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by Renée-Lauren Ellis
ARTIST:
Jimmy Cliff
NOMINATED FOR: Black Magic (2004)
The album is a diverse one,
featuring artists such as Tony
Rebel, Sting, Wyclef Jean, Annie
Lennox and Bounty Killer. It
showcases his strong voice on
16 tracks that talk about everything
from September 11 (Terror) to
War in Jerusalem. This is (approximately)
Jimmy Cliff’s 47th album
and second Grammy® nomination;
he won the 1985 Reggae Grammy®
award for Cliff Hanger.
DISCOGRAPHY:
1960s Hard Road to Travel; Jimmy
Cliff; Give Thanx; Can’t
Get Enough of It; 1970s Wonderful
World, Beautiful People; Goodbye
Yesterday; Another Cycle; The
Harder They Come; Struggling
Man; Sense of Direction; Music
Maker; House of Exile; Brave
Warrior; Pop Chronik Vol. 9;
Follow My Mind; In Concert,
the Best of Jimmy Cliff; Unlimited;
Oh, Jamaica; 1980s I am the
Living; Give the People What
They Want; Special; Power the
Glory; Cliff Hanger; Fundamental
Reggae; Hanging Fire.; 1990s
Images; Breakout; Live 1993;
In Brazil; Gold; Many Rivers
to Cross; Jimmy Cliff Vol. 2;
Cool Runner Live in London;
Samba Reggae; Reggae Man; 120
Pure Reggae; Higher, Higher;
Humanitarian; Shout for Freedom;
Ultimate Collection; 2000s Live
and in the Studio; You Can Get
it if You Really Want; Shout
for Freedom; Steppin’
Out in Limbo; Sunshine in the
Music; Black Magic
BIO
SNAPSHOT: Although
he’s best known for his
role in the 1973 movie The Harder
They Come, his trademark quirky
sunglasses and the song I Can
See Clearly Now from the movie
Cool Runnings, Jimmy Cliff actually
has a solid repertoire of Reggae
albums to his credit. Aside
from international renown, Cliff
was awarded the Order of Merit
(OM) by the Jamaican government
in October 2003. Recently he
thrilled Jamaicans in a long-awaited
2+ hour-long performance at
Rebel Salute and since then
has appeared at the UWI’s
first ‘Distinguished Concert
Series’. Every time Jimmy
Cliff sings in Jamaica, he gives
us something to cherish: his
performance of Many Rivers to
Cross at the celebrations honouring
Nelson Mandela’s visit
to Jamaica, upon Mandela’s
release from prison, is one
of the most stirring moments
in Jamaican history.
Cliff
has been away from Jamaica for
quite some time. It all began
in 1964 when he was Jamaica’s
representative to the World’s
Fair in Paris. From there he
moved to Britain to work with
Island Records and release his
first album Hard Road to Travel,
which produced the samba-inspired
hit Waterfalls. Following this
hit, Cliff moved to Brazil and
released the hits Wonderful
World, Beautiful People and
the anti-war song Vietnam. By
the mid-1970s, Cliff had moved
from Island to Reprise and then
EMI Records but had little success.
During this period he had converted
to Islam and journeyed to Africa.
His new religious devotion began
to influence his music and a
string of acclaimed albums and
performances followed.
Jimmy
Cliff is a powerful international
music force and his music has
garnered many fans. Some consider
his powerful lyrics philosophical.
Cliff’s latest release,
which he considers “the
culmination of what Jimmy Cliff
is all about”, along with
his recent stellar performances
(and more broadly his many performances
all over the world) has once
again pushed him onto Reggae’s
front page.
Check
out Jimmy Cliff’s official
website for an expanded biography
and other information: www.jimmycliff.com
Sources:
www.jimmycliff.com;
www.jamaica-gleaner.com/20050120/ent;
www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle.
ARTIST: Steel
Pulse
NOMINATED FOR:
African Holocaust
The 19th album from the renowned
England-based band is their
fourth Grammy® nomination
and could result in their second
award. Steel Pulse was most
recently in Jamaica for a performance
at the popular East Fest stage
show, as well as to host a launch
party for African Holocaust.
Still going strong after 30
years, Steel Pulse is even more
committed to “reconnecting
the African Diaspora to its
continental roots.” According
to lead singer David Hinds,
in an article published in the
Jamaica Observer, the album
address all subject matters
that are relevant to the African
Diaspora; he is most passionate
about the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
A small simple example of their
embrace of the African Diaspora
is seen on their official website
where an announcement about
celebrations marking Bob Marley’s
60th birthday lives alongside
a link to an article about the
death of the distinguished late
Black-American actor Ossie Davis.
DISCOGRAPHY:
Handsworth Revolution (1978);
Tribute to the Martyrs (1979);
Caught You (1980); True Democracy
(1982); Earth Crisis (1984);
Babylon the Bandit (1985); Reggae
Greats (1984); State of Emergency
(1988); Victims (1991); Rastafari
Centennial (1992); Smash Hits
(1993); VEX (1994); Rastanthology
(1996); Reggae Greats (1997);
Rage and Fury (1997); Sound
and System (1997); Living Legacy
(1999); Ultimate Collection
(2000); African Holocaust (2004)
BIO
SNAPSHOT: Steel Pulse
is: David Hinds, Selwyn Brown,
Steve Nesbit, Clifford 'Moonie'
Pusey Alvin Ewen, Sidney Mills,
Conrad Kelly, and the recent
addition of two female backing
singers Sylvia Tella and Donna
Sterling. Ronald McQueen, who
named the band and Phonso Martin
were original members who have
since left the band.
After
30 years, Steel Pulse has many
distinctions under its belt.
In 1993 they were invited by
the Clinton Administration to
perform at the inaugural celebrations,
the first Reggae band to do
so. They have performed at numerous
other shows with varied artists
including INXS, Bob Dylan, Bob
Marley & the Wailers and
Santana. Their consciousness
and commitment to fighting injustice
even manifested in a 1992 $1
million lawsuit against the
NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission
to protest cabbies who failed
to pick up blacks and Rastafarians
from New York’s streets.
Steel
Pulse was founded as part of
the Rock against Racism movement
in Handsworth (Birmingham),
England in 1975. Their very
first releases Kibudu, Mansetta
And Abuku (which linked the
plight of urban black youth
with the image of a greater
African homeland) and Nyah Love
were for smaller labels but
still helped to put bring their
name into the Birmingham club
scene. Internationally, things
started off a little rocky and
the band was refused performance
dates in the Caribbean because
of their Rastafarian beliefs.
Consequently, they aligned with
the punk rock movement and soon
came to the attention of another
Reggae icon, Burning Spear.
Soon they were recording albums
(with Island, Elektra, and MCA),
which were released to critical
acclaim. Their work has earned
them the reputation of sharp
social commentators and talented
musicians with a commitment
to “fighting injustice…and
promoting positive messages
through spiritually uplifting
music.”
For
more information on the group
& tour dates, check out
the official website: www.steel-pulse.com
Sources:
www.steel-pulse.com;
www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle;
ARTIST: Toots
& the Maytals
NOMINATED FOR:
True Love
Just about every song on this
album features a well-known
artist: No Doubt, Eric Clapton,
Ken Booth, U-Roy, Willie Nelson,
Keith Richards, and Bonnie Rait
are but a few. But of course
Toot’s distinctive husky
voice is at the forefront of
all the tracks. The feel good
album really has a dominant
Ska and Reggae feel and has
a remake of the famous 5446
as well as several other remakes
of popular songs including Pressure
Drop and Monkey Man. The album
also features the never before
released Take a Trip featuring
Bunny Wailer. This is the group’s
3rd Grammy® nomination.
DISCOGRAPHY
(PARTIAL): Funky Kingston (1973);
Reggae Got Soul; Pass the Pipe
(1978); In the Dark (1979);
Just Like That (1980); Knock
Out (1982); Toots Live (1980);
Spiritual Healing; Peace Perfect
Peace; Toots in Memphis (1988);
Recoup (1997); Skafather (1998);
World Is Turning (2002)
BIO SNAPSHOT: Everyone
can recognise Toots’ moving
voice and judging by the line-up
on his Grammy nominated album,
his talent is well known and
appreciated. As Bonnie Rait
says: “I hold Toots up
there with Otis, Aretha and
Ray, as one of our great soul
singers. He's as ferocious a
performer as he is brilliant
as a songwriter – with
the kind of heart and fire that's
truly inspirational.”
And he’s a foundation
of Reggae music as well; his
song “Do the Reggay”
is credited as giving the genre
its now famous name.
Toots
& the Maytals are best known
for the many winning festival
entries, and of course the famous
5446 written while Toots was
in jail for marijuana possession.
Like fellow nominee Jimmy Cliff,
his voice is easily recognisable
and. Although he’s mostly
been out of the limelight in
Jamaica for some time, Toots
hasn’t stopped performing
or writing songs and has a strong
following in the U.S. and Europe.
Toots
began his music career at age
7 singing in church choir. The
Maytals began at Studio One,
home of another Jamaican music
legend Coxsone Dodd before moving
on to another legend Prince
Buster. Their sound had a heavy
infusion of gospel and their
first local release was titled
Hallelujah. By this time, Ska
was taking Jamaica and a wider
international audience by storm.
Other popular songs were I'll
Never Grow Old, Dog War (aka
Broadway Jungle) and Bam Bam,
winner of the first National
Festival Song Competition.
Given
Toots & the Maytals’
major role in popularity of
Ska, a classic Jamaican music,
it’s no surprise that
this nominated album would feature
a group like No Doubt (listen
to their first album…).
In 1975, Toots & the Maytals
like many others signed with
Island records and jetted off
on a U.S. and European tour.
Within twenty-four hours of
performing at London’s
Hammersmith stadium in 1980,
a live album was released for
sale (apparently the fastest
such release in history); that
album is ranked as one of the
best of all time.
Toots
and the Maytals have had a major
presence in every era of Jamaican
music. They have a record 31
number ones in Jamaica and several
chart toppers around the world.
They are seemingly ageless.
Official
website: www.tootsandthemaytals.com
Sources:
www.tootsandthemaytals.com;
ARTIST: Sly
& Robbie
NOMINATED FOR: Dub Revolutionaries:
Sly & Robbie Meet the Mad
Professor
The title of the album really
says it all. The Riddim Twins
take dub to a new level and
are certainly two of Jamaica’s
best producers. The album features
saxophonist Dean Fraser on tracks
meant “to sound as if
it had been recorded in 1978.”
It is a treat for dub fans and
shows the best of what Sly &
Robbie have to offer. The duo
won a Grammy® in 1986 for
Anthem. In 1986 they were also
nominated for a Grammy®
in the R&B Instrumental
category for "Bass &
Trouble," (from 1985’s
Language Barrier), the first
Jamaicans to earn such a nomination.
DISCOGRAPHY
(PARTIAL): Massive; The Sixties,
Seventies+Eighties = Taxi (1981);
Language Barrier (1985); Anthem
(1985); Taxi Fare (1986); Rhythm
Killers (1987); The Summit (1988);
Two Rhythms Clash (1989); Silent
Assassin (1989); A Tribute to
King Tubby (1990); Many Moods
of Sly, Robbie & the Taxi
Gang (1991); Remember Precious
Times (1992); Override in Overdub
(1993); Ragga Pon Top (1995);
Sly & Robbie Meet King Tubby
(1997); Mambo Taxi (1997); Dub
Rockers Delight (1997); King
Tubby’s Dancehall Dub
(1998); Reggae Dancehall (1998);
Friends (1998); Drum & Base
Strip to the Core (1999); Hail
Up Taxi 2 (1999); Duble Trouble
(2000); Gold Dubs: Ultimate
Reggae Collection (2000); Dub
Fire (2000); Dancehall Killers
(2000); Sound of Sound (2000);
Sly & Robbie Presents Taxi
Christmas (2001); Dub Revolutionaries:
Sly & Robbie Meet the Mad
Professor (2004).
BIO
SNAPSHOT: Sly and Robbie
became a formal duo in 1975
but by then they were already
popular on Jamaica’s entertainment
scene. Sly had a reputation
as talented drummer and had
worked with another Jamaican
legend, Lee “Scratch”
Perry while Robbie is a gifted
bass player who worked on Bob
Marley’s Stir it Up. Two
of their first collaborations
were with fellow nominee Jimmy
Cliff’s Follow My Mind
and with Peter Tosh’s
backing band “Word Sound
and Power.”
Their
success continued with their
work on Culture’s Two
Sevens Clash and soon their
work was attracting international
acclaim. Throughout their illustrious
career, Sly & Robbie have
worked with Peter Tosh, U-Roy,
Dennis Brown, Leroy Smart, Grace
Jones (they produced My Jamaican
Guy and Pull up To My Bumper),
Luciano, Bob Dylan, Beenie Man,
Herbie Hancock, Horace Andy
and Black Uhuru They have also
opened with Black Uhuru for
the Rolling Stones.
A
thorough bio can be found at:
http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-264546-bio--Sly--Robbie
or www.slyandrobbietour.com
Sources:
www.launch.yahoo.com (search
for Sly & Robbie); www.slyandrobbietour.com;
slyrob.3va.net
unofficial website);
ARTIST: Various
Artists
NOMINATED FOR:
Red Star Sounds Presents Def
Jamaica
The album is a fusion of dancehall
and hip hop and features the
genres’ top stars –
Beenie Man, Junior Gong, Baby
Cham, Jay Z, Lady Saw, DMX and
Capone-n-Noreaga to name a few.
Beenie Man and Ms. Thing’s
Dude (on the album as remix
featuring Shawna) is the most
popular song from the album.
Among this year’s nominees,
the album is the only representation
of dancehall.
TRACK
LISTING:
1. Straight Off the Top - Wayne
Marshall
2. Anything Goes - Capone-N-Noreaga
3. Mardi Gras [The Remix] -
Joe Budden
4. Lyrical .44 - Damian "Junior
Gong" Marley
5. Na Na Na Na [Reggae Remix]
- Lady Saw
6. Sweetness - Buju Banton
7. True to Me - Major Damage
8. Murda – Nokio
9. Together - Black Ice
10. Girls Callin' - Elephant
Man
11. Love Is on My Mind - Baby
Cham
12. Nah Mean – Delano
13. Dude [The Remix] - Beenie
Man
14. Top Shotta – DMX
15. Frontin' [Dancehall Remix]
- Jay-Z
Sources:
www.bandbuilder.com/defjamaica/index.php?ref_code=D23824;
www.amazon.com
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