By Howard Campbell
Observer senior writer—-
THERE were few Jamaicans and little sign of Jamaican culture when Donovan Donaldson moved to Colorado in 1977. But as disc jockey Donovan Makha, he helped introduce reggae to the state through his weekly Reggae Bloodlines show.
Reggae Bloodlines recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. It airs Saturdays on the KGNU radio station, which started one year after Donaldson arrived in Colorado.
His show, as its name suggests, explores the evolution of Jamaican music.
“The format has remained consistent. The mission thought was to present not just music, but for listeners to understand the lineage of the music and the culture from which it was derived,” Donaldson, 59, explained. “My outlook is that Jamaican music is a varied sound. Any style from contemporary dancehall, reggae, rocksteady, ska, going back to mento or kumina is represented. My goal is not predicated on what is old or new, but to present the different creations of music that are uniquely Jamaican.”
Donaldson grew up in the Top Range area of east Kingston and attended Kingston College (KC), following in the footsteps of his brother Lorne, who played Manning Cup football for that school.
He was still at KC when he migrated to Colorado, settling in Denver with his older brother and sister. At the time the state was not as diverse as today and folk singer John Denver was it’s biggest musical commodity.
“When I arrived in Colorado in 1977, the place was barren and truly devoid of reggae music. The first thing after arriving was to find familiar things; where’s the football being played, who has food that we like, is there a place to hear our music, etc. You have to realise that this was unfamiliar territory to most Jamaicans back then,” he recalled. “I had a brother (Anthony Donaldson) here before me and we soon set up a sound system. We managed to convince the proprietor of a concession stand in Denver’s City Park to allow us to ‘string up’ for free and started weekends of reggae and football. Well, after many citations for loud music, the police finally shut us down. We progressed from all the contacts made and created a reggae scene.”
The advent of KGNU in the city of Boulder in 1978 was a major boost for Donaldson and reggae. He had pitched a show to other stations, but they were not interested; the following year, he got the gig at KGNU, and though he has also worked at KFML 1490 AM and 102.7 The MAX, it has been his substantive job.
Donaldson had no radio experience when he got the job at KGNU. He picked up a few tips going to the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation in Kingston while at KC, watching top DJ Errol “ET” Thompson on air.
After his move to Colorado, Lorne Donaldson would record Thompson’s programme and send to his brother in Denver.
Appreciation for reggae and Jamaican culture has grown significantly in Colorado in the last 40 years, with top acts performing annually in Denver and Boulder. Donaldson believes Reggae Bloodlines has contributed to that surge.
“The growth of reggae music in Colorado has been exponential since my arrival. Boulder, being the home of KGNU and the University of Colorado, is one of the standout meccas for the music,” he said. “Denver, now on par, is known worldwide for venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater. Another popular spot for reggae, Cervantes Masterpiece, will host the KGNU 40th anniversary celebration on June 28 featuring Protoje and Kabaka Pyramid.”
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