Entertainment and culture minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange and ace deejay Rodney “Bounty Killer” Price head the list of honorees to be recognized by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA), at its awards ceremony set for Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston on February 25.
The JaRIA Honor Awards, which has become one of the signature events organised by the association in celebration of Reggae Month, seeks to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of artistes, producers, and songwriters, and highlights the impact of the musical genre on the country’s social, cultural and economic development of the country.
Grange will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to the music industry as a producer and manager. Bounty Killer will be recognized in the Extraordinary Impact on the Reggae Industry: Mentorship category.
Recording artiste Frankie Paul, who died last year, and singer/ songwriter Brent Dowe will both be recognized posthumously for their exceptional contribution to the reggae industry. Engineers Barry O’Hare and Lynford “Fatta” Marshall will also be recognized for their impact on the reggae industry. Bobby “Bobby Digital” Dixon and Geoffrey Chung will be lauded for their contribution to reggae as producers.
JaRIA takes all aspects of the reggae industry into consideration for these awards and two sound systems, Count Suckle and Klassique, will be recognized at this year’s event. The players of instruments have not been left out. Bass player Jackie Jackson and saxophonist Dean Fraser have been included in this year’s list of honorees.
Frankie Paul
Former teen sensation Nadine Sutherland and perennial favorites Winston “Burning Spear” Rodney and Manley “Big Youth” Buchanan will receive the iconic artiste in the music industry awards.
Reggae trio The Tamlins — Carlton Smith, Junior Moore, Derrick Lara — will be recognized in the category designated for vocal duo or group, while British reggae band Steel Pulse will take home the award for their work in reggae. Veteran media manager Ken Williams will be honored for his impact on the reggae industry. Talent shows Vere Johns Opportunity Hour and Opportunity Knocks will be recognized in the promoter category.
Burning Spear
Big Youth
Recording artiste and performer Lloyd Lovindeer will be honored for his exceptional contribution to the reggae industry as a songwriter. The awards for gospel music will go to Rondell “Rondell Positive” Allen and Sam Wisdom.
The recipients of the awards for Song of the Year and Emerging Artiste of the Year will be announced at the event.
Lovindeer
Chair of the JaRIA Reggae Month Committee, Abishai Hoilett explained what they hope to accomplish from this year’s JaRIA awards. “The Jaria Honor Awards have always been a standout event on the Reggae Month Calendar and 2018 is no different. Often, persons make immeasurable marks over a number of years to our rich musical heritage and culture and leave the industry without ever getting any real recognition or honour, especially here at home. We seek to honor these individuals and celebrate them at the JaRIA honor Awards and that’s also what separates the Jaria Honor Awards from other award events. This year’s event also provides a great opportunity, with all the controversy in the air about foreign awards shows, to really support our own local award show.”
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