1971 - Eric Donaldson with "Cherry Oh Baby" Lyrics from: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/hardertheycome/cherryohbaby.htm Cherry oh, Cherry oh, baby, Don`t you know I`m in need of thee? If you don`t believe it`s true, What have you left me to do? So long I,ve been waiting, For you to come right in. And now that we are together, Please … Continue reading Jamaica Festival Song History: 1971 – Watch Eric Donaldson
Jamaica, a tiny island in the West Indies, boasts a musical heritage that has left an indelible mark on global culture. Over the past 60 years, Jamaica has been the birthplace of various musical genres, from the lively rhythms of ska and reggae to their influence on contemporary sounds like dancehall, reggaeton, trip-hop, and dubstep. … Continue reading Jamaica’s Musical Legacy: From Mento to Dubstep and Beyond
1972 - Toots & the Maytals with "Pomps and Pride" Lyrics: Everybody justCryin out (cry out)Calm down (calm down)Have your pomps and prideCalm down (calm down) (x2) Have your pomps and pride Everybody justCryin out (cry out)Calm down (calm down)Have your pomps and prideIs it an opulin, Iceland, calm downhave your pomps and prideFor today, … Continue reading Jamaica Festival Song History – 1972 – Watch Toots & the Maytals
The second decade of the Jamaica Festival Song competition burst onto the scene with tremendous energy, delivering a continuous stream of chart-topping hits. Even today, Jamaicans continue to groove to the soulful rhythms of Jamaica Festival Song champions from 1971 to 1980. Here's a nostalgic journey through those remarkable years: 1971: Eric Donaldson with the … Continue reading Jamaica Festival Song History – 1971 to 1980
The Jamaica Festival Song competition stands as a lasting tribute to Jamaica's musical heritage. Each year, songwriters and singers vie for the prestigious prize, hoping to etch their names into the annals of history. When you tune in to the melodies of yesteryears, these songs have a unique ability to transport you to a bygone … Continue reading Jamaica Festival Song History – 1966 to 1970
When we look back at life, our experiences and want to know why people operate the way they do, especially for black people, the letter below explains it all. Here in Jamaica, Willie Lynch's slave psychology is rife in our society. I hope you gain and understanding and change those things, which you recognize, for … Continue reading Willie Lynch Letter: The Making of A Slave
Jamaican Reggae Artiste, Bob Marley: The shooting of a Wailer Los Angeles – Bob Marley, one of the world’s best-known Jamaican Reggae performers, and three other persons were shot December 3rd when seven gunmen burst onto the grounds of Marley’s home in Kingston, Jamaica, where he and his band, the Wailers, were rehearsing. Miraculously, amid a … Continue reading Bob Marley: The Shooting of a Wailer by Cameron Crowe, January 13, 1977
NATIONAL PLEDGE For use at the beginning and end of term, and on other special occasions. Before God and all mankind, I pledge the love and loyalty of my heart, the wisdom and courage of my mind, the strength and vigour of my body in the service of my fellow citizens; I promise to … Continue reading Jamaican History: Jamaica National Pledge
This is an old but interesting article from 2012 on the trajectory of Jamaican music, starting with mento and ska, then the reggae greats, and finally their influence on modern rhythms, such as dancehall, reggaeton, trip-hop, and dubstep. [It is] impossible to quantify the remarkable impact the island has had on global culture, thanks in large … Continue reading The History and Influence of Jamaican Music
National Fruit – The Ackee (Blighia sapida) “Carry me ackee go a Linstead Market, not a quattie wud sell” is a line in the popular Jamaican folk song ‘Linstead Market’. Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica as well as a component of the national dish – ackee and codfish. Although the ackee is … Continue reading Jamaican History: Jamaica National Fruit – The Ackee
Jamaica Pen Publishers 