Monday, November 17, 2014

ED ROBINSON RELEASES JOHN HOLT TRIBUTE



International recording artist Ed Robinson celebrated the music of legendary crooner John Holt on his latest pop-reggae album, Tribute to John Holt. The album, produced by Kemar ‘Flava’ McGregor, premiered on Tuesday, November 11 on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.

Conceived during a pop-reggae recording session between Robinson and McGregor, Tribute to John Holt represents a modern, mainstream approach to the songs of Holt, who himself personified the mainstream appeal of crossover reggae.
John Holt, who died on October 20, 2014 in London, is considered an important progenitor of the ‘lovers rock’ genre, scoring mainstream radio hits with smooth-groove reggae covers of contemporary love songs – most notably, his rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s Help Me Make It Through The Night, which became a UK Top 10 radio hit in 1973. For Robinson, Tribute to John Holt is greatly influenced by a deep passion to recreate Holt’s positive, melodic vibrations and to popularise Holt’s legacy to a global audience.

EMOTIONAL PROJECT
“I had recorded the single, Let Your Hair Down, with Kemar McGregor, and while we were working on that recording, John Holt passed away,” said Robinson. “Kemar came up with the idea: ‘How would you like to do a tribute song for John Holt?’ We eventually decided to do a full album. The album is very emotional for me, because I’ve spent a lot of my time making songs that uphold the dignity of veteran singers like John Holt, and making sure they get the respect they deserve.”


Decorating McGregor’s lavish bass grooves with sprightly, exuberant vocal inflections, Tribute to John Holt represents Robinson’s emblematic mixture of Holt’s contemporary energy, as well as his heartfelt cultural soul. “I would say the album is very modern,” said Robinson, “It’s a very modern record – a well-produced record in terms of the technology we used – achieving an acoustic sound in a computerised studio. But at the same time, it’s a very emotional record. I meant this album from the bottom of my soul.”


Robinson plans to tour the album during thecoming months, having already secured concert dates in South America, the Caribbean and the North American west coast. When asked about the spiritual message intended by the album, Robinson wants his fans to bask in the beneficent vibrations of Holt’s lyricism, as Robinson once did as a youth listening to Holt’s singles in Jamaica.

“Holt’s music makes me feel like I’m in a good space, it takes me back to a feeling when life was pure,” Robinson said. “The album is going to take listeners to a time when music was telling you that you could be a good person, not just on the outside, but also on the inside. That’s my relation to this – and that’s the emotion I’m trying to stir up in people – that it’s all about love. No matter what the song is about, and no matter what the storyline is, at the end of the day, the story should be about love.”

SIR JOHN HOLT GETS POSTHUMOUS AWARD



The 12th Caribbean Hall of Fame Awards honored Sir John Holt at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.
Mr. Garnett Reid, Chairman of the organizing committee of the Caribbean Development for the Arts, Sports and Culture Foundation, said “this was a special case”.

“We were planning to honor him.  We regretted that  he had been ignored over the years and then he died in the midst of our work.  We had to make a decision, and the decision was that we would go ahead and honor him, anyway”.
Other entertainers in receipt that evening ~ Beres Hammond, Rita Marley, Etana, Tarrus Riley, Queen Ifrica, Ronnie Butler, David Rudder and Gem Myers.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

IRIE FM SIGNS DEAL WITH STING




Irie FM and its sister station Zip 103 FM signed a partnership agreement with Magnum Sting. The agreement is for 3 years making Grove Broadcasting the official radio partner for the greatest one night reggae and dancehall show on earth.

Mr. Howard McIntosh of Supreme Promotions stated that this year Sting will focus on the dancehall culture with special emphasis on fashion and dancing.

Sting is held annually on Dec 26 and founded by Isaiah Laing of Supreme Promotions, Jamaica.

MARLEY TO MARKET OWN BRAND OF MARIJUANA IN AMERICA



In the coming months son of the late reggae legend Bob Marley will be marketing his brand of marijuana in America.
Julian Marley  partnered with Drop Leaf LLC (Deputy Chairman) to lau nch Marley JUJU Royal Premium Marijuana. They will be working with DNA Genetics, the industry’s leading developer if marijuana stains, to create high quality strains to serve medicinal and recreational users.

Drop Leaf and DNA Genetics are currently working on their own signature Julian Marley strain for the Julian Marley JUJU Royal Premium Marijuana collection with hopes of making these available to dispensaries, caregivers, and wherever it is legal.

Julian Marley said, “I am happy to speak out in favor of decriminalization and I salute Drop Leaf as a proud participant in the movement and struggle to make this natural super plant available for all who ned it and it’s healing properties.”  Juliana went on to say that he is excited about the work of DNA Genetics’ development of Julian Marley JUJU ROYAL strains for Drop Leaf.

Ater being impacted by his father’s passing due to melanoma, Marley strongly supports the fight to legalize marijuana, especially to benefit patients who suffer from cancer and other aliments that could be aided with the plant’s healing components.

Portion of the proceeds from the Julian Marley JUJU Royal Premium Marijuana brand will be donated to several cancer related foundations/charitable organizations that are currently being evaluated.

NINE MILE MUSIC FESTIVAL'S 2015 LINEUP


Every year, in honor of Bob Marley his legacy. The festival will headline his sons Stephen, Damian and Julian Marley. Jo Mersa Marley, Soja, Jesse Royal will also be included in the lineup.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

John Holt's Family changes the date of funeral



The funeral service for Sir John Holt slated to take place on Saturday, November 15 has been postponed because his family opted for a more economical sendoff.


Reggae icon John Holt died on October 19 in the Wellington Hospital in London. His body was flown to Jamaica last week.

UB40 Set For Carlisle



Reggae group UB40 will be performing in Carlisle, England next month as part of their biggest United Kingdom tour for over three years.  The announcement of the tour follows the success of the band’s latest Top 30 album Getting Over The Storm, which was named BBC Radio Album Of The Week and received five-star reviews from the UK’s music press on its release in September 2013.