number one on that chart. The song also sparked controversy as people discussed whether the song accurately depicted the realities in Jamaica or was just another way of glorifying violence and displaying all the problems of the country. By July 23, 2005, its sales fuelled by heavy rotation on mainstream radio stations and presence on the video networks in North America, helped it maintain its lock at number one on the New York Reggae chart for an 18th week, breaking the record held for most weeks at number one on that tally previously held by Shabba Ranks and Crystal’s Twice My Age, and Shaggy’s Bombastic, which both logged 17 weeks each. What was also interesting about his accomplishment is that Gong’s father, spent 14 weeks at number one on the same chart in 1980 with Could You Be Loved; therefore, Junior broke his record too.
July also saw Damian Marley make his first ever cover feature on the front of FADER Magazine, and Lil Jon brought Marley out to play his hit song, Welcome To Jamrock at the Summer Jam concert. It ended up being one of the most memorable performances of the night. At the November staging of the 2005 Vibe Awards, Marley’s single won the Boomshot Award. Welcome to Jamrock was then named among its top 10 singles of 2005 by Rolling Stone magazine, where it ranked as number four for the year, right behind Rihanna’s number two pop single Pon De Replay. The Welcome to Jamrock album, which was released on September 13, 2005, ranked among Rolling Stone’s Top 50 albums for the year, finishing in the number 49 position. And just before the year ended, it was announced that the Welcome to Jamrock album was also nominated for two Grammy Awards in the 48th annual staging to be held this year. Well done Damian Junior Gong Marley!
Deaths and Goodbyes…
As usual, many icons, trendsetters and famous names were laid to rest. Some passed away when their time was due, whereas others had their lives cruelly cut short by others.
Dancehall icon Bogle, was shot 14 times all over his body and killed at a service station on Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, in January, and five hours later, the Dillion Avenue house of popular dancer, John ‘John Hype’ Prendergast, was firebombed. It is strongly believed that the latter incident was a reprisal for Bogle’s killing as both dancers were rumored to be involved in a feud. While Bogle died on the spot, the other four passengers with him were taken to the hospital where another man died and the other three were admitted.
Bogle came to prominence in the early 1990s when he created a self-titled dance, ‘Bogle’ immortalized in song by Buju Banton. He has since been credited with creating such dances as the ‘Urkel’, ‘World-a-Dance’, and ‘Row Like a Boat’. He was given a flamboyant send off in February that was fitting to the man that had a style of his own.
Ricardo Palmer, 22, was charged with two counts of murder, three counts of shooting with intent and illegal possession of firearm on September 29, 2005. He was named as the main suspect less than two weeks after the killing.
Reggae musician, Daddigon – Gabra M. Lambert, was shot and killed at the end of January. Daddigon formed the group Dutty Cup with his childhood friends Sean Paul, DJ Chicken, and Froggy. He joined the Marley family and The Ghetto Youth Crew in 1998 and in 2001, and appeared on Damian Marley’s Halfway Tree album where he performed the track Give Them Some Way with the young Marley; he is also featured on the Chant Down Babylon Album.
Ska pioneer Justin Hinds of Justin Hinds and the Dominoes fame lost his battle with lung cancer in March. He was 62 years old. Justin Hinds and the Dominoes (Dennis Sinclair and Junior Dixon) were making their presence felt on the Duke Reid’s Treasure Isles label in the 1960’s and will be mostly remembered for the signature tune, Carry Go Bring Come.
Junior Delgado, the roots-reggae singer who enjoyed success during the 1970s, left us in April at the age of 49. The cause of death was not given. Delgado is best known for the dancehall hit Trickster, which introduced him to the mainstream in the mid 1970s. Later that decade, he had several top 20 hits and also wrote songs for Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller and Althea and Donna.
In June, we lost veteran female singer and Studio One recording artiste Jennifer Lara. At only 52 years old, Lara died in Kingston from an apparent brain hemorrhage and high blood pressure. She joined Studio One in 1969 after leaving school.
At the end of the month, another Jamaican reggae singer and producer, Clancy Eccles, died. He was 64 and suffered a stroke five days prior to his passing. Eccles started his career as a singer in the 1950s and rose to prominence with the 1961 hit song River Jordan.
Shortly after, male R&B vocalist, Luther Vandross, passed away at 54 years old on July 1, after suffering a stroke Laurel Aitken was born on April 22, 1927 in Cuba and died on July 15, 2005. Many say Aitken was Jamaica’s first real recording star and a pioneer in being the first to release a Ska record, the first to promote his music in the U.K., and one of the first to record Island Records. He relocated to Jamaica with his family in 1938 and began recording songs in 1958. The chart-topping hit Little Sheila/Boogie in my Bones, the first double-sided A single on Chris Blackwell’s Island Records, spent 11 weeks at the No.1 spot on Jamaica’s charts. It was the first Jamaican record ever issued in the U.K.
August saw the passing of pioneer and revolutionary Reggae musician, Michael Leopold Williams, (‘Zappow’) aged 61. Zappow boasted a repertoire as vocalist, bassist, drummer, guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, engineer, and later became involved in promotions.
Wayne Parkinson, a.k.a. Baby Wayne, died in Kingston on Thursday October 27 from complications of pneumonia. Baby Wayne was remembered from a stint of dancehall hits in the early 90’s, including Mama, Caa Live So, and Mi Know Mi Fren, which featured Leroy Smart. The deejay was only 37 years old.
Famed comedian, Richard Pryor, died in December of a heart attack. Pryor, who had been ill with multiple sclerosis, died at Encino Hospital near Los Angeles. He was known for his raunchy stand-up comedy and a variety of acting roles, including in Superman III, The Toy and Harlem Nights.
Close Calls…
Back in the UK, radio personality, the Ranking Miss P, collapsed in February whilst on air broadcasting her regular “Riddim & Blues” show on BBC London 94.9 FM. She was taken to the Royal London Hospital where she was diagnosed to be suffering from a brain hemorrhage as a result of a burst blood vessel in the brain, also known as a ‘cerebral aneurysm’. She was expected to make a full recovery after taking some time off the air to recuperate at home.
International Gospel Reggae artiste Cleve ‘Stitchie’ Laing counted his blessings in April after he and a small team from his record company, Drum and Bass, were involved in a car accident on their way to perform at a show in South Florida. Two tires blew out on their vehicle causing it to overturn. Stitchie received cuts and bruises and broke one of his fingers, but was released from hospital the following evening. Stitchie recalled getting saved under similar circumstances while on his way to Reggae Sumfest in 1997. It was almost like a replay of the whole thing, he said.
Awards…
Jimmy Cliff picked up his sixth Grammy nomination for his Black Magic effort, Toots Hibbert’s got the nod for True Love, while Steel Pulse’s African Holocaust became the British Reggae group’s seventh nomination overall. Musicians Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare received their nominations for the Dub Revolutions collection, and the Def Jamaica/Def Jam Recordings various artistes compilation, also garnered a nomination. However, the winner in the 47th annual Grammy Award that took place on February 13, 2005, was Toots Hibbert.
Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry was added to the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame along with several other albums from other genres of music. Ironically, Marley himself was never honored with a Grammy during his lifetime. The Hall, which was founded in 1973, now hosts 659 titles, and selections (selected by a special Academy member committee) honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance, which must be at least 25 years old.
In March, the Billboard magazine identified VP Records as the Top Reggae Label, and Top Reggae Album for Strictly the Best Vol. 31. This was based on Billboard chart information covering the 12 month period starting with the Feb. 7, 2004, issue through to Jan. 29, 2005, for independent companies – those not under the umbrella of the four largest record company conglomerates.
At the end of March, Irish pop singer Sinead O’Connor recorded her first Reggae album in Jamaica with some of the country’s leading musicians. The 12-track album, Throw Down Your Arms, was recorded at Tuff Gong in Kingston and was later launched at the Liguanea Club in Kingston in August. While “Riddim Twins” Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, played on the set, the singer paid tribute to Roots Reggae greats whose songs are covered on the album, including Burning Spear (the title track, among others), Peter Tosh (Downpressor Man) Junior Byles (Curly Locks) and Bob Marley and the Wailers (War), and others.
Producer Cordel ‘Scatta’ Burrell, was invited to the prestigious 22nd annual (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Pop Music Awards, held in California in May for his efforts on the ‘Coolie Dance’ rhythm. Scatta was up for an award in the categories of the Year,’ ‘Song of the Year,’ and ‘Publisher of the Year,’ after scoring big with multiple tracks on the Billboard charts all at once in 2004. There was Culo by rappers Pitbull and Lil John, Move Your Body by Nina Sky and Jabba, Jook Gal by Elephant Man with rapper Twista, and Pull Up by Mr. Vegas.
Five musicians – Lloyd Hall, Headley Bennett, Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper, Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, and Noel Willis were invested with Jamaica’s fifth highest national honor, the Order of Distinction. Two of the recipients, Hall and Bennett, hold the honor in the commander class (CD), while the remainder got the rank of Officer (OD). The awardees were named in August during the national Jamaica Independence celebrations, and received their honors at the investiture ceremony that took place on National Heroes’ Day in October at King’s House.
Several Jamaicans were among the nominees for the sixth staging of the Black Entertainment Comedy Awards (BECA) held in London, England on November 12. The event saw Jamaican nominees competing in the BECA Caribbean Category, which included the nominees Tony ‘Paleface’ Hendriks, Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis, Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis and Alton ‘Fancy Cat’ Hardware, Donald ‘Iceman’ Anderson and Christopher ‘Johnny’ Daley and Leon ‘Lemon’ Parkins. The Black Entertainment Comedy Awards was established to support Black United Kingdom comedians, and has established itself as the only premier Black Comedy Awards Ceremony in the U.K. The Caribbean award was added for the first time last year.
The Founder & Publisher, Peter A. Webley, of a South Florida based newspaper, was inducted into the city of Miami’s Hall of fame as a community icon due to his outstanding contributions in the area of journalism. The Jamaican born Webley, was singled out primarily because of his leadership of South Florida’s oldest and leading Caribbean-orientated publication, Caribbean Today. Launched in 1989, the publication is a monthly news magazine with a circulation of 39,000 readers in the U.S. and around the Caribbean.
More News… -The Gleaner Company Ltd. and the newspaper’s vast archives dating back to 1834 went live on the World Wide Web in 2005. The Gleaner, one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, is the only publishing house in the Caribbean to have its archives made available on the Internet, joining top newspapers such as The Toronto Star in Canada, The London Times in the United Kingdom, and The Washington Post and The New York Times in the United States. Viewers can log onto Gleaner.newspaperarchive.com, enter a search term, and within seconds, receive a listing of Gleaner publications over 171 years. The actual printed page is displayed and made available for download, printing or email for a fee.
-Prince Charles surprised Britain by announcing his engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles in February, his longtime lover. The wedding took place on April 6.
-In South Florida, the two Haitian-American brothers, Emmanuel and Jean Cherubin, of Niche Radio Inc. in Miami, who bought WAVS, AM 1170 in 2004, became the owners of a second Caribbean station in Broward County – Mystik WSRF, AM 1580.
-From June, Jamaicans in South Florida had an added opportunity to learn about happenings on the island with a new daily television program. The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) show, which airs at 7:30 p.m. on Comcast channel 19 in Dade, and channel 76 or 79 in Broward, covers a wide range of subject matter including developments in the Jamaican economy, features on the nation’s rich history and culture and highlights the creativity and innovation of the Jamaican people.
-The famous ‘One Love Peace Concert’ by legendary Reggae artiste Bob Marley, held in Kingston on April 22, 1978, was named among the world’s greatest rock gigs. The concert placed six on a list of 20 rock performances compiled by United Kingdom television station, Channel 4 and voted on by a panel of some 60 artistes, music journalists, broadcasters and music industry executives. The Bob Marley concert, which was held in an effort to quell the political tension in Kingston, featured the singer bringing together the hands of then Prime Minister Michael Manley of the ruling People’s national party and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga of the Jamaica Labour Party.
So in a huge nutshell, that was 2005’s Entertainment news and round up… and we look forward to more in the entertainment sector during 2006. More tables turning both locally and internationally, and more positive vibes! So when we do look back over the next 12 months, it will be one to remember!
