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CLINTON LINDSAY » GUEST RUNDOWNS

BORIS GARDINER…FROM THE RHYTHM ACES TO THE BRITISH CHARTS!

Boris Gardiner (at mike) and his Happening performing at the Lucas Cricket Club, Nelson Oval, at the Kingston and St Andrew Free Public Concert in March 1975. The year 1986 was a big one for Boris Gardiner, as he got a number-one song in the United Kingdom (UK) and it was also the first time he was featured on the front page of The Gleaner. Gardiner was at the height of his career, with I Wanna Wake Up With You making it to the top spot on the UK chart. This was after the song had already spent weeks at number one on the United States charts. “When I Wanna Wake Up With You made it to number one in England, it was on the front page of The Gleaner. That was the pinnacle of my career,” Gardiner … Read entire article »

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THE CARIBBEAN HALL OF FAME AWARDS RETURN OCTOBER 25!

 By Balford Henry—  Top: Shaggy & Beenie Man Bottom: Etana & Tarrus Riley— THE Caribbean Development for the Arts, Sports and Culture last staged its Caribbean Hall of Fame for Excellence Awards 2012. This year, founder/executive director, Garnett Reid, is reviving the event. “UNESCO has credited us with being one of the best cultural organisations in the region and we want to keep it that way,” Reid told the Jamaica Observer on Monday. The launch of the 12th Caribbean Hall of Fame Awards for Excellence is planned for today at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston. The actual awards function is scheduled for October 25 at the Jamaica Pegasus. Thirty Caribbean nationals will be honored for their contributions in the fields of sports, music, arts, and culture. The event was first staged in 1989 and, according to … Read entire article »

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FREDDIE McGREGOR, ROY AYERS & NIGERIAN STAR WUNMI, SET FOR FIRST ANNUAL SPIRIT & HAMONY FESTIVAL, SEPTEMBER 13, IN NEW YORK CITY!

FREDDIE McGREGOR, ROY AYERS & NIGERIAN STAR WUNMI, SET FOR FIRST ANNUAL SPIRIT & HAMONY FESTIVAL, SEPTEMBER 13, IN NEW YORK CITY!

The first annual Spirit and Harmony Festival is set to take place on Saturday, September 13th at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, NY from noon to 6:00 PM. The concept for this bold and unique post Labor Day undertaking comes from organizers Carl Clay, founder of the Black Spectrum Theater and Dr. Segun Shabaka, acting chair of the International African Arts Festival for whom this festival was a must do. “It was just necessary to … Read entire article »

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KINGSTON’S GREENWICH TOWN COMMUNITY TO HONOR THE LEGENDARY DERRICK MORGAN AND BUNNY LEE!

 By Basil Walters— Derrick Morgan and Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee have inspired many star performers from Greenwich Town—. THE Greenwich Town community in Kingston will honor two of its outstanding musical sons — producer Bunny Lee and singer Derrick Morgan — on Friday. They will receive the Upliftment Award at the neighbourhood’s Resource Centre. The function is part of a week-long celebration, which started Sunday. Friday’s event will also recognise persons from Greenwich Town, who have excelled in sports and education. “Both Bunny and Derrick have inspired so many of our star performers. By contributing so much to the music, they are deserving of this recognition,” said Tony Mack of the Greenwich Town Community Development Committee. Morgan, who was born in Mocho, Clarendon, is a ska pioneer, who honed his career in Greenwich Town. He first came to … Read entire article »

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JAMAICA’S EDUCATION MINISTRY REPONDS TO US-BASED AUTHOR’S NOVEL “TURN BACK BLOW” FOR LOCAL CURRICULUM!

Roger Williams. – Contributed By Shereita Grizzle— Following a recent Sunday Gleaner story about US-based Jamaican author Roger Williams’ unsuccessful attempts to get his novel Turn Back Blow endorsed locally, the Ministry of Education has made it clear that it encourages Jamaican talent, but there has to be an orderly process. “Things cannot be done haphazardly,” said Lena Buckle-Scott, assistant chief education officer in the Core Curriculum Unit. “There is a stipulated time period in which the Ministry invites authors and publishers to submit their work for review for the next academic year.” While confirming that the ministry now has a copy of Williams’ Turn Back Blow, Buckle-Scott explained that the delay in response may have been because Williams’ submission was outside of the stipulated time frame. She said the time for submissions is usually at the start … Read entire article »

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THE JAMAICAN DISAPORA IN THE USA, FEELS DISSED AS FBI OFFICER IS NOT CONSIDERED FOR JAMAICA’S POLICE COMMISSIONER JOB

By Gary Spaulding— The Jamaican Diaspora in the United States has signalled that its members are livid over the refusal of the Police Service Commission (PSC) to shortlist Wilfred S. Rattigan, a high-profile officer of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for the position of commissioner of police. Rattigan is a Jamaican who migrated to the United States and successfully climbed the ladder of the world-famed FBI. In correspondence exchanged among influential activists in the diaspora, members made it clear that they felt that they had been “dissed” by the actions of the PSC, which is in search for a new commissioner to lead the Jamaica Constabulary Force. In a letter dated August 7, 2014, the commission acknowledged receipt of Rattigan’s application to succeed Owen Ellington, whose retirement was abruptly announced two months ago, … Read entire article »

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REGGAE MAKING A REVIVAL IN JAMAICA, RECALLING THE GOLDEN ERA OF THE 70s!

By Aileen Torres-Bennett Julian Marley, son of the late reggae icon Bob Marley, performs at a concert celebrating his father’s … KINGSTON (Reuters) – The main event at fight night in Kingston, a popular boxing showcase, was hours away, but the crowd at the National Stadium’s indoor arena, from the young and hip to the elderly, was already pumped. When reggae artist Tarrus Riley entered the stage, the screams of the full house were deafening, and the fervor persisted throughout his performance. A musical and social roots movement called “Reggae Revival” is on the rise in Jamaica, where the raunchier dancehall genre has been king for the last two decades. The revival evokes music from reggae’s golden era of the 1970s, dominated by the late, laid-back legend, Bob Marley, who put reggae on the global map with … Read entire article »

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VETERAN PERCUSSIONIST UZZIAH “STICKY” THOMPSON DIES AT 78!

 Sticky Thompson– KINGSTON, Jamaica — Uzziah ‘Sticky’ Thompson, the veteran percussionist whose career covered ska to reggae, died Monday in Florida at age 78. Thompson died from a heart attack, his son Audley Shakespeare told the OBSERVER ONLINE. Born in Hanover and raised in the Mannings Hill area of Kingston, Thompson’s career started in the mid-1960s. He played on major hit songs starting with The Techniques’ Little Did You Know for producer Duke Reid. Beat Down Babylon (Junior Byles); Jah Jah See Them (Culture); I Need a Roof (the Mighty Diamonds); Soon Forward (Gregory Isaacs); and Pull up to The Bumper by Grace Jones are some of the big hits Thompson played. He also worked on several albums by Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers including their Grammy-winning Conscious Party and One Bright Day. Thompson is survived … Read entire article »

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FORMER ACCOMPONG MOROON LEADER, COLONEL SYDNEY PEDDIE DIES AT 81

  ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — Former Accompong Maroon colonel, Sydney Peddie is dead, community elders have confirmed. Peddie left office in 2009 after serving two five-year terms as head of the historic Maroon community whose residents are descendants of freed and runaway slaves. Peddie died on August 11 at his home in Accompong after a long illness. He was 81. The funeral service will take place in Accompong on Saturday, August 30. Current colonel of the Accompong Maroons, Ferron Williams hailed Peddie as the “type of person who looked out for the people of Accompong … I am certain he did what he could with whatever little resources were available to him”. … Read entire article »

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KRISHANE LEVY, SON OF BARRINGTON, PREPARES TO RELEASE HIS DEBUT SINGLE!

 By Kevin Jackson— Krishane Levy— Krishane Levy, the 20-year-old son of dancehall legend Barrington Levy, is preparing to release his debut single, Drunk & Incapable in the United Kingdom come October. The song was produced by British producer Bless Beats. Levy recently signed with Atlantic Records in the UK. Drunk & Incapable also features British singer Melissa Steel, who is also signed to Atlantic and Beenie Man. its video was shot in Jamaica last weekend. Levy, who is being marketed as the next Sean Kingston, is originally from Manchester, but moved to the UK a few years ago. Shortly after relocating to London, Levy signed a recording and publishing agreement with 1 2 One Entertainment, which evolved into a recording contract with Atlantic in May. Among the producers he has worked with are Will Simms who has … Read entire article »

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