During the 1970s, roots-reggae was a way of life in Jamaica. The militant message of artists like Bob Marley and Burning Spear appealed to the youths including Michael Eaton.
A longtime resident of Staten Island, New York, Eaton longs for a return to those glory days which he plans to revive through his Eaton Music label
“In di ’70s an’ ’80s yuh did have more conscious message music but di frequency change, di vibes change. Wi want to bring back dat old vibes,” he said.
In the past 18 months, Eaton has released several songs as a producer, including Oh Lord and Trees by singer Sydney Salmon: Call on Me by Emil Troy and Love Has Found A Way by Misganaye Salmon.
As an artist, Eaton has put out Confess and Words Without Meaning. Since the 1970s, the dual roles of artist/producer has intrigued him.
“My love for di music push mi to develop over di years. Mi always wanted to be a producer ’cause it involves a certain level of creativity,” he said.
Although he was born in rural St. Ann parish, Jamaica, Eaton spent most of his youth in Kingston which underwent a cultural shift in the 1970s with the emergence of Rastafari and roots-reggae.
Migrating to the United States, he maintained ties to music, forming a link with noted engineer/producer Phillip Smart in Long Island and producing a number of artists.
Turned off by the seedy side of the music business, Eaton gave it a break for 15 years before throwing his hat in the ring again two years ago.
“Wi love music an’ want to make a difference with powerful sounds. Wi want to shake up di people dem with positives,” he said.
By Howard Campbell
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