ABOUT: “E- PICK ”
“E- PICK ” is a weekly Saturday post on www.mckoysnews.com, where Amber Crowl (Radio Personality, Host, Writer and Activist) discusses happenings in Jamaican Music, Entertainment Topics and Cultural Ideas. Amber welcomes your questions and comments on Mckoy’s News. and you can send e-mails to irieamber@gmail.com.
This week in E-Pick we talk about Jamaican Musicians who receive National Honors. We just commemorated 55 years since Jamaica’s Independence was declared and as part of the celebrations, National Honors were awarded to entertainers Bunny Wailer, Josey Wales and Jimmy Cliff.
It is a pleasure to know that our living entertainers receive honors from the Jamaican Government or any other entity, as many of them have helped to pave the way for Jamaica’s music and other musicians.
The journey of Jamaica’s music could be described as coming into the spotlight around the same time as Jamaica’s independence on August 6, 1962. Since then the Rock Steady, Ska, Reggae & Dancehall Genres of Jamaican music have exploded all over the world, ranking among top genres from America, England, Africa and Europe. People like Josey Wales, Jimmy Cliff and Bunny Wailer have all contributed to the development of Jamaican music and can all attest to the sometimes difficult journey that it has been for artistes, producers and musicians. They have faced discrimination, harsh working conditions in foreign countries, being underpaid and even left unpaid in some cases. Yet, they persevered and kept the love for the music which is so prevalent among Jamaican music industry players. That love for the music has taken these three honourable musicians to several countries and allowed them to share our music with the world.
Since 1962, the music has certainly come a far way and undoubtedly we have far more to go. With the continuation of American, African & European musicians imitating and practicing our music, Jamaica is more and more present in the world. With mainstream American artistes like Rihanna, Jay-Z, Chris Brown, Drake and Justin Beiber making music that sounds much like Dancehall, and others doing remixes to their songs with Dancehall Artistes, I am sure that Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer and Josey Wales all see that their hard work and dedication to developing Jamaica’s music has not been in vain. Congratulations to all 3 recipients of the National Awards and to this un-named here. Thank you all for your tremendous contribution to a music which the world loves. Well done.
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