By Patricia Meschino, Kingston— From left: Black Am I, Damian Marley, Wayne Marshall, Jo Mersa Marley and Christopher Ellis– Less than a month after its lineup of top tier Jamaican acts was announced on his Facebook page, Damian Marley’s inaugural Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise has sold out all of the 2,300 available cabins aboard the Norwegian Pearl cruise liner, Damian told Billboard.biz in an exclusive interview. So named for Damian’s 2006 Best Reggae Album Grammy Award-winning “Welcome to … Read entire article »

BY BENJAMIN NJOKU– “It is music and dancing that makes me at peace with the world and at peace with myself.” These were the confessional words of Nelson Mandela which he made in 1999 after joining South African singer, Johnny Clegg – the “White Zulu”- on stage in France to express his deep love for music. The former president of South Africa, from all indications was not ignorant of the vital role that music played in keeping … Read entire article »

The Wailers— Bluesfest boasts some seriously impressive reggae on its line up for 2014 and one of the biggest acts on the bill has locked in three sideshows next April. The Wailers was the band that backed the great Bob Marley back when the undisputed king of the genre was still kicking and, while the membership of the band is a lot different these days, they do a great job of keeping these incredible reggae anthems alive. You know … Read entire article »

John Holt— Jamaicans are all set to experience a one-night musical extravaganza this Christmas season when rhythm and blues meets reggae. Legendary R&B vocalist, Percy Sledge, is to be joined by some of the greatest names in reggae music on the grounds of Jamaica College, St Andrew. The December 28 concert, dubbed R&B Reggae Showcase, is being promoted by Reggae R&B Promotions in association with one of the most enduring and sought-after bands in reggae music, Fab 5. The concert boasts Percy Sledge, … Read entire article »

SAGGING sales for reggae and dancehall continued in 2013, although a number of albums from 2012 maintained moderate figures into this year. These are the 10 best-selling reggae albums in the United States for 2013, according to Nielsen-Soundscan which tracks sales of singles and albums. Snoop Lion, Matisyahu and Jimmy Cliff   (10) Easy Stars’ The Thrillah: Easy Star All Stars   The New York collective is at it again. They released this cover of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album in the … Read entire article »

William C. Lewis of Henrico was charged after a bottle was thrown at Frederick “Toots” Hibbert while he performed with his band, Toots and the Maytals, at Dominion Riverrock in May 2013. A Henrico County man was sentenced to serve six months in jail today for throwing a vodka bottle that struck and injured reggae star Frederick “Toots” Hibbert at the Dominion Riverrock festival on Brown’s Island in May. William Connor Lewis, 20, had been charged with … Read entire article »

By Howard Campbell—- WITH music sales plummeting globally since the advent of the Internet and digital format, music companies have been forced to find alternative ways to create revenue. In the case of VP Records, they launched the VP Associated Label Group (VPAL) in 2009. It partners with artistes and producers who operate small labels to get their product out in diverse markets Dancehall artist, Mr Vegas For their part, the company gets a percentage of album sales. After four … Read entire article »

By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston— REGGAE Meets Samba is the title of a Brazilian documentary about singer Marcia Griffiths, currently being filmed in the city Sao Paulo. “It surrounds my musical journey. The producer thought I would make a good subject,” Griffiths said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, before leaving for the South American country. Marcia Griffiths Reggae Meets Samba is produced by Bossanova Films, a company located in the city of Salvador de Bahia. Griffiths, whose career began in … Read entire article »

Keith Mitchell, prime minister of Grenada, announced the US$5 levy on Tuesday. – File Grenada has levied a US$5 fee on stopover visitors to fund the country’s tourism marketing budget. The move has upset the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA), which says the matter was not discussed with stakeholders. Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell announced the tourism levy while presenting the the EC$933.9 million national budget on Tuesday. “The funds collected from this levy will be used exclusively for marketing … Read entire article »

By Laura Geller—-  RICHMOND, VA—-A teen accused of throwing a liquor bottle at reggae legend Frederick “Toots” Hibbert during a Brown’s Island concert is expected to plead guilty.William Lewis was scheduled to go on trial Thursday on a malicious wounding charge, but prosecutors say he will enter a plea deal instead. The details of the agreement are not yet known. Hibbert was hit in the head by a bottle at the Dominion Riverrock Festival in May and later canceled all … Read entire article »