While he has recorded a reel of classic dancehall songs, Wayne Wonder retains a hunger for chart success after 35 years in the business. Keeping current has contributed to his enduring career.
The veteran singer will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards from two organizations in the next two months. On February 2, he will be recognized by Island SPACE Caribbean Museum during its Reggae Genealogy concert at Broward Mall in South Florida.
On March 30, Wayne Wonder will accept a similar accolade from the International Reggae And World Music Awards (IRAWMA), which holds its 42nd staging at the Coral Springs Center For The Arts, also in South Florida.
“The secret to my longevity is a combination of passion, resilience and staying adaptable. I’ve always made it a priority to keep learning, stay open to new ideas, stay true to my values and evolve with the times. And above all, I’ve always loved what I do—that’s what keeps me going,” said Wayne Wonder.
Like fellow artists Spragga Benz and Agent Sasco, he is from McIntyre Villa, a rough community in Kingston known as Dunkirk. That area has a strong sound system tradition which groomed Wayne Wonder for a recording career that began in the late 1980s.
No Letting Go, Saddest Day of My Life and Joy Ride are some of his biggest hit songs.
Grammy-winning band Inner Circle and music producer Donovan Germain will also receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at Reggae Genealogy. Singers Audley Rollen and Everton Blender will be similarly rewarded by IRAWMA organizers.
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