Reggae music . . . the heartbeat of the world and the roots of Jamaica. . .
Why reggae music? Reggae music has its roots deep in love, good vibes, spirituality, struggle, and a country of inspiration and hope. I decided to hold our first Reggae Concert at Blue Skies on Heroes Weekend 2022. Seemed appropriate to celebrate the life of Jamaica’s Heroes and my love of Jamaican culture. I was determined to put this concert on, coming out of Covid and “a first of many” for Blue Skies. Every dream starts with a vision, and the vision became an inspiration of helping others and contributing to the continuation of a tradition of Reggae Music in Negril and Jamaica.
From talking to musicians, I quickly learned that reggae artists were getting taken advantage of by producers and not getting any money for their songs or their work. This realization led to me wanting to start a not-for-profit foundation where Reggae Artists would have resources that would protect them and their music. Some musicians have sold their songs for as little as $100US, and sometimes for no money, without getting any commissions or royalties (or “Masters”), and their songs appear on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
I decided I wanted to learn more about the music industry. No different than being a lawyer and learning other areas that applied to cases that I litigated, like computer forensics or x-ray machines. So here we go. . . another challenge to take on and make a difference. The two things I love most.
So began the journey of Blue Skies Reggae Foundation, a not-for-profit, charitable organization whose mission is dedicated to supporting the next generation of reggae musicians to help keep the roots of reggae alive and inspiring the world.
Through a friend I met Irie Souljah, a young and up and coming reggae artist, originally from Barcelona. He moved to Jamaica over 10 years ago, starting his career as a reggae musician, singer, songwriter. His songs moved me, singing about love, helping others, uplifting, such as “Helping Hand,” https://youtu.be/jfFOuBhxIrQ, . . . something that has been lost in a lot of music these days, where musicians are singing about guns, violence, and killings. We need more songs that are uplifting and inspiring good in the world.
Blue Skies Reggae Foundation has sponsored one of his songs and the video, “What It Feels Like,” to help this young artist make his mark on the world.
I had also met Swallow, Garfield Williamson, another talented singer, songwriter, with his roots in classic reggae. He got his stage name from the Mighty Diamonds song “When the Right Time Come” (“Right Time”) singing “Swallowfield a guy be now the battlefield” when he was a youth, growing up singing in church. It was fitting as it inspired Swallow’s determination and grit throughout his musical career and his love for old school and classic roots reggae. One of his top songs that hit the radio stations and streaming platforms before the Pandemic is “Lifeline” with DJ Mugsy and Beanie Man. The low-budget video, https://youtu.be/ee41cfJ6tws, was filmed in Negril, just off the white sandy shores of Seven Mile Beach.
These are two musicians to watch out for as their careers take the winding roads of the music industry. You will definitely want to keep an eye out for them when they hit the big stage and tour! But for now, you can see them performing at Blue Skies on occasion trying out new reggae beats and putting on a great reggae concert.
Get your feet in the sand, dance on the beach, and live life to the fullest!
