Prolific singer and producer Linval Thompson has a catalog of music behind him to delight any veteran of Jamaican music. He began his career recording for Lee Scratch Perry and Bunny Lee in the early 1970s, although he soon began producing himself and other artists, on his Thompson Sound and...
Third World
Few Jamaican groups can claim to be as enduringly influential as progressive roots outfit Third World. Formed from Kingston’s forward thinking music scene that also produced Inner Circle, Third World’s technical prowess and outernational sound led to a major label deal with Island Records. Their self-titled debut album featured an...
The Selecter
The British 2-Tone or second wave ska scene of the 1980s brought the fast paced pre-reggae beats of the 60s to a new audience. Coventry’s The Selecter were one of the co-founders of this new movement. Led by their charismatic and ageless frontwoman Pauline Black and co-vocalist and co-founder Arthur...
The Jolly Boys
Before ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall, mento was the original indigenous Jamaican recorded music. Similar but distinct to Trinidad’s Calypso, mento bands played and sang bawdy humorous and entertaining songs whose spirit would be reflected many years later when dancehall rose in the 1980s. One of the foremost still active...
The Abyssinians
For over five decades, the close harmonies and Amharic lyrics of Rastafarian reggae group the Abyssinians have been one of reggae’s most recognisable and inimitable sonic forces. The trio began their singing career in 1969 at Studio 1 Records, where they ushered in the roots reggae era with songs like...
Misty in Roots
Veteran UK reggae group Misty In Roots have spent the last 40 years playing roots reggae music without compromise. Formed in West London in the 1970s, their solemn yet fiery Rastafarian reggae, warning a wicked world of ever impending judgement caught the attention of Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel,...
Jo Mersa Marley
The Marley family legacy continues with Bob Marley’s grandson and Stephen Marley’s son Jo Mersa. Born in Jamaica and schooled in Florida Jo Mersa’s voice carries the familiar Marley broken tone via a highly adaptive lyrical singjay style. Mixing vintage reggae with dancehall and hip hop influences, he brings the...
Jah9
Jamaican poet and singer songwriter Janine “Jah9” Cunningham has taken her unique vision of contemporary roots reggae from the open mic jam sessions in Kingston to the world stage. The daughter of a preacher who embraced Rastafari consciousness as she came of age, Jah9 has been at the vanguard of...
Bushman
The rich baritone voice of Dwight Duncan, AKA Bushman, has been commanding attention since the late 90s. A throwback to the deep voiced Rasta singers of the 1970s such as Dennis Brown and Peter Tosh, Bushman’s commitment to grounded reggae music conscious lyrics has remained constant. One of his biggest...
Queen Ifrica
Combing a sultry soulful singing voice with fiery deejay lyrics, Queen Ifrica has become one of the 21st century’s premier female Rasta artists. The daughter of legendary singer Derrick Morgan, Ventrice Morgan was raised in Rastafari in Montego Bay, Jamaica and mentored by the great Tony Rebel. Currently touring her...