The importance and influence that U.S. Soul music had on Jamaican music genres such as Rock Steady and it’s baby, Reggae, could never be underestimated. So many recorded performances in Jamaica from 1966 and onwards were often covers of classsic hits from the stables of Motown, Stax, etc….. in fact the legendary Studio One in Kingston is often referred to as the Motown of Jamaica! Jamaica was the birthplace for some of the most soulful vocalists to ever walk the face of  the earth. Some of these singers would include Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson, Slim Smith, Joe Higgs,Jimmy Cliff, Owen Gray, Carl Dawkins, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Barry Biggs among many others. There were also many soulful vocal groups from Jamaica who brought a heavy dose of R&B and Soul to Jamaican music, drawing heavily on the sounds of such classic American groups as The Impressions, The Temptations, The Drifters, The Stylistics, etc….. Some of the classic Jamaican vocal groups would include The Wailers, The Heptones, The Clarendonians, Carlton & His Shoes, The Paragons, The Gaylads, The Ethiopians, Toots & The Maytals, etc….. The number of amazing vocalists from that small little island is just staggering. Male and female vocalists, vocal groups …….. the list of greats just goes on and on. Soulful Reggae and Rock Steady is what first caught my ear and reeled me into an obsession with all things Jamaican…… not just the music, but the food, the culture, the people, etc… Once you start, you just can’t stop. Rock Steady, which is  what the great Sly Dunbar refers to as “the mother of Reggae” was some of the most wonderful music to ever be recorded. Sweet, soulful, romantic, great singing, great arrangements and musicianship are just some of the crucial ingredients. Even though the onset of Reggae focused on important social issues and Rastafrai, just about every artist found time to still embrace plenty of romance and soul in the music. Lovers Rock in the U.K. and JA carried on the tradition of soulful sweetness and romantic vibes in the music and I will be blogging in the near future about that wonderful Reggae sub genre as well. Check out links below for more info on soulful Reggae, Rock Steady and Lovers Rock.

A great introduction to Rock Steady

Learn about Lovers Rock

Buy Reggae from Ernie B’s Reggae

We will be performing at the Cafe Randevu (see link below) in Oakland on Broadway on Friday, May 4th! We start around 8:00 P.M. and go til around 11:30. The first Friday of every month is the Oakland Art Murmur series and this gig will kick off our steady residency for these monthly first Fridays! The Cafe Randevu is a friendly environment with good vibes! It is An Eritrean/Ethiopian club with food and drinks. If you love Lovers Rock, Rock Steady, Ska and roots Reggae with soul, you should make this your destination point for this evening! Of course if you miss us, you can see us there again on the first Friday of June!

Check Out Cafe Randevu

Last Saturday I went to see the new Bob Marley documentary by Kevin Macdonald, “Marley”(see link below). I was a bit skeptical about what my reaction would be to the film, but I must say it exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed it immensely. The footage was incredible, the editing was fantastic ……. the whole film was just put together amazingly. It is a perfect chronology of Bob’s life and music from the beginning to end. This film really reignited my love and passion for Bob and The Wailers’ music once again. I saw it at a very cool movie theatre in Downtown Berkeley called the California Theatre (see link below) and if you live in the Bay Area, I suggest seeing it there because it’s a cool old theatre with great vibes. Go check it out while it’s still on the big screen.

Check Out Marley Movie

Check Out California Theatre

Please click on the link below and check out Francine Chin interviewing the legendary Sly Dunbar, the master Jamaican drummer of Sly & Robbie fame! Sly is a humble gentleman and one of the most innovative musicians Jamaica has ever known!

Check Out Sly Interview

I wanna take this time to big up a young man in San francisco that has been tirelessly promoting Jamaican music for many years now! We introduce the man they call Irie Dole, DJ, promoter, booking agent and truly a Reggae renaissance man! Last Saturday, Irie had us perform on his Homegrown Reggae series that he hosts every month at Pier 23 in San Francisco (see link below). It was a beautiful evening and the crowd was very warm and receptive with many dancers nicing up the place til the end. Irie warmed up the evening with some wicked selections by Alton Ellis, Laurel Aitken, Sugar Minott and many more JA musical legends. Mr. Dole knows Jamaican music inside out and loves all the diverse sounds that have manifested from the little island in the sun (see links below about Irie). We rocked some roots Reggae, Ska, Rock Steady & Lovers Rock throughout the evening and Irie continued to spin wicked sounds throughout the night, in between sets and at the end of the performance. No wonder they call the man  Irie, because when you go home, you feel irie as can be. Wicked & sweet musical vibes all night! Be sure to check out Irie’s Reggae radio show “Rebel Music” on KPOO 89.5 from noon-3:00 P.M. where you will hear great JA music as well as many musical guests passing through. Irie was born into Reggae music and it is his passion and the driving force in his life, so as I say, the man knows his Reggae music. He does shows all over the Bay Area every week, so check his website (see link below) and go out and catch him. And if you get a chance, go up to the man and holla because he’s a true gentleman and beautiful spirit! Give Thanks for your hard works in keeping Reggae music burning in the Bay Area Mr. Dole! Like Curtis Mayfield said: “Keep On Pushing”!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check Out Irie Dole’s Website

Check Out an article on Irie Dole

Check Out another article on Irie Dole

Check Out Pier 23

We are proud to announce that Rusty is featured singing two new original compositions for the illustrious riddim twins, Sly & Robbie on their brand new One Pop/Taxi Records release, “Throw Back”! Rusty’s songs are entitled “You’re The One” and “Wear A Crown” which sit alongside performances by prestigious Jamaican singers such as, Courtney John, Bunny Brown, and others. “Throw Back” is available for download on I Tunes and Amazon (see links below).

Download “Wear A Crown” on Amazon

Download “You’re The One” on Amazon

Download “Wear A Crown” and “You’re The One” on I Tunes

This evening we will be reigniting our 2nd and 4th Sunday’s residency at Cafe Randevu (see link below) inna Lover’s Stylee! We will be joined by selector B-Love! This is the place to be on Sunday for singles and couples who want to come unwind to some soulful music. Come and rub-a-dub the evening away to some sweet Lovers Rock (see link below) & Rock Steady (see link below) vibes! Cafe Randevu is located in Oakland @ 2430 Broadway! Music starts @ 7:30 P.M.

Check out Cafe Randevu

Check out Lovers Rock

Check out Rock Steady

Hey folks, been awhile since I posted a blog entry here and wanted to bring everybody up to speed with what’s been shakin lately! We are going to be taking a break from our 2nd and 4th Sunday residency performances at Cafe Randevu (see link below) in Oakland this Sunday but we shall recovene on Sunday, March 25th. Stay tuned because we may have a new format to present on these shows with special guest DJ selectors, etc….  One thing that I want to mention is that I recently voiced two new songs over riddims for the great drum & bass duo, Sly & Robbie! These should see a release very soon. We’re not certain if they will be released as a single or if they will be included in a Sly & Robbie (see link below) compilation CD. We will keep everybody posted. I had the pleasure to meet Sly Dunbar back in 2007 through our mutual friend Mikey Chung (see link below). In 2009 when I went to Kingston, Jamaica to record my current CD release “Manifestation” (see link below), I was blessed to have Sly grace my session on drums. Sly took a real shine to my singing and songwriting and we’ve been in fairly steady contact ever since. I feel so honoured to have had the oppurtunity to voice these two new songs for Sly & Robbie as I consider them be one of the greatest rhythm sections ever in the history of music, not just Reggae music alone! Stay tuned for more information and details on this collaboration! Until next time, stay Blessed!

Check Out Cafe Randevu

Check Out Sly & Robbie

Check Out Mikey Chung

Check Out Manifestation

Well folks, this Saturday is the night we’ve been looking forward to! We will be at The Ashkenaz in Berkeley, Ca. (See Link Below) performing Lovers Rock (See Link Below), Reggae and even some Rock Steady & Ska all in a romantic lovers style in celebration of Valentine’s Day! We will be sharing the bill with local Bay Area Reggae band, Creation. So, come on down with your dane partner, your husband, your wife, your lover, your mistress, or whoever you wanna rub-a-dub (Check Link Below) the night away with and join us for a night of sweet and soulful Lovers Reggae music!

Check Out Ashkenaz

Check Out Lovers Rock

Check Out Rub-A-Dub

We’re very excited about our upcoming show at The Ashkenaz in Berkeley (See Link Below) on Saturday, Febuary 11th (See Link Below). It has been a dream to do such a show for a long time now, being that we’ve always loved the romantic side of Reggae music. This will be a special night for fans of Lovers Rock (See Link Below) This will be a night for couples to come and Rub-A-Dub the night away! In other words, “strictly for lovers” as I would say! We will be featuring songs from our latest CD release “Manifestation” as well as a few tunes from our upcoming CD. And of course we will be singing and performing our favorite classic Rock Steady tunes by some of our Jamaican heroes. So, bring your partner or lover and rock it steady all night long!

Check Out Ashkenaz

Check Out Lovers Rock