The Encyclopedia of Reggae - The Golden Age of Roots Reggae

“[This is] the ideal history book for roots reggae fans: a true classic that every reggae fan should own.”

—Sly Dunbar

by Mike Alleyne

Foreword by Sly Dunbar

The Encyclopedia of Reggae: The Golden Age of Roots Reggae has just been published by Sterling Publishing (www.sterlingpub.com). Produced by Sideshow Media (www.sideshowbooks.com), The Encyclopedia of Reggae is a highly browsable, authoritative resource on the music's golden age, from the late 1960s up to the mid-1980s heyday of dancehall. Packed with more than 500 images, including rare album art and ephemera, this comprehensive guide profiles more than 200 key performers, record labels, and producers from reggae's history, and offers sidebars on topics such as reggae in film, the development of sound

systems, the city of Kingston, and rastafarianism.

A vital appendix includes essential reggae best-of lists, a glossary, and a first-ever reggae timeline, a one-stop reference for key dates in the development of the genre. The book is written by Mike Alleyne, a professor in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University who has specialized in chronicling the cultural and economic history of Caribbean popular music. Alleyne is a frequent lecturer around the globe on the modern impact of Caribbean music and has also contributed to the forthcoming Grove Dictionary of American Music.

The legendary reggae drummer Sly Dunbar contributes the foreword, offering a windowinto the recording studios of 1970s Kingston. Credit line for the book must read: The Encyclopedia of Reggae by Mike Alleyne, Sterling Publishing, 2012. Press images are available, but no images may be used, in print or electronically, without written permission from the publisher. Contact Joshua Glickman (jglickman@sterlingpublishing.com) or Dan Tucker (dtucker@sideshowbooks.com) for additional information.

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF REGGAE

By Mike Alleyne

Foreword by Sly Dunbar

Sterling Publishing

Paperback / 332 pages / 420 color photographs / 9” x 9”

ISBN: 978-1-4027-8583-2

PRICE: $24.95

PUBLICATION DATE: November 2012

11-29

Collie Buddz Presents his Newest Track and Music Video

"Won't Be Long"

11-29

Trippin Riddim is Your Newest One-way Ticket to the Latest Roots Reggae Anthem

With such a groovy melody, a bold horn section led by the maestro, Dean Fraser, on point background vocals and catchy roots reggae chords, Itation Records' new release, the Trippin' Riddim produced by Ishi Dube's tuff Riddims, invokes the spirit of yet another roots renaissance. Indeed, in addition to Itation (responsible for United Regae's Best Reggae Riddim of 2008), names such as Luciano, Turbulence, Fantan Mojah, Sizzla, Delly Ranx and Kali Blaxx capture the best of the conscious music movement. Just check "Rastafari Bless" performed by Fantan Mojah which weaves together Fantan's rapid fire deejay flow and signature vocal range for a timeless, plaintive mood. Then there's Winstrong (Suriname), Messenjah Selah (Jamaica), Ras Attitude (Virgin Islands), Jah Sun and Bobby Hustle (United States) who make up the core of the current reggae scene in the Americas. Selah's combination with Sizzla,"We Overcome", offers the best of both worlds--Selah's soaring hooks and Sizzla's conscious dancehall poetics. Indeed, versatility is the name of the game. With eighteen tracks of up-to-the-time reggae vibes, it's easy to trip over the riddim's versatility with over an hour's worth of listening available. Bobby Hustle's "Words To Say" possesses that effortless, and infectious, pop sensibility that many reach for but few attain. Ishi Dube, Gideon & Sweet C and Zareb keep the message in the music alive while Stevie Culture, Ras Indo, Soul Medic, Vidagua and Ras Ijah make sure there is something for everyone including standout R&B, soul and pop contributions. Listen to the R&B-esque "Music Wash" performed by Vidagua where the catchy chorus is day-trippin' on Itation's one drop beat. The Trippin Riddim is your newest one-way ticket to the latest roots reggae anthem out of the Itation camp. Get yours on November 20 via iTunes and fine etailers worldwide.

http://soundcloud.com/itationrecords-mystic/trippin-riddim-mega-mix-11-10

12-06

Ivorian Reggae Singers Bury Rivalry for "Peace" Tour

By Joe Bavier and Ange Aboa

ABIDJAN | 

(Reuters) - As darkness falls over Ivory Coast's lagoon-side commercial capital a steady thumping cuts through the tropical night.  But where once the thud of heavy weapons set the Abidjan's residents scrambling indoors for cover, tonight it is a reggae bass line that draws them out.  Here, little over a year ago, supporters of then-president Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara were fighting a brief post-election civil war, the final deadly showdown of a decade-long political crisis.

After years teetering precariously between war and peace, the flames of division, xenophopia and anger - fanned in no small degree by some of the country's most famous musicians - exploded into a conflict in which more than 3,000 people died.

One of Ivory Coast's leading reggae artists, Serge Kassy, even rose to become a leader and organizer of Gbagbo's Young Patriots street militia - a group accused of numerous atrocities during the war. Kassy is now in exile. 

"When I looked at the musical scene in Ivory Coast, I realized that we ourselves went too far," said Asalfo Traore of the zouglou band Magic System, one of the few groups that refused to take sides during the crisis years.  "It was when everything was ruined that we wanted to glue the pieces back together. But it was too late."

Now, long-divided musicians are once again coming together, hoping to use their influence, so destructive for so long, to help Ivory Coast heal its deep wounds, and the country's leading rival reggae artists are showing the way.

REGGAE RIVALRY

The long feud between Alpha Blondy and Tiken Jah Fakoly is a thing of legend in the reggae world, though neither has been willing to say what was behind the bad blood.  Both men come from Ivory Coast's arid north and share a musical genre. But the similarities stop there.  Alpha, considered the father of Ivorian reggae, takes the stage in Abidjan clad in a shimmering pink suit, golden tie and Panama hat of an urban dandy. Tiken wears the traditional flowing robes of his northern Malinke tribe.

During the crisis, Alpha remained in Ivory Coast, while Tiken, a vocal critic of President Gbagbo's regime, went into exile in neighboring Mali.  They had so successfully avoided each other during their long parallel careers that before he picked up the phone to approach Alpha with the idea of uniting for a series of peace concerts, Tiken claimed they'd met only twice.  "Before going to the Ivorians to ask them to move towards reconciliation, it was important for us to show a major sign. That's what we did," Tiken told Reuters.

Out of a meeting in Paris was born a simple idea: six concerts in six towns across a country once split between a rebel north and government-held south, bringing together musicians from across the political spectrum to push for peace.  "No one's died over the problems between Tiken and me," said Alpha. "There are things that are more serious than our little spats, our pride and our vanities."  Uniting the Ivorian music scene proved relatively easy in the end. Uniting the country could prove a tougher task.

11-29

Release! A Nite to Give a Musical Instrument to a Youth in Ghana with Ghana's Reggae Artist "Paapa Wastic" 

Eugene, Ore – On Saturday, Dec 1, Earthly Body Inc. & Telos Studios will pair up with Support the Needy Children Project to host a beneft concert for Ghana.  The concert, “Release! The Power of Music”, is a 21 and over show that will be at Luckey’s Club and Cigar Store, located at 933 Olive St. Eugene, Ore. The show starts at 9 p.m. and costs seven dollars to attend. 

“The goal of this show is to enrich the music department for three selected schools in the central region of Cape Coast, Ghana with a shipment of used instruments,” says Nick Wachs, Earthly Body Event Coordinator. Music is a huge part of the culture in Ghana and is important in the development of children. These schools are in dire need for string, woodwind, and brass instruments that the schools cannot aford to provide.

The line up for the beneft concert is The Early Hours Band, The Great Hiatum and Paapa Wastik. Paapa Wastik is coming to Eugene all the way from Ghana on his worldwide tour promoting his new CD “Unity for Africa.”

-More- Benefit Concert--2

Donations of musical instruments are greatly appreciated and those who bring an instrument will get into the event for free and will receive a free copy of Paapa Wastiks new CD.

Monetary donations are also welcomed and Earthly Body Inc. has ofered to match all donations made at the event. “It'll be a night full of good vibes, great bands, and a better cause,” says Wachs. We appreciate your time.

Let us know if you have any questions about the event.

Paapa Wastik The Great Hiatum Telos Studios Earthly Body

Contact: Nick Wachs, Event Coordinator

Phone: 818-914-8667

Email: wachs@uoregon.edu

EVENT DATE: Saturday, December 1st

11-29

Mr X-ray song title "Helo Africa" ft Eddy Grant remix

11-29