Posted by Yardie Luke on August 9, 2011 under Famous Jamaicans | 
On Tuesday, the Bob Marley estate, Simon Fuller, and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell globally released a new video for Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1973 song “Hide Tide Or Low Tide.”
The video documents the East Africa Crisis that is affecting more than 9 million people dying of starvation.
Edited by Kevin Macdonald, director of “Last King Of Scotland” and the forthcoming “Marley” documentary, the “Hide Tide Or Low Tide” video includes recent footage of expressionless mothers caring for their children, oblivious toddlers playing amidst skeletons of wildlife, and numerous frail, sick babies.
In one of the more poignant images, a mother draws a bucket from a well only to find it filled with dirt and not one drop of water.
It’s fitting that this song from Bob Marley & The Wailers’ debut album would be selected to help raise awareness of the tragedy.
The “High Tide Or Low Tide” lyrics still provoke chills nearly 40 years after the song’s debut. Marley, a late icon, who used his music to encourage social change, sings about one of his mother’s prayers. Continue
Posted by Yardie Luke on January 18, 2011 under Famous Jamaicans |
By Karyl Walker Online news editor
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
THE 10,000 patrons who filled the Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, in Downtown Miami on Sunday, witnessed a sterling performance by embattled Reggae icon Buju Banton.
Buju was granted permission by a US Federal Court to perform at the concert in a bid to raise funds to cover his legal fees for his upcoming second trial for drug and firearm charges next month and the dreadlocked star performed as if his freedom depended on it.
From the moment the patrons heard the first strains of his opening salvo, pandemonium broke out in the Miami venue.
Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and dark ‘gentleman’ shoes, the dreadlocked artiste pulled out all the stops, delivering a two-hour set that will leave the patrons who were lucky enough to witness it first hand, talking for a long time to come.
Opening with his hit Destiny, Buju seemed to be in a trance and he went on to mesmerise the adoring audience with hits from the past as well as songs from his latest album, Before The Dawn.
The singer was escorted inside the venue by federal agents who stood vigil around the backstage area and made sure that no unauthorised contact was made with the singer. He has been under house arrest since December when he was granted bail in a Tampa court.
But his 11-month incarceration and recent restrictions seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind as he gave the audience value for their money. Tickets were sold for US$53 prepaid and US$63 at the box office for general admission and US$100 prepaid and US$140 at the gate for VIP admission.
The concert was dubbed Before the Dawn Buju Banton and Friends, and his friends in the music industry were on hand to offer moral and musical support.
The artiste did combinations with Reggae diva Marcia Griffiths, Wayne Wonder and Steve McKnight but it was the entry of Stephen Marley, who had put up his Florida home as collateral for Banton to qualify for bail and his Marley sibling Junior Gong that brought out more cheers of approval.
A most touching moment was when he was joined by Gramps Morgan and the two performed their hit rendition of Psalms 23. The spirituality of the moment seemed to grip several members of the audience who broke out in tears as the two brothers in music chanted in their own inimitable style.
Reggae crooner Beres Hammond was absent but Banton never missed the opportunity to pay homage to a man he described as one of his mentors.
Banton’s knock out punch was when he called his attorney David Oscar Markus on stage and thanked him for his efforts in defending him against his accusers.
“Don’t watch nothing say him white. Him blacker than me and you,” Banton said before hugging his lawyer and exiting the stage after his non-stop 120-minute performance.
A creditable offering came from veteran singer Freddy McGregor, whose Freedom resonated with the audience.
“Buju asked me to sing this one,” McGregor quipped.
Wayne Wonder was also in the pink of form and Everton Blender was sublime with Ghetto People Song and Lift up Your Head.
The crowd also went wild for Shaggy and his sidekick Rayvon who had the ladies salivating. Sean Paul was joined on stage by Spragga Benz who reminded the audience that Rasta Run the World.
Nadine Sutherland and Tarrus Riley were not going to be left out and they too gave creditable stints to add to the momentous evening.
Rappers DJ Khaleed and Busta Rhymes flew on stage and upped the ante with their high- energy stint.
The proceedings were kicked off with a 90-minute chanting session from Ras Michael and the Nyahbingi Drummers who pronounced their desire to leave ‘Mystery Babylon’.
The group of Rastafari elders was followed by Richie Loop who made sure nothing fell out of his ‘cupp’.
All told the evening was a pleasurable one which went through without any untoward incident.
However the media representatives who covered the event were more than peeved when they were informed that they would be prohibited to photograph or film footage of more than the first song of each artiste’s performance.
Photographing or filming Banton’s performance was also strictly prohibited. The media was warned that failure to abide by the rule would result in them being thrown out of the venue.
The film crews and photographers were herded into a footage pit and quickly ushered out by stern faced security staff at the start of each performance.
The bitter taste in their mouths became less tolerable when members of the audience were seen capturing uninterrupted footage of the event with cellular phones and mini camcorders.
“This is madness, we have footage and clips of all the billed artistes so what’s the point? They should have informed us of this policy when we were seeking accreditation,” one member of a film crew from the Netherlands said.
SOURCE: Jamaica Observer
Posted by Yardie Luke on January 9, 2011 under Famous Jamaicans |
Jamaican and West Indian batsman Chris Gayle “smashed NSW medium-pacer Scott Coyte for 32 runs in the seventh over of Western Australia’s innings, belting four sixes and two fours to blast with ease past the half-century mark.”
Here is how it went down:
1st ball: Chris Gayle whacks his first six of the match off the first ball of the seventh over, bowled by Scott Coyte, sending the ball careering over midwicket.
2nd: Another six, this time an enormous hit almost into the top tier of the stand at long-on. He could hardly have hit it any sweeter.
3rd: And there’s the treble – Gayle clears the boundary again, flat and very hard over mid-on. Just sneaks over the rope but counts all the same.
4th: Coyte puts it in the slot again. Gayle flogs another one over midwicket, this time falling just short with ball taking one bounce to the boundary. Four.
5th: Coyte around the wicket. No use. Gayle belts ball from outside off over point. Four more.
6th: Gayle slams another full delivery to long-off for yet another six to complete the damage. A whopping 32 for the over.
SOURCE: The Sydney Morning Herald
Posted by Yardie Luke on December 20, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
NTERNATIONAL Reggae star Buju Banton will make his long-awaited return to the stage at the highly anticipated Before The Dawn Concert taking place in South Florida during Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend. Banton, who is currently out on bail and awaiting retrial in February, has not performed live in over a year.
Produced by Rocker’s Island Entertainment, the Buju Banton & Friends Before The Dawn Concert will also feature performances by some of Jamaican music’s elite: Stephen Marley, Wayne Wonder, Sly & Robbie, Gramps Morgan, Shaggy and Freddie McGregor, with even more names to be announced in the next few weeks.
“The concept is to reunite with the fans and thank them personally for the tremendous level of support they have shown to me during these turbulent times,” explains Buju. “I look forward to touching the stage once more and coming together with the masses in a spirit of togetherness, harmony, unification and solidarity.”
The Buju Banton & Friends Before The Dawn Concert is set for Sunday, January 16 at Bayfront Park Amphitheater in downtown Miami.
In other Buju Banton news, the acclaimed artiste has received his fifth Grammy nomination in the Best Reggae Album category for his prophetic new project, Before The Dawn.
Recorded mostly at his own Gargamel Music studio in Kingston, the album boasts some of the most powerful songs written by Banton since his professional entry into the music business over twenty years ago.
Banton was previously acknowledged by the Recording Academy for his albums Rasta Got Soul (2009), Too Bad (2007), Friends for Life (2004) and Inna Heights (1999).
Read more here
Posted by Yardie Luke on December 13, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
‘He was one of the best news reporters in Jamaica’
- Lindy Delapenha
‘He would just pull you into the whole situation and before you knew it you were doing what you thought you couldn’t do.’
- Marie Garth, former broadcaster RJR
‘His stewardship was characterised by an easy competence coupled with humility’
- Cordel Green, Executive Director, Broadcasting Commission
NEVILLE Willoughby, who died yesterday at the University Hospital of the West Indies, has been celebrated as one of Jamaica’s premier broadcasters whose career spanned almost five decades.
Willoughby, who was 69 years old, succumbed to injuries he sustained in an auto accident along Molynes Road, St. Andrew, Tuesday evening.
Doctors had listed his condition as serious.
Willoughby, a graduate of Jamaica College and the University of Toronto, worked at the rival Radio Jamaica (RJR) and Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) for several years.
He started his journalism career at RJR in the late 1950s but moved to the JBC in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Willoughby returned to RJR where, for many years, he hosted The Evening People Show, a folksy call-in programme.
At the time of his death, he was employed to that company as an announcer.
Alongside Allan Magnus, Don Topping, Marie Garth and Henry Stennett, Willoughby was part of a formidable RJR team during the 1970s.
Topping described his long-time friend as a “quiet, mild-mannered person”.
“His strongest point was his articulation which was clear, his language was always simple and easy to understand,” said Topping. “His knowledge was also broad-based.”
Barbara Gloudon, who also works with RJR, first met Willoughby on a school trip to Haiti in the 1950s. She said he was the “consummate professional”.
“He was one of those persons you could never say a bad word about,” she said. “For a person with so much talent, Neville never blew his own horn.”
Willoughby also tried his hand at singing and had a big hit song in the catchy Yuletide number, ‘Christmas JA’.
Shortly after moving back to RJR, Willoughby snared an exclusive interview with rising star Bob Marley of The Wailers in 1973. The group was in turmoil at the time, with founding members Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone on the verge of leaving for solo careers.
Willoughby travelled to the Rasta commune of Bull Bay, St. Andrew where he met Marley and members of his band.
“He (Marley) was very relaxed and willing to talk about anything,” Willoughby said in a 1998 interview. “I knew he was special from I heard ‘Thank You Lord’.”
The interview was later released in album form and remained a popular seller when reissued in compact disc by RAS Records, a Washington DC-based independent label.
Neville Willoughby is survived by two daughters.
SOURCE: Jamaica Gleaner
Posted by Yardie Luke on November 16, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
Gayle’s Monumental achievement:
- Chris Gayle became only the fourth batsman to score two triple centuries after Don Bradman (334 and 304), Brian Lara (375 and 400*) and Virender Sehwag (309 and 319).
- Gayle holds the record for the highest individual score against Sri Lanka, going past Younis Khan’s 313.
- Gayle went past Rohan Kanhai’s 256 to become the West Indian batsman with the highest individual score in the subcontinent.
- Gayle’s 333 is the highest away score by a West Indies batsman, surpassing Viv Richards’ 291 at the Oval in 1976.
- With nine sixes in his innings, Gayle holds the record for the most sixes by a West Indian batsman in a Test innings.
- The 167 run stand between Brendan Nash and Gayle for the fourth wicket is the best for the West Indies against Sri Lanka and the seventh highest for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka.
SCORECARD
Posted by Yardie Luke on November 11, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
JAMAICAN reggae artiste Buju Banton, after close to a year in a United States jail, yesterday walked out of the Pinellas County lock-up in Florida after he was granted bail in an immigration court.
Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was offered bail with tough conditions following a hung jury in his gun and drugs trial.
David Oscar Markus — the entertainer’s lead attorney — said Banton, was “tired” but “relieved” that he had been released to spend time with his family before the commencement of his second trial next February.
“Free at last,” Markus told the Observer of his client’s release. “We’re thrilled that Buju will have some time to regroup before we try this case again.” Banton, he said, was thankful to everyone for their support.
Attorney Marc Seitles, another member of Banton’s legal team, said the artiste was overjoyed that he had gained some “measure of freedom”.
“Buju can’t wait to have a nice meal and sleep in his own bed,” Seitle told the Observer yesterday.
Banton has been in jail since last year December when he was arrested by federal agents for conspiracy to possess, with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine.
He was also charged with possession of a weapon. His arrest on December 8 followed that of his friends Ian Thomas and James Mack. Both men have since pleaded guilty and will be sentenced this month.
Banton was placed on trial in September but following a week on evidence a 12-member jury could not reach a unanimous decision about his innocence or guilt after three days of deliberation.
He was granted bail in the sum of US$300,000 in the federal court last month but an appeal of an aspect of his bail condition set by US magistrate Anthony Porcelli by the prosecution held up his release, along with his visa issue that resulted in him having to apply for bail in the immigration court to prevent his further detention.
Banton’s entertainment visa was revoked following his arrest.
As part of his bail condition, Banton will have to wear a tracking device and will be under 24-hour surveillance from a security company. He has also signed an extradition waiver and will not be allowed to leave the Middle District of Southern District of Florida until his trial begins.
He will only be allowed to visit a doctor and his lawyer. He must also submit himself to urine tests to prove that he is not using banned substances.
SOURCE: Jamaica Observer
Posted by Yardie Luke on November 2, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
TAMPA — The retrial of Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton has been postponed from December to February.
The change came at the request of Banton’s defense attorney, who said in a motion that Banton, 37, hopes to make arrangements for bail for the holidays. A December trial date also would have been bad for schedules of the defense attorney and witnesses. The government did not oppose the delay.
Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, is charged with trying to buy 5 kilograms, or 11 pounds, of cocaine. His first federal trial ended in a mistrial in September.
SOURCE: St Petersburg Times
Posted by Yardie Luke on October 25, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
Singer Gregory Isaacs, whose dapper outfits and smooth delivery made him reggae’s undisputed ‘Cool Ruler’, died yesterday in London after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 59.
Copeland Forbes, Isaacs’ manager since 2005, said the singer’s relatives in London contacted him by telephone and told him that he had passed away at a friend’s home.
Isaacs had racked up numerous hits in a 40-year career, including Love Is Overdue, All I Have Is Love, Soon Forward, Tune In and Night Nurse.
His career reached a high in the 1980s when he teamed with the Roots Radics Band to cut a series of lovers’ rock numbers like Front Door, Out Deh, Sad To Know (You’re Leaving) and Night Nurse. The latter was his biggest seller and signature tune, and was later covered by Mick Hucknall of British band Simply Red.
Though Love Is Overdue and All I Have Is Love made him a minor star, Isaacs got a major boost in 1979 when he recorded the self-produced Tune In with the Roots Radics, and Soon Forward, which was produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
“Gregory’s voice and songwriting was wicked. He was one of those soulful singers you could listen to for hours,” Dunbar told The Gleaner yesterday.
Forbes said Isaacs was diagnosed with lung cancer while in London last year, but refused to have an operation. He was forced to cancel several shows in the United States because of to poor circulation in his legs, but was strong enough to honour dates in Argentina, California, and Britain this year.
His last performance was at the Big Chill Festival in England on August 8.
His final show in Jamaica was Pulse’s Studio 38 series in July.
Forbes, who has managed top artistes such as Peter Tosh and Dennis Brown, said Isaacs was a singer in the top drawer.
“He was right up there with the best. A great artiste, loved and respected by all,” Forbes said.
Isaacs was born in the west Kingston community of Fletcher’s Land in 1951, the elder of two sons for Enid Murray. He began recording in the late 1960s, going on to work with a number of producers, including Phil Pratt and Alvin Ranglin.
Pratt produced All I Have Is Love, while Ranglin was the man behind My Number One, Love Is Overdue and The Border. Isaacs also produced songs by other artistes for his African Museum label.
But even as international fame beckoned through a distribution deal with Island Records, Isaacs developed a troubling cocaine habit that resulted in multiple police arrests and court appearances and threatened to derail his career.
Despite his personal troubles, Isaacs was still making hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Rumours and Big All Around (with Dennis Brown) are two of those songs.
He experienced a renaissance in 1998 when Hucknall covered Night Nurse for Sly and Robbie’s Friends album, which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1999. Hucknall’s version was a minor hit in Britain.
Isaacs is survived by wife June-Anne, mother, brother, Sylvester Weiss, 12 children, and six grandchildren.
Tributes
Gregory Isaacs has charted an indelible chapter in the annals of the development of Jamaica’s music, with his own unique style, and with timeless hits such as Tune In, Top Ten, Night Nurse, The Border, Love Is Overdue, My Number One, Rumours, and so many others.
- Jamaica Associationof Vintage Artistes & Affiliates
I mourn his loss as the minister responsible for culture, as a good friend of Gregory; and as a fan of good Jamaican music, and hope that his struggle and eventual success will be a model for young Jamaicans in the entertainment sector to emulate.
- Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange
Gregory Isaacs will undoubtedly live on in our hearts and in the fabric of Jamaica and certainly worldwide through his music and many accomplishments. For this, we are eternally grateful.
- People’s National Party
SOURCE: Jamaica-Gleaner.com
Posted by Yardie Luke on October 14, 2010 under Famous Jamaicans |
United States Judge Anthony Porcelli has offered bail to Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie.
Our newscentre understands that bail was granted under strict conditions. Buju was given bail at $250,000. Porcelli also ordered that Buju be placed under 24-hour surveillance with the costs being paid by the defence.
The Gleaner also understands that Buju will have to receive an immigration bond to prevent deportation. The US authorities, however, would want to keep Buju in the US to face his new trial in December.
On October 6, the judge heard arguments from the US prosecution as well as Buju’s lawyers and reserved his judgement.
Buju’s lawyer had filed the motion for a bail hearing on September 27, after federal judge, James Moody declared a mistrial in the drug case against Buju.
He made the ruling after the 12-member jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision in the case.
The judge says a new trial is to be held in December on a date to be announced. SOURCE: Go-Jamaica.com
