Category:Historical Moments
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Historical Moments in Reggae
Reggae is a music genre created in Jamaica in the late 1960's. The word "Reggae" first appeared in print in 1968 hit "Do the Reggay" by Toots & the Maytals, although it was already being used in Kingston, Jamaica to describe a slower style of the earlier Rocksteady.
H.I.M Haile Selassie I Visits Jamaica in 1966
On April 21, 1966 H.I.M Haile Selassie I touched down in Jamaica during a trip to the Caribbean on a 3-nation tour of Trinidad-Tobago, Haiti and Jamaica.
"H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie arrived in Jamaica on April 21, 1966. On arrival at the Norman Manley Airport, he exited the plane but then retreated when he saw the marijuana smoke filled air with thousands of Rastafarian chanting Jah Rastafari. Some were carrying signs such as "Selassie is Christ", "King of Kings" and "God Anointed". He refused to leave the plane until his security was assured. He eventually exited and with heavy security was quickly hurried into a waiting car and rushed to a reception arranged by Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante. During his visit he met with Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante who was 82 at the time and was going blind due to cataracts. He also visited the University of the West Indies where he was awarded a honorary degree. He also addressed the Jamaican Parliament." -Quoted from Jamaicans.com.
View here at Jamaicans.com
The first James Bond film, Dr. No
Dr. No was set in Jamaica and played a huge influence in the Ska world with bands covering the James Bond soundtrack. Desmond Dekker and The Aces' "007 (Shanty Town)" became a huge hit and established Dekker as a Rude Boy icon.
View more James Bond Dr. No inspiration at offbeatska.com
Rockers
In 1978, the release of the movie Rockers, a Trenchtown variant of Robin Hood, highlights the Jamaican culture during the Golden Days of Reggae and casts Reggae musicians including Ian and Roger Lewis of Inner Circle, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Dillinger, and Jacob Miller. Rockers was filmed in the Kingston Ghetto Trenchtown and Ocho Rios in 1977. The movie created a cult following with people around the world obsessed with Jamaican culture.
Heartland Reggae
Description: Reggae documentary of the One Love Peace Concert held in Kingston, Jamaica in 1978. In addition to the music, this film features the return to Jamaica of Bob Marley after a 16-month hiatus following an attempt on his life. Late, great reggae legend Bob Marley is joined by his acclaimed contemporary Peter Tosh and a dozen other reggae stars--including Jacob Miller, Dennis Brown, and Junior Tucker--in one of his finest concert performances. Filmed live in Marley's homeland, Jamaica, in 1977 and 1978, HEARTLAND REGGAE is one of the most renowned reggae concert films that exists. Also included are several sequences in which the Rastafarian lifestyle and philosophy are discussed.
Synopsis: The film centers around Marley's historic "One Love Peace Concert," and captures Marley and other reggae stars Jacob Miller and Peter Tosh at the height of their careers. Shot entirely on location in Jamaica between 1977 and 1978, it is considered to be the definitive reggae film.
Rastafarian Bob Marley and his Wailers are the highlight of this documentary of the One Love Peace Concert held in Jamaica and featuring many of the other singers who had performed with Marley in Europe, Africa, and America. Just coming out of a series of successful songs and international recognition, Marley is in top shape, though his reggae music, even in 1980, had yet to really catch on in the U.S. Performers include the I-Threes, Peter Tosh, Althea & Donna, and several others. Unfortunately, the technical quality of the documentary is poor, though Marley manages to outshine any such difficulties. Marley's cancer at this time was kept under wraps and is not mentioned in the documentary. He would die the following year in Miami, at the age of 36.
Featuring: Peter Tosh, The I-Threes, Judy Mowatt, U-Roy, Dennis Brown and More.
heartlandreggae.com
The Murder of Peter Tosh
On September 11, 1987 three gunmen entered the home of Peter Tosh demanding money. Tosh replied that he did not have any with him but the gang did not believe him. They stayed at his residence for several hours in an attempt to extort money from Tosh. During this time, many of Tosh's friends came to his house to greet him following his return to Jamaica. As people began to arrive, the gunmen became more and more frustrated, especially the leader of the gang, Dennis 'Leppo' Lobban, a man whom Tosh had befriended and tried to help find work after a long jail sentence. Tosh said he had no money in the house, after which the gang's leader put a gun to Tosh's head and fired twice, killing him. The other gunmen began shooting, wounding several others and also killing disc jockey Jeff "Free I" Dixon. Leppo turned himself over to the authorities. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted in 1995 and he remains in prison. Whether this was purely a robbery, or an assassination plot is yet to be determined. Many believe that there were ulterior motives to the killing, citing that nothing was taken from the house. Peter neither resisted, nor did he cause commotion. The government had been trying for years to eliminate Tosh, a feat which was finally accomplished at the hands of his friend. More on Peter Tosh at thetalkingdrum.com More on Peter Tosh at wikpedia.org/wiki/peter_tosh
Bob Marley- Smile Jamaica Concert
No more than 2 days after a brutal shooting attempt on his life, Bob Marley took the stage at National Heroes Park,Jamaica on December 5, 1976 for the Smile Jamaica Concert.
There had always been political overtones about the Smile Jamaica concert, scheduled for 5 December 1976 at Kingston's National Heroes Park. At first Chris Blackwell had advised against the show, which had originally been scheduled to take place in the grounds of the Jamaica House: what Bob told him about the proposed show suggested it was to be billed as a PNP event.
After much pressure from Anthony Spaulding then Minister of Housing,Jamaica, Bob decided to go ahead with the performance as a symbol of peace and unity. In a defiant move he took the stage and gave a performance that no one would forget. He utilized his body and deeply spiritual mood to convey his deepest emotions to the crowd that was present, all the time under the watchful gaze of some of the cities most well known gunmen.
After this concert Marley went off on a self imposed exile that saw him traveling to Bermuda, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Cited from rasta-man-vibration.com
The Death of Bob Marley
The summer of 1980 saw the release of Uprising, the final studio effort by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Both the album and its featured single Could You Be Loved were an immediate hit in the UK and throughout most of Europe, as well as having more of an impact in the States than his previous few efforts. An extensive European tour was launched in the second half of the year, following which a US tour was organized; after completing the first two performances at New York's Madison Square Garden, however, Marley collapsed while jogging and needed to be rushed to the hospital. It was discovered that a cancerous growth identified in his toe in 1977 had been slowly spreading through his vital organs and was now infecting his brain (Marley had refused treatment after the initial diagnosis, since the amputation necessary to remove the growth was in conflict with his Rastafarian beliefs). A final performance was undertaken in Pittsburgh, but the advanced state of his illness forced the singer to cancel the rest of the tour; he was subsequently transported to Bavarian clinic to undergo an experimental, non-toxic treatment. A brief remission was achieved, but in May of 1981 the disease claimed the singer's life in Miami while he was traveling back to his home in Kingston. His body lies at his ancestral home, Nine Miles, in the Blue Mountains of St. Ann's Parish, Jamaica. nndb.com
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