By Richard Johnson—- BOB Marley figures prominently in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums, Top 100 Greatest Singers and Top 500 Songs. The magazine, known as the Bible of Rock and Roll, recently published the categories. The Marley compilation Legend, released in 1984, three years after his death, is the highest placed album by a Jamaican artist in the 500 Greatest Albums. The album, which contains anthems such as Get Up Stand Up, Redemption Song, Buffalo Soldier and No … Read entire article »

To be honest, 2013 was a tough year for black folks. Every year has its share of racist activity and bad news, but there was something about this year that made it seem like white people had set claims on aspects of black culture in ways they never had before. We’ll admit, this isn’t the first time (Elvis anyone?), and it certainly won’t be the last, but it was quite possibly the most painfully obvious. Every time we … Read entire article »

  RAYMOND Hall, who played Jeep Man in the 1978 movie Rockers, died last Saturday at age 68. Hall was pronounced dead at the Kingston Public Hospital, his niece Patrice Minott told the Jamaica Observer. Raymond Hall In an interview with the Observer last July marking Rockers’ 35th anniversary, Hall said he was approached by director Ted Bafaloukos and producer Patrick Hulsey to appear in the low-budget film. Though he had no acting experience, Hall took up the Americans offer … Read entire article »

By Michael Martinez, CNN NEW: U.S. Coast Guard says it rescues about 55 Haitians NEW: The British territory revises death toll to 17 — 12 males and five females NEW: Victims were on a sailing vessel that capsizes while it being towed by local authorities (CNN) — At least 17 people have died and dozens more were rescued after their boat capsized off the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean on Wednesday, according to the local government and U.S. officials. The U.S. Coast Guard, … Read entire article »

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas cab driver Gerardo Gamboa thought someone left a bag of chocolates in the back seat of his vehicle, but the stash turned out to be $300,000 in cold hard cash. Now, Gamboa is winning honors for honesty after turning in the money he found Monday. The money was returned to an unidentified poker player. Yellow Checker Star Transportation named Gamboa its driver of the year and rewarded him with $1,000 … Read entire article »

 Monty Alexander— Jamaican jazz legend Monty Alexander will be launching a series of collaborative shows at the Blue Note in New York City next month, aiming to bring together the worlds of jazz and reggae. Alexander, who will be launching his Harlem-Kingston Express 2 next year, will begin with a weekend showcase on Jan. 13 with a double-fature lineup. Afterwards, Caterina Zapponi, Bucky and Martin Pizzarelli, and Frank Vignola come together to present a lineup of jazz and … Read entire article »

This Thursday, March 5, 2009 photo shows American singer Michael Jackson as he announced that he is set to play 10 live concerts at the London O2 Arena in July that year. – Contributed Katherine Jackson is furious that AEG Live wants her to pay its $1.2 million legal costs. A jury ruled on October 2 that the concert promoters were not to blame for her son Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, and not wrong for hiring disgraced physician, Conrad … Read entire article »

By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston— GOSPEL singer Sandra Brooks celebrates 25 years in the business this year. To mark the milestone, she will host a concert Saturday at Karram Speid Auditorium, Merl Grove High School, in Kingston. It kicks off a series of shows dubbed ‘Sandra Brooks Live’. Proceeds from these events will go to fulfilling a longtime goal — purchasing land to build a shelter for the homeless. Sandra Brooks “That has always been my passion. Right now, I am … Read entire article »

By Howard Campbell—-  SINGER Jah Bouks admits he had little knowledge of Angola when he recorded the song Call Angola last year. That did not stop it from becoming one of the biggest hits of 2013. Interestingly, Call Angola is the St Thomas-born Jah Bouks’ first recording. Last week, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, the 38-year-old said he is not surprised at the song’s success. Jah Bouks “A good music; Jamaicans always gravitate toward good music. The … Read entire article »

‘Underneath it All’ was my favourite performance By Candiese Leveridge— The winner of NBC’s season five of The Voice, Tessanne Chin, says that her coach Adam Levine was the perfect choice because he understood what her aim was entering the competition. “Adam has a thing where he can cross into any genre. I needed someone who would be able to take me through as well and the fact that he is a fan of reggae music means he … Read entire article »