Two Concerts Set To Honour Dennis Brown In February
Reggae crooners Chris Martin and George Nooks are among those slated to honour reggae’s ‘Crown Prince,’ Dennis Brown, at a tribute concert on February 1 organised by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA).
The free event, dubbed ‘Revolution – Celebrating the Crown Prince,’ forms part of JaRIA’s Reggae Wednesdays concert series set to unfold at Festival Market Place by the Waterfront in Kingston at 6:00p.m.
It’s become tradition to celebrate the To the Foundation singer with a grand annual concert overlooking the harbour, and this year will see acts like Ras-I, Shanice Sewel, Rissa and Miguel performing on what would have marked his 66th Earthstrong.
Earlier that day, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport will host an all-white gathering at Brown’s resting place, the National Heroes Park, Kingston. Ribboned ‘Remembering Dennis Brown’, the occasion will commence at 3:00p.m. with culture minister and host Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, and performances by revered musicians Dean Fraser, Chinna Smith and Inna De Yard – Bingistra Movement.
The musical celebrations for the tremolo vocalist continue on February 2 with a second tribute concert orchestrated by Music Town Entertainment. Part of their Original Dancehall Thursdays event, the show will feature names like Lutan Fyah, Althea Hewitt, Fred Locks and Droop Lion at Rebel T’s 52 Dumbarton Avenue base in Kingston.
A product of the rich musical history of Orange/Beat Street, downtown, Brown relished in an illustrious 30-year career which started when he was nine, standing atop beer boxes as he sang at concerts with calypso band, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
He would later go on to record for producer Clement Dodd in his preteens, releasing his debut album No Man Is An Island in 1970. The body of work is among a timeless 70-plus album catalogue Brown has gifted reggae, a collection which features his first solo Grammy-nominated project Light My Fire (1994).
The pearly smile singer died at 42-years-old in 1999.
