Jesse Royal and Tarrus Riley are headliners for the April 14-16 Austin Reggae Festival in Texas.
They join other Caribbean artists, including Akae Beka (which includes former members of the group Midnite) from the United States Virgin Islands, on the three-day show.
Jesse Royal, who is widely known for his hits Modern Day Judas, This Morning and Next To You, began his career with and was mentored by the late record producer Fatis Burrell. No stranger to the international reggae stage, he has toured Europe and North America extensively and is listed among reggae’s new breed of standard bearers — Reggae Revival — which includes the likes of Chronixx, Jah 9, Kabaka Pyramid, Protoge, and Sevana.
Riley comes from a strong reggae lineage being the son of the late Jimmy Riley a reggae singer who rose to prominence in the 1970s. The younger Riley has been having a good run on reggae’s stage for the past decade. He came to the ears and consciousness of many through his anthem She’s Royal. With albums and strong international tours to his credit, he continues to delight audiences with each performance.
The Austin Reggae Festival has been around for more than two decades and consistently features Jamaican artists. Among them, Bunny Wailer, Everton Blender, Inner Circle, Luciano, Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Mighty Diamonds, Raging Fyah, The Skatalites, The Wailers, and Yellowman.
A portion of ticket sales benefits the Central Texas Food Bank. The Austin Reggae Festival has raised more than US$1 million dollars to help the charity feed families in central Texas.
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