By Howard Campbell—Observer senior writer— The current members of The Tamlins. From left: Derrick Lara, Junior Moore and Carlton Smith. T Just before leaving for a European tour with Peter Tosh in mid-1979, Sly Dunbar went to see musician/producer Geoffrey Chung at his Kingston home. Chung had “some foreign reggae chune” he gathered on cassette for Dunbar, then the drummer for Peter Tosh’s Word, Sound and Power Band. One of the songs was Nina Simone’s version of Baltimore, written by singer … Read entire article »

Roots reggae is the subject of a beguiling new documentary, Inna De Yard. Colin Grant talks to those who gave birth to the movement about the music’s spiritually uplifting— roots By Colin Grant— Renaissance men: Kiddus I, Winston McAnuff and Cedric Myton, the stars of the documentary Inna De Yard— A camera sweeps across the verdant, shimmering beauty of Jamaica before descending on to a raffishly charming wooden house built into the hills. We’re at a music studio … Read entire article »

By Anna-Kaye Kerr — “Gratitude is a must!!!” Koffee scored another W. Former United States President Barack Obama posted a his Summer Playlist on his Twitter page today. The highly anticipated playlist consists of songs he and his wife Michelle Obama have been listening to throughout the summer, and reggae/dancehall sensation, Koffee, made the cut. The playlist consists of songs new and old, all the way from Hip Hop/RnB to reggae and perhaps the biggest highlight is Koffee’s breakout hit … Read entire article »

With a much anticipated EP in the works, British soul singer Vincent Darby is scheduled to embark on his first US tour in September. The five-week trek will play 20 states, with five dates in Florida. Darby, whose maternal grandparents are Jamaican, is from Birmingham in the British Midlands. That city is one of the strongholds for West Indian immigrants, many of whom went to the United Kingdom in 1948 aboard the Empire Windrush. Vincent Darby The 19-year-old … Read entire article »

By Stephanie Lyew – STAR Writer— P Camelia Bartley’s current single, In the Mood, does not advocate for women living with HIV but she intends to add singles of that nature to her catalog in the future. Many persons living with HIV prefer to keep their status a secret, but shortly after Sunshine City’s Camelia Bartley was diagnosed, word spread throughout her community like wildfire. “I was diagnosed in February 2014, and by May that year it was no … Read entire article »

By Shereita Grizzle – Staff Reporter— P A section of the massive crowd that showed up.— With approximately 1,500 people turning up at her annual back-to-school treat, dancehall queen Spice and her team from the Grace Hamilton Foundation were overwhelmed as they handed out school supplies to needy children at the Maverley Gospel Hall yesterday. She had initially hoped to cater to 500 children, and so it was obvious from the get-go, some children would leave the venue empty-handed. Spice … Read entire article »

During their heyday of the 1980’s and 1990’s, Haldaine “Jimmy Metro” James and his Metro Media sound system were regulars at New York dances. Currently going through a re-branding phase, the veteran ‘sound’ returns to the Big Apple in September for a popular date. Jimmy Metro (center) with Metro Media’s selectors. From left are DJ Hotta Blaxx, Charlie General, Sky Juice and DJ Metro Media are scheduled to play the annual LaRoose Backyard Fish Fry … Read entire article »

From: LOOP NEWS —T Wayne Wonder— Jamaican reggae artiste Wayne Wonder was reported to have pulled out of a weekend concert in Bermuda, in which he was due to appear alongside Grammy award-winner, Buju Banton. Wonder was reached to explain what led to the development, and he pointed to a hiccup that resulted from a breakdown in communication. “It was something simple, they didn’t want to accommodate me originally; I was supposed to just appear with Buju. (But after), they … Read entire article »