INTERNATIONAL REGGAE DAY AWARDS ARE GIVEN TO LEGENDS OF JAMAICAN MUSIC WHO HAVE, THROUGH THEIR CREATIVE LIFE’S WORK, PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY AND HUMANITY, POSITIVELY IMPACTED ON GLOBAL CULTURE & EXEMPLIFY THE SPIRIT OF REGGAE MUSIC – REVOLUTIONARY – UPLFTING – UNIFYING.

THIS YEAR IRD HONOURS THREE VANGUARDS OF REGGAE: DENNIS BROWN, GREGORY ISSACS, BURNING SPEAR

The revolutionary humanitarian messages these artistes communicate to the world through their classic catalogue of music, has consistently distinguished them as innovative originals and musical ambassadors. Throughout their careers these three artistes have had a significant impact on the globalization of Reggae music and continue to musically inspire new generations of musicians and artistes. Beloved by the global Reggae community, these three artistes exemplify the positive vibrations of Reggae music.

IRD AMBASSADOR AWARD

DENNIS EMMANUEL BROWN aka Crown Prince of Reggae
February 1, 1957 – July 1, 1999

With over 180 career albums including 90 studio albums, 76 posthumous releases and compilations, 7 live albums and 7 DVDs, he is considered one of the most prolific artistes in Reggae music. Voted by NPR Morning Edition news programme as one of the 50 Great Voices, Dennis Brown was one the most awe-inspiring voices from around the world and across time.

Dennis Brown began live performances with Byron Lee at age 11 (1968).Known as Boy Wonder, his first release was ‘No Man is an Island’ (1969) with Studio One producer Clement Dodd. During the 1960s he worked with various producers including Derrick Harriot | Lloyd Daley | Prince Buster | Randy Chin | Herman Chin Loy | Dennis Alcapone. His early Joe Gibbs hits included ‘If I Had the World’ | ‘Silhouettes’ | ‘I Was Lonely’ while Niney Holness produced hits such as ‘Money in My Pocket’ in 1972 which marked the first international hit for the artiste in the UK. His 'Westbound Train’ was the biggest Jamaican hit of 1973 and he was voted Top Male Vocalist by Swing Magazine in 1973. Other hits include ‘Cassandra’ | ‘No More Will I Roam’ | ‘Africa’ | ‘Love Jah’ (1973) produced by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry for his Black Ark Studio. Wolf and Leopard’ in 1976 and his ‘Visions of Dennis Brown’ album won Melody Maker and Black Echoes Album of the Year in 1977 and hit #1 in the UK Reggae Album chart in 1978.

Joe Gibbs ‘Repatriation’ | ’Jah Can Do It’ along with Clive Hunt's ‘Milk and Honey’ were also big hits but it was Hunt’s ‘Cool Runnings’ which brokethrough for Brown and hit the UK single charts climbing to #14 on UK Top 40 in 1978. His next albums were ‘Foul Play’ on A&M Records in 1981 and ‘Let aaf Sum’n’ produced by King Jammy & Sly and Robbie in 1984 and Gussie Clarke's Music Works release ‘Big All Around’ in 1989. His biggest hit of 1990s resulted in two Grammy nominations - ‘Light My Fire’ (1994) | ‘Let Me Be the One’ (2001) which was the last album recorded by D. Brown. His continues to be a major inspiration and influence for many Reggae singers from the late 1970s to present. He is regarded as the ultimate 'singer's singer'.

The Dennis Emanuel Brown Trust was established in 2001 and works to educate youngsters, maintain and advance the memory of Dennis Brown, and help to provide youngsters with musical instruments. Over 35 students have benefited from the scholarship programme over the past ten years.

Biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Brown#Biography

Discography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Brown#Discography

http://www.dennisbrowntrust.com/
http://dennis-brown.co.tv/
http://www.rasrecords.com/dennisbrown/

IRD AMBASSADOR AWARD

GREGORY ANTHONY ISSACS aka Cool Ruler / Lonely Lover
July 15, 1951 – October 25, 2010

With over 70 studio albums during his career and over 500 albums mostly compilations released. Making his studio debut with Byron Lee’s ‘Another Heartache’ which sold poorly, Issacs partnered with Errol Dunkley to form his own African Museum record label. His hit ‘My Only Lover’ in 1973, is credited as the first lovers rock record ever made. His first Jamaican #1 was ‘Love Is Overdue’ produced by Alvin Ranglin for GG Records.

Working with a number of producers in 1970s - Niney Holness | Gussie Clarke | Lloyd Campbell | Lee Scratch Perry, Gregory continued to tour the US and UK as annual stops since late 1970s. Signed to Virgin Frontline label in 1978, Gregory appeared in the 1978 classic movie ‘Rockers’ and made his Reggae Sunsplash debut in 1981. His first international club hit ‘Night Nurse’ recorded for Island Records, reached #32 in UK in 1982. He appeared in his second movie that same year with ‘Land of Look Behind’.

In the 1980s top producers such as Prince Jammy | Bobby Digital | Tad Dawkins | Steely & Cleevie recorded many hits with the Cool Ruler. The 1980s also brought a lot of collaborations with Dennis Brown which included the duet ‘Raggamuffin’ from the Gussie Clarke produced ‘Private Beach Party’ and ‘Rumours’ albums in 1988 for the Music Works label.

Other collaborations in the 1990s included Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor, JC Lodge, Ninjaman and even his classic ‘Night Nurse’ was covered by Simply Red and Lady Saw. Nominated for his third Grammy Award in 2010 with his album ‘Brand New Me’, Gregory’s 4th Grammy nomination was for his last album ‘Isaacs Meets Isaacs’ featuring Zimbabwe reggae artiste King Isaacs in 2011.

Biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Issacs

Discography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Issacs#Discography

IRD LIVING LEGEND AWARD

BURNING SPEAR aka Winston Rodney
March 1, 1945 -

With over 50 career albums including 30 studio albums and 6 live albums, Burning Spear is best known for his messages about Marcus Garvey and the Rastafarian movement. Born in Saint Ann's Bay, Spear shared his birthplace with Mr. Garvey and Bob Marley.

Encouraged by Marley who still believed that Studio One was the best place for a new talent to start, Rodney took his advice and, with singing partner Rupert Willington in tow, auditioned three songs for the producer Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd who immediately picked one, "Door Peep," as the pair's debut. Before its release, Rodney chose the name Burning Spear for the duo as a moniker heavy with history and had formerly been bestowed upon Jomo Kenyatta, the Mau Mau leader who eventually became the president of Kenya.

‘Door Peep’ debuted in 1969 on Clement Dodd’s Studio One label. Soon after "Door Peep" landed in the shops, Burning Spear expanded to a trio with the enlistment of Delroy Hinds, brother of "Carry Go Bring Come" Justin. It was with this lineup that Burning Spear released a series of singles on Studio One, including the 1972 Jamaican smash hit "Joe Frazier (He Prayed)." The following year brought the group's debut album, Studio One Presents Burning Spear, with Rocking Time coming hard on its heels in 1974. These records only hint at what was to come, even if the group had early on established their own unique sound with Rodney's chanted vocals the focus and Willington and Hinds providing sweet accompaniment. Rodney's lyrics were pregnant with emotions, righteous anger at oppression, but aglow with a deep sense of spirituality. The early song titles speak for themselves and all obviously revolving around the cultural themes of oppression, repatriation, and religious devotion, but their power was somewhat stunted by the typical Studio One arrangements. Burning Spear could however count themselves lucky, for at least Dodd was releasing their recordings.

More singles followed, but the trio seemed unable to repeat "Joe Frazier's success; in 1975, they split with Dodd and joined forces with producer Jack Ruby. Classic Burning Spear albums with Jack Ruby’s Hi Power productions included ‘Slavery Days’ and ‘Marcus Garvey’ in 1976. Regarded as one of the greatest albums Jamaica has ever unleashed, its heavy roots sound, dreamy, haunting atmospheres, and powerful lyrics capture the imagination and never let go. It was after the album took Jamaica by storm that the Island label stepped in and signed Burning Spear. Island Records released ‘Garvey’s Ghost’, ‘Man in the Hills’ and ‘Social Living’ followed by 1978.

Eventually Rodney broke not just with Ruby but with his two bandmates. Retaining the Burning Spear name, the singer now set out on his own and self-produced his next album, ‘Dry and Heavy’ for his own label. By now, Burning Spear had amassed a sizeable following in the U.K. and in October of 1977, Rodney made his first appearance in the country, backed by the local reggae band Aswad. A ferocious show at London's Rainbow Theatre was captured for posterity on the Live album.

The year 1979 was a momentous one, as Rodney took a leading role in the seminal Rockers movie; his a cappella performance of "Jah No Dead" was one of the film's standout moments. The singer had appeared at the inaugural Reggae Sunsplash the year before, and was invited back again that year, in 1980, and he appeared regularly throughout the rest of the festival's history. His relationship with the Island label came to an end and Spear folded with its final release of Burning Spear's own "Nyah Keith."

As the new decade dawned, Rodney launched the Burning Spear label, and signed it to the EMI label. But the singer hadn't cut all ties with his past and he recorded his new album, Hail H.I.M., at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong studio with Black Disciple and Family Man Barrett co-produce it. Sylvan Morris was again engaged to remix a dub version as he had with ‘Civilized Reggae’, “Swell Headed” and his club hit ‘The Lion’. These five studio albums, starting with Marcus Garvey, remain a seminal canon of dread roots, a string of recordings so strong that no other artist in the field has equalled them. They remain a fiery legacy, not just of the artist, but of the time.

A series of record deals from Island to Heartbeat and a few others in between, produced a number of acclaimed albums including ‘People of the World’, ‘Mistress Music’, ‘Live in Paris’, ‘Mek We Dweet’, ‘Resistance’, ‘Jah Kingdom’, ‘The World Should Know’ and ‘Love and Peace: Live 1994’ earning several Grammy nominations along the way. Burning Spear continued to release albums on a biannual basis, beginning with ‘Rasta Business’ in 1995, it too earned a Grammy nomination. As did ‘Appointment with His Majesty’, which saw Rodney experimenting with a distinctly folky sound. In 1999 Burning Spear won his first Grammy when ‘Calling Rastafari’ finally garnered the trophy. The album was supported by a major American tour after which Spear started his own record label, Burning Spear Records, and released ‘Freeman’ in 2003, followed by the hopeful ‘Our Music’ in 2005.

On stage, the artist was arguably delivering his best work and Burning Spear toured constantly, and successfully, for the next two decades. Known internationally as an Ambassador for Reggae and Rastafari, Burning Spear One of the most brilliant and respected roots artists in Jamaica's history. Part Rastafarian preacher, part black historian, more than any other roots artist, Burning Spear has illuminated Rastafarianism in song, sharing his beliefs with an avid public.

Awarded the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer in 2007, Burning Spear is a 12 time Grammy nominee and two time Grammy winner for Best Reggae Album with ‘Calling Rastafari’ (2000) and ‘Jah Is Real’ (2009). 

Biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Spear

Discography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Spear#Discography

http://www.burningspear.net/