Five years after he was extradited to the USA from Jamaica on a charge of absconding bail, entertainer Busy Signal is now heading to New York City in June, where he plans to deliver a blistering performance to thousands of reggae fans who have had to endure a punishing wait for Busy’s brand of live reggae music.

Glendale Gordon, also known as Busy Signal, secured his US visa four months ago and he has now been cleared to travel to New York to perform on that city’s premier R&B and reggae concert, Groovin’ In The Park, having now been granted a US, work permit.

Busy Signal will deliver his first performance on US, soil at the 7th annual Groovin’ In The Park concert, which takes place at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, New York on Sunday June 25. He will join an impressive galaxy of reggae and R&B stars, including R&B legend R Kelly, who is performing in New York at an outdoor venue for the first time in almost 10 years.

Very Important Day

“June 25 will be a very important day for Jamaicans in the Diaspora, for dancehall and for Busy Signal,” an elated Groovin’ Inc. founder and CEO Chris Roberts told The Sunday Gleaner. Roberts played a key role in securing the work permit that will facilitate the New York performance.

“Music fans in the USA have been waiting to see this dancehall megastar in concert for a very long time. I am happy that this historic performance will be delivered on a Groovin stage, the biggest music platform for reggae and R&B music in the US,” Roberts remarked.

Joining Busy at Groovin’ In The Park will be reggae and rocksteady icons Freddie McGregor, Ken Boothe, U Roy and Leroy Sibbles with Lloyd Parks and We The People Band, supported by an orchestra with the sweet sounds of violins, violas, cellos and a harp, plus the Lenox Hill Road Baptist choir.

He climbed reggae/dancehall charts globally with his single, Step Out, which was one of the most popular songs in 2005. He followed up with smash singles, Nah Go A Jail Again, Smoke Some High Grade, Tic Toc and Unknown Number. In 2008, he released, Loaded, a 15-track compilation disc that included Whine Pon Di Edge, These Are The Days and Hustle Hard.

Busy Signal collaborated with Major Lazer and No Doubt on the band’s title track from the album Push and Shove. His other Major Lazer collaboration, Watch Out For This (Bumaye), was a major hit in several European countries, earning him the World Music Award for World’s Best Video and World Music Award for World’s Best Song.