Michael Prophet has an unusual “crying” voice that can be heard at its distinctive best on his first hit, a cover of a tune by The Maytones. (more…)

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And now for something completely different. Straight outta Crown Heights, Brooklyn, here comes Matt Miller – aka Matisyahu – the only Orthodox Jew in reggae. (more…)

Revolution on the streets never sounded sweeter than when The Twinkle Brothers lent their smooth harmonies to a song about Mob Fury. (more…)

Wayne Smith’s landmark ragga anthem Under Me Sleng Teng in 1985 marked the move away from conscious reggae into digital dancehall music in Jamaica. (more…)

A mellow tune for a sunny afternoon by Don Carlos, original lead singer of Black Uhuru, the trio he formed in 1973 with friends Rudolph Dennis and Duckie Simpson.

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John Holt is one of my favourite singers and Police In Helicopter is a song that would probably be one of my Desert Island Discs. (more…)

Wailing Souls sing Fire House Rock, a fine example of one of the greatest, but least appreciated, of Jamaica’s vocal harmony reggae groups. (more…)

Gregory Isaacs, the Cool Ruler, has one of the most distinctive voices in reggae, as rich, velvety and smooth as a perfect pint of Guinness.

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Back to 1981 for a topical take on the perils of dangerous diseases by Anthony Fairclough and Erroll Bennett, aka Papa Michigan and General Smiley. (more…)