BY KEDIESHA PERRYObserver writer– Mikey Bennett MIKIE Bennett says the recognition bestowed on him by Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Awards for his contribution to songwriting is like wind beneath his wings. “I’m quite honored. When you get honored by your peers, and I consider the members at JaRIA as my peers, it is unmatched. Sometimes you need these reminders to keep the flame going, and this is exactly what this award has done for me,” said Bennett, … Read entire article »

LOS ANGELES (AP) Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo: AP)  Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose made history and the big-screen craft of Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic “Dune” was awarded with a leading six Oscars at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards that kept a buoyant spirit until Will Smith took great offence to a joke made … Read entire article »

By Yasmine Peru – Sunday Gleaner Writer— Veteran reggae singer and prolific songwriter Keith ‘Bob Andy’ Anderson died March 27, 2020. It has taken Bianca Anderson two years to arrive at a place where she can feel comfortable talking about her father, veteran reggae singer and prolific songwriter Keith ‘Bob Andy’ Anderson. A ‘Daddy’s girl’, who has cherished memories of her lunch kit being placed by the security guard many evenings because her father was late to pick … Read entire article »

Burning Spear Marcus Garvey was a forgotten man in Jamaica when Burning Spear recorded an epic album in his honor 47 years ago. The reggae legend is urging Jamaica’s government to teach his message of black empowerment in the country’s schools. He is also calling for a special day in Jamaica for the Pan African leader who died in London in 1940 at age 52.”I believe di time is right for a Marcus Garvey Day in … Read entire article »

BY JASON CROSSObserver staff reporter— Jamaica Observer Deputy Managing Director Natalie Chin (third right) is flanked by promotions officers (from left) Daneal Moore, Ashanti Munroe, Paul Spence, Shania Campbell and Omar Campbell at Friday’s launch of the The Edge 105 FM’s new logo in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew. FOR at least seven hours on Friday, starting from 6:00 am, commuters in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew, were feted with non-stop entertainment, music and giveaways during the launch of a new … Read entire article »

NEW YORK-BASED radio broadcaster Dexter “DJ Linkage” Blake has started an online petition to have cultural icon Miss Lou declared a national hero. Dexter “DJ Linkage” Blake It started three days ago and, so far, has 81 signatures. “I think Miss Lou should be a national hero because she contributed so much to Jamaica and its culture during her lifetime. She inspired us to be proud of our language, patois, and culture in the way she dressed and … Read entire article »

BY RICHARD JOHNSONObserver senior reporter— IN the 1990s a number of Jamaican dancehall acts were signed to major international record labels and a common thread in a number of these crossover successes was the work of music industry insider and marketer Karen Mason. Karen Mason The Jamaican-born Mason succumbed to breast cancer on Tuesday, 11 years after she was first diagnosed. One of the artistes who reaped success as a result of Mason’s tenacity as a marketer was singer … Read entire article »

BY KEVIN JACKSONObserver writer— PATRA became the first female artiste from Jamaica to score a number one album on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart on April 30, 1994. She achieved that feat with Queen of the Pack , her major label debut for Epic Records. Since then, five others have done so — Diana King, Etana, Queen Ifrica, Koffee, and Spice. Shenseea threw her hat in the ring with her debut album Alpha, which debuts at number two on the latest chart. Alpha —released via … Read entire article »