All posts by M. Peggy Quattro

#ReggaeReport Founder-Publisher; Reggae Pioneer; Author "Reggae Trilogy: 200+ 80s & 90s Artist Headshots", Writer/Editor; Consultant
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The Nominations for Best Reggae Album GRAMMY 2022

M. Peggy Quattro

An Overview of the Artists and Albums Selected…

by M. Peggy Quattro

The Recording Academy’s 2022 GRAMMY Award nominations are selected from 22,000 entries and awarded by its approximate 12,000 voting membership. Now, and going forward, GRAMMY nominations will be determined by a majority, peer-to-peer vote of Recording Academy voting members. So, if you want to have a voice, contribute, and vote, *Become a Recording Academy member here*

I recently had the pleasure of speaking on-air with Deon Mattis, host of “Home Run” on Jamaica’s The Edge 105.3 FM radio program. The topic centered on the 2022 Best Reggae Album nominations. In my view, 2021 was the year of collaborations and indie labels. To be clear on why, here’s my overview of the six nominated albums, artists, and labels.

The Six Nominees are:

  • PAMOJA – Etana – on U.S.-based Freemind Music
    • Etana is a gifted singer, songwriter, and 2018 Reggae Grammy nominee.
    • She has earned her fanbase through consistent quality recordings and performances since 2008.
    • On this album, Etana displays how progressive and in-touch she is with today’s market.
    • In addition to old school Reggae and new school Trap/Dancehall, there’s a notable Afrobeat influence, as heard in her collabs with several African and international artists.
    • Not to mention, her collabs with such Reggae greats as Damian Marley and Albarosie.
  • POSITIVE VIBRATION – Gramps Morgan – on U.S.- & Canada-based Halo Entertainment Group
    • I was there in ’94, when the unknown Morgan Heritage made their debut Sunsplash performance on a small stage. They blew everyone away and were invited to perform on the big stage on international night. The tight, pop-sounding group was immediately signed by MCA Records as they departed the stage.
    • Over the next 20 years, Morgan Heritage received two (2) Reggae Grammy Awards.
    • Gramps lives in Nashville these days, and the influence of the acclaimed-music city is unmistakable on this album. The songs are fun, romantic, country, and Reggae.
    • The collabs with Shaggy, India.Arie, his father Denroy, and son Jemere are awesome additions.
    • On this album, Gramps reminds me of a Reggae Jimmy Buffet.
  • LIVE N LIVIN’ – Sean Paul – on JA-based Dutty Rock Productions (his own label)
    • Inarguably, this Dancehall pioneer is the most well-known, recognizable, award-winning artist in this category.
    • A Reggae Grammy winner in 2004, Sean Paul has been nominated many, many times.
    • He is the performer, songwriter, and producer on this album…but he’s not alone on it. There are nearly 20 artists jammin’ with him… from Buju and Movado, to Damian and Mutabaruka.
    • You know it’s Sean Paul when you hear the first track…his distinct Dancehall style is unmistakable.
    • With the generous smattering of new and legendary DJs, this album is a sure-fire party hit!
  • Etana
    ETANA
  • Gramps Morgan
    GRAMPS MORGAN
  • Sean Paul
    SEAN PAUL
Continue reading The Nominations for Best Reggae Album GRAMMY 2022 →
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MPeggyQ – 44 Years inna Reggae – Since 1981

M. Peggy Quattro Leave a comment

From “Reggae Report Runnings” 1984 – Meet:  M. Peggy Quattro

“When one door is closed, don’t you know many more is open.”

May 11, 1981, holds a special meaning for me in two ways. Firstly, it was the day that Bob “Nesta’ Marley left this physical plane to go on to higher heights, and secondly, it was the day that first marked my entrance into the Reggae music business, working with Don Taylor, Bob’s long-time friend, associate, and manager.

The immediate hustle and bustle and activity at the office surrounding such an international event convinced me that this was no “joke business.” Bob had a lot of work left to do, and out there would be certain people “picking up” where he physically left off. I am one of those persons.

Don Taylor and M Peggy Quattro, Montego Bay

Bob was the key to the spiritual door… and he opened it so now everyone can go through. I find I-dren everywhere I go that know, as Jah children, this is serious (yet happy) work we carry on in the name of our father – Jah! Like so many others, I could relate to the philosophies and wisdom Bob left for us in his songs. These same truths hold true today for those of US familiar with his life and times, as it will hold true for future generations who will know him through our records, tapes, films, and books.

Bob will never age past being vibrant, energetic, and 36 – beautifully endowed with dreadlocks from his soul, love from his heart, and truth from his lips.

In 1982, my first labor of love was the Caribbean Sunburst Festival, where, as Director-in-Chief, I made my own solemn tribute to Bob. This 4-day history-making event was soon followed by our presentations of Marcia Griffiths at the Gusman (still keeping it in the family) in ’82, and then various promotional endeavors that eventually led to the creation of Reggae Report.

So ‘wake up and live” y’all…the Reggae Report is here… as a voice, as a rhythm… we shall, ‘till the last syllable of recorded time, honor and hold in reverence our beloved leader, brother, and friend.

“You think it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning…”

Bob Marley, ReggaeReport.com Exclusives!

Reggae Artists Remember Bob Marley from 1984

M. Peggy Quattro 1 Comment

In 1984, we asked performers & personalities this same question:

What Was the One Thing That Impressed You the Most About Bob Marley?

Here’s what they said, as seen in V2#5 1984:

“…Bob’s very great…his music is different from all the rest of Reggae musicians…and well put together.” ~Ansell Collins

“…it’s just him…just the man, really… you know, the man.”  ~Beres Hammond

“…a hard-workin’ man, him work for what him have in life, really…and he’s a good singer and good writer, and I respect everything him done…him pave the way for every other artist in Jamaica.”  ~Gregory Isaacs

“…his talent… for me, it was his talent.” ~Jimmy Cliff

“..Bob was a great man…he appreciated people and they related to him…he was a champion of the people…a selfless person…he cared on an international scale for the poor, black and suffering…this was the essence of Bob.”  ~Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976

“… a cool runnings man… just cool…that was one of the things I admired.”  ~Lloyd Parkes, bandleader

“…it’s his range…on one hand it was religion, on the other hand, he was a lover… you know, one has a heavy message, the other you could dance to…” ~Perry Henzell, writer/director The Harder They Come

“…he showed people how to move from poverty to riches… (as in) how to move from Babylon to the Promised Land…”   ~Tony King, Jamaica Tourist Board, Kingston

“…it’s how he was a leader…he had a platform and he stood strong…(and) he allowed me to be creative.”  ~Donald Kinsey, guitarist

“…his song “Smile Jamaica” for personal inspiration…(because) I smile a lot!”  ~Andrew Henry, Kingston Publishers

What impressed you the most? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Bob Marley, Read the Music! Magazine Articles & More! - All

Inside the Vaults of Marley – 1990

M. Peggy Quattro
(As published in Reggae Report V08#04 1990 – this article has not been updated since its original publication. Any updated information is welcome.) 

By Roger Steffens

Reggae historian & Marley archivist Roger Steffens

Bob Marley, Reggae’s prolific king, has been gone for nine years now and for the first time in that period, there exists a growing hope that the protracted legal battles for control of his life’s work are finally drawing to a close. At stake are millions of dollars in royalties, unreleased material, and properties. Nineteen lawyers are currently representing all the different claimants to the estate, including Bob’s children, the estates of the late Peter Tosh and drummer Carlton Barrett, the Wailers band, Bob’s mother Cedella Booker, Bunny Wailer, and various publishers and accountants.

As of the end of April, it appears as if an out-of-court scheme developed by Island Records president Chris Blackwell has met with qualified approval by most of the involved parties, and the way seems much clearer than ever for the eventual release of a treasure trove of unreleased and uncollected Marley and Wailers material going back to the dawn of his career in the early Sixties.

Chronologically, this is my breakdown of what remains to be heard, based on nearly twenty years of following every lead I could. And there is still a great deal of material, some of it stolen from Mrs. Booker’s home after Bob’s death that could yield even more surprises. Continue reading Inside the Vaults of Marley – 1990 →

Bands & Groups - All, Bob Marley, Interviews, Read the Music! Magazine Articles & More! - All

Bob Marley Interview – After the Boston Show 1980

M. Peggy Quattro

By Lee O’Neill    *Updated 2020
V11#3 1993

As Bob Marley and the Wailers took their positions on stage for a 1980 Boston concert [at Hynes Auditorium,] they resembled a tribe of Biblical prophets carrying electric guitars. Red, gold, and green spotlights shined on the different members of the band, from the patriarchal percussionist Seeco Patterson to guitarist Al Anderson dressed in military fatigues.

The leader of the tribe walked to the center microphone in complete darkness and slowly began the song “Natural Mystic.” A spotlight finally landed on Bob Marley, whose long dreadlocks suggested a lion’s mane, and the mood for the show was fixed. Whether they knew it or not and whether they liked it or not, the Boston audience was being drawn into a spiritual experience.

Bob Marley with the Commodores, Madison Square Garden, 1980

I had the opportunity to interview Marley several hours after that September 1980 concert. It was to be one of his last. The Wailers [then] traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, for a show at Brown University and went from there to New York. *Following two extraordinary shows at Madison Square Gardens, where the Wailers finally performed before a predominantly African-American audience while outshining the Commodores, Marley collapsed while jogging in Central Park. The extent of his illness became apparent. The Wailers made their final appearance in Pittsburgh a few days later. Continue reading Bob Marley Interview – After the Boston Show 1980 →

ReggaeReport.com Exclusives!

420 Day DID U KNOWS…

M. Peggy Quattro

DID U KNOW:

Definitions and meanings:

  • The word “ganja” came from India, referring specifically to the buds of the flower…  
  • Sinsemilla originates from the Spanish words “sin” (meaning “without”) and “semilla” (meaning “seed”) to literally mean “without seeds”…
  • THC is the psychoactive agent in cannabis that gets you high…
  • CBD is the non-psychoactive part of cannabis noted for its medicinal properties…
  • Sleng Teng (a slim spliff) is the name given to one of the first computerized riddims created by Wayne Smith & Noel Davey on a Casio keyboard & released as “Under Mi Sleng Teng” in 1984…
  • The term 420 was begun in the late 70s by four NoCal high school stoners who would link up at 4:20 p.m. to smoke a doobie by a campus wall…
  • Different names for cannabis are weed, ganja, grass, mary jane, MJ, kush, spliff, pot, chronic, herb, kaya, tea, skunk, dagga, collie, to name a few…

Continue reading 420 Day DID U KNOWS… →

Garnet Silk, Interviews, Legends & Singers - All, Read by Volume/Issue/Year, Read the Music! Magazine Articles & More! - All, Vol 12-1994

Garnet Silk – An Interview at his Kingston Home 1994 

M. Peggy Quattro 1 Comment

This interview was held on January 13, 1994, at Garnet’s Kingston home. The visit was as warm and memorable as the 27-year-old singer himself. Tragically, by year’s end, Garnet perished in a fire alongside his mother at his childhood home. I cherish my time spent with this humble, delightful, kind human being who possessed childlike joy and a smile that touched everyone he met. Rest in power, dear soul…your music, message and memory live on.   ~M. Peggy Quattro

Garnet Silk – A Son of Ethiopia

By M. Peggy Quattro      V12#2 1994
Words in double brackets [[ ]] signify updated 2020 material ~MPQ

Garnet Silk at Home, Kingston 1994The highly anticipated return of Garnet Silk to the performing stage was purposefully planned to coincide with the birthday celebration of his good friend, DJ Tony Rebel. On January 15, 1994, Rebel Salute was staged in the cool and lovely city of Mandeville, situated in their home parish of Manchester, Jamaica.

In July 1993, following his doctor’s orders, the popular singer/songwriter took a needed hiatus from his rigorous performing and recording schedule. The reason given: exhaustion. [more later in this interview]

The Early Days

Garnet Silk exploded on the Jamaican music scene in 1991 and soon became the most in-demand performer on the island. A steady stream of shows and performances, tours and recordings throughout ‘92 and most of ‘93 took its toll on the performer. To begin the new year, and a new era in his dazzling career, Garnet Silk appears rested and ready to resume his appointed rule as musical message giver.

Garnet Silk
Garnet with photo of HIM Haile Selassie, his inspiration for life

Every song released by Silk in the last two years has attracted rave reviews and considerable airplay in Jamaica and abroad. His unique vocal styling and charismatic presentations have him marked by music industry personnel and fans alike as the “next Bob Marley.”

At Garnet’s Kingston Home

I recently had the pleasure of visiting and interviewing the serious yet mild-mannered Silk during rehearsals and preparation for his triumphant comeback performance at Rebel Salute. This interview is part of the comeback. Continue reading Garnet Silk – An Interview at his Kingston Home 1994  →