It’s never easy following in the footsteps of a famous sibling. Especially if that person had the aura of Garnet Silk, the charismatic singer who died in December 1994.
Lij Amlak is Silk’s younger brother. He was at their mother’s home in Manchester parish when she and the Rastafarian artist perished there in a fire.
He survived the flames but suffered burns to his hands, as well as years of psychological trauma. A recording artist since 1999, Lij Amlak returned to the music business in 2023, and in January released Don’t Hide It, his comeback song.
The Rastafarian singer co-wrote the track — which he produced for his Silk Kulcha Yaad Records — with Steve Lindo. After recording for different producers, Lij Amlak is relieved to be in charge of his music.
“Mi feel great! Mi feel mi come a long way. It can be frustrating waiting on producers to put out yuh song dem, but now mi do as mi please,” he said.
Lij Amlak launched his recording career five years after Silk’s tragic passing. He has also performed in the United States, Canada, and the Eastern Caribbean.
While he considers Silk “one of my biggest an’ greatest influences”, the incident that claimed his and their mother’s lives, left him physically and emotionally scarred.
“Is an experience mi wouldn’t want mi dog guh through. Sometimes mi hear him song dem an’ it bring mi back to a zone,” he said.
Kingly Character, Nothing Can Divide Us and Zion In A Vision are some of his favorite Garnet Silk songs.
You must log in to post a comment.