BY BRIAN BONITTO–
Associate Editor —
EWAN Simpson chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) said no new date has been set for this year’s staging of its annual awards.
An attorney-at-law and music manager, Simpson said he’s adopting a wait-and-see approach.
“We don’t know the next move [by the Government], so it’s hard to have a tentative date. Of course, we have to organize production and production is about 50 people. We are rethinking the production process and being [COVID-19] compliant at the same time,” Simpson told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
“I had a discussion with the producer, who is actually one of the board members. We’re trying to explore options as to how we can do it properly but complaint. So we’re reviewing some options and should come up with a solution by the end of the week. We should know exactly what we want to do and how we’re doing while following the appropriate protocols. But we’re working on it… 100 per cent virtual is kinda weird, given that we have musical performances. There are ways to do it compliant without doing it 100 per cent virtual. We trying our best to reduce the numbers and keep the quality high,” he continued.
Initially set for February 28, the ceremony was postponed due to new COVID-19 guidelines outlined by the Government which included no gathering of more than 10 people, at the time.
Recently, the Government announced new measures comprising three consecutive weekends of lockdown, which began Saturday, March 27.
This year’s JaRIA Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Owen Gray, the singer/songwriter who is referred to by many as Jamaica’s first home-grown star. The 81-year-old, who currently lives in London, was one of the first artistes to record for the Sir Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s Downbeat label in 1959 and the first act to be produced by Chris Blackwell in 1960. His single Patricia was the first record ever released by Island Records, owned by Blackwell.
Celebrated musician and songwriter Harold Butler will be honored with the award for his exceptional contribution to the reggae industry as a songwriter. He has penned music for the likes of Beres Hammond and Cynthia Schloss.
This year, three artistes have been selected to receive the Icon Award. Jepther “Luciano” McClymoth, Ewart “U-Roy” Beckford and Phyllis Dillon will be recognized along with the Blues Busters, who are receiving the award for iconic duo/group. In the area of gospel music, George Banton and Change will be awarded. British reggae outfit Aswad is this year’s honoree for its contribution to the industry as a band.
Stephen “Cat” Coore, a founding member of renowned reggae band Third World, and a respected cellist/guitarist will be awarded by JaRIA for his contribution to the reggae industry as an instrumentalist.
Engineers Shane Brown and Orville “Rorey” Baker will be recognized for their work in their particular field of endeavor, while in the category of producer, Leroy and Dave Heywood, also known as Mafia and Fluxy, and Handel Tucker will be recognized.
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