Dub pioneer Lee Perry talks God, ganja and Japanese gadgets

Musical resumes don’t get much more impressive than Lee “Scratch” Perry’s, the Jamaican maverick credited with inventing both dub and reggae. Now 70, Perry was a talent scout for Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s famed Studio One in the late 1950s and early ’60s; he pioneered sampling with his first single, “People Funny Boy,” in 1968; invented the remix with King Tubby in 1972; and produced early works by Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Heptones and The Congos. A devout believer in God, Perry had already forsworn many of his contemporaries’ hedonistic ways by the time his Black Ark studio burned down in 1979. Although evidence points to faulty wiring, Perry claims to this day that he destroyed the studio himself, acting on the same word of God that then also led him to shun alcohol and drugs and devote his life to “spiritual music.” In 1989, he moved to Switzerland, where he still lives.
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Local artistes get Order of Distiction at King’s House

THE paths of singer/songwriters Bob Andy and Boris Gardiner have crossed many times over the past 45 years, but none was more joyous than on Heroes Day when both received the Order of Distinction during the National Honours and Awards ceremony at King’s House. Andy, 62, is best known for seminal songs like Fire Burning, Unchained and I Want to Go Back Home. His OD, in the Commander class, was for sterling contribution to the development of reggae music. Gardiner, 63, one of reggae’s unheralded heroes, was rewarded in the Officer class.
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Peter Tosh’s catalogue is dread and alive

Peter Tosh’s manager, Herbie Miller, wrote a most trenchant memorial to reggae’s most righteous rebel in last Sunday’s Observer. In it, he lamented, “There must be a reason both at home and abroad that prevents Peter Tosh from being recognised as the musical giant he was and continues to be. Whether it is a lack of communication between those who oversee his interest and the record labels for which he recorded, I don’t know.” There are several reasons why this might be so, and of course, most of them are commercial considerations. His sales are miniscule compared to the gold standard of Bob Marley’s catalogue. But it’s not as if the various record companies aren’t trying. It is important to know that all of his basic catalogue, though fairly slender by reggae’s bloated standards, is still in print. His greatest hits package, a few years ago for Columbia/Legacy, was a long-time fixture on Billboard’s reggae charts.
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Damian Marley Joins Ranks of BANG! Performers

Acclaimed reggae artist Damian “Junior Gong” Marley has been announced as the final addition to Miami’s BANG! Music Festival lineup, scheduled for November 11th, 2006. On the heels of Welcome To Jamrock, hailed as one of the greatest reggae albums of 2005, Marley will perform on the BANG! Main Stage along with Modest Mouse, Common, Duran Duran, Gnarls Barkley, and others. Marley, the youngest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, won a Grammy award for his 2002 release Half Way Tree. He has proclaimed himself and his musical contemporaries to be “new leaders of the old school,” and has garnered critical acclaim for his powerful, socially aware lyrics and innovative, eclectic musical style.
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CNN’s the Scene with Sean Paul in Kingston

With golden beaches, misty mountains and russet sunsets, Jamaica is a postcard perfect paradise born out of the blood, sweat and tears of slavery and colonialism. Thousands of holidaymakers flock to the Caribbean island every year to soak up a laid back lifestyle sold on the seductive beats of dread locked reggae legend Bob Marley. But behind the rumbling bass lines and the scented smoke of ever-present marijuana reefers, Jamaica is still a country coming to terms with its difficult past. Gun and knife-wielding gangs make parts of the capital Kingston a no-go area, with high poverty levels creating a desperate underworld of hustlers and criminals who often target tourists.
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Prince Charles to Rebuild Trenchtown

Prince Charles has been recently fulfilling his role as a royal humanitarian. The British prince recently announced additional humanitarian work he has in sight - to unveil plans to rejuvenate a Jamaican ghetto. The Prince’s Foundation - Charles’ architectural charity - plans to redevelop part of Trenchtown, home to reggae legend Bob Marley. The rundown concrete high-rise buildings, which have become overrun by gunmen, will be replaced with traditional lime-washed bungalows and palm tree-lined streets.

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Sean Paul Nominated for an American Music Award

Jamaican reggae/dancehall phenomenon Sean Paul continues to find favour with international music awards committees, after receiving a nomination for the American Music Awards (AMAs) under the Pop/Rock Category for ‘Favourite Male Artiste’ for 2006. This makes him the only reggae artiste to be recognised for this year’s awards show scheduled for November 21 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The accolades keep coming for Sean Paul, as the reggae dynamo just picked up the MOBO Award for ‘Best Reggae Act’ for his second single, We Be Burnin, off his current platinum album, The Trinity, and in August Sean Paul was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards.
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Ziggy Marley: Fighting For Freedom - Chartattack.com Interview

Ziggy Marley was just a young lad when his father Robert Nesta Marley