Maxi Priest Joins UB40 as Lead Singer

While Keyboardist Michael Virtue Resigns
by M. Peggy Quattro
March 26, 2008 – Reggae’s sweet and soulful singer Maxi Priest has been invited to replace former lead singer Ali Campbell as the new vocalist for Britain’s #1 Reggae export, UB40.

The band has been touring and recording despite Campbell’s January 2008 departure, and recently concluded a successful tour with Priest in Australia in February 2008, and to sold-out crowds in the UK in December 2007.

The association with Maxi Priest, expected to form a more permanent union, has already seen Priest record with UB40 and release a single of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.” A source close to the band said, “The recent recording session with Maxi Priest turned out brilliantly and the band is really buzzing about the year ahead.” It should be noted that UB40 and Maxi Priest are the only two British Reggae acts to achieve #1 status on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. Continue reading Maxi Priest Invited to Join UB40 2008 →

Mikey Dread – Legendary Performer, Producer & Broadcaster – Succumbs to Brain Tumor

It is reported that Michael “Mikey Dread” Campbell, aka Dread at the Controls, passed on to Zion, Sat., March 15, 2008 at 7 p.m. EST. He was surrounded by his family in the home of his sister in Connecticut at the time of his passing.

Mikey Dread was born in 1954 in Port Antonio, a lush small town on the northeastern tip of Jamaica. Mikey was an avid student who loved electronics. In 1976, after graduating from college, Mikey started out as an engineer with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). A collector of Reggae vinyl, Mikey wasn’t satisfied with the bland, foreign playlists that dominated the JBC radio waves, especially since the best Reggae was being recorded in their own backyard. After convincing JBC to give him his own radio program, “Dread At The Controls,” he assumed the moniker Mikey Dread, played nothing but Reggae and soon had the most popular show on JBC. Continue reading Mikey Dread – Goes Home to Zion 2008 →

ZIGGY MARLEY PERFORMS WITH ANGELIQUE KIDJO AT NAACP AWARDS

by M. Peggy Quattro

A highlight of the well-produced NAACP Image Awards held Feb. 14, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA, was the tribute to actress/activist and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ruby Dee.

Performing “Sedjedo” from her Grammy-winning CD Djin Djin, the blonde-haired Benin-born Angelique Kidjo delivered a high-spirited and powerful performance. The diminutive world-renown star was dressed in a black tuxedo-style suit while her band was dressed in traditional African attire. High-heeled boots did not deter the World Music veteran from dancing exuberantly to the drum-fueled rhythm.

Joining her on stage, and featured on her latest CD, Ziggy Marley performed flawlessly alongside the lively Kidjo. Sung in Kidjo’s native Beninese, while bouncing on the Gogbahoun riddim, the ever-smiling comfortable-in-jeans Ziggy contributed by singing the English verses, perfectly connecting the music of Jamaica with the rhythm of Africa. Continue reading Ziggy and Angelique Kidjo at NAACP Awards 2008 →

Director Martin Scorsese set to Produce a Bob Marley Documentary

February 8, 2008 – It was reported in Variety online that famed director Martin Scorsese will team up with Steve Bing’s Shangri-La Entertainment and international sales agent Fortissimo Films to produce a yet-to-be-titled documentary about Reggae’s international super star Bob Marley.

Tuff Gong Pictures and Shangri-La are producing, and the Marley family has endorsed the film. The release date is set for Feb. 6, 2010, in honor of brother Bob’s 65th earth day.

Eldest son Ziggy was quoted as saying, “I am thrilled that the Marley family will finally have the opportunity to document our father’s legacy and are truly honored to have Mr. Scorsese guide the journey.”

The same three powerhouses teamed up to produce the Rolling Stones’ documentary “Shine a Light,” which opened the Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 7, 2008.