Founding member of the wailers Bunny Wailer, is set to headline the Bayside Rocks reggae festival scheduled to be held on Saturday November 20th at the Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. Born Neville O’Riley Livingston in Kingston, Jamaica, he is widely regarded as a musical legend and has been named by Newsweek as one of the three most important musicians in world music. Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley were friends from childhood days, growing up in the same household as stepbrothers. They moved to Kingston together and eventually started the Wailers Band along with Peter Tosh. Jah B, as he is affectionately known, was the quietest of the three, focusing on singing harmonies and contributing a few songs to the “Catch a Fire” and “Burnin” albums. He eventually departed from the Wailers in the mid1970s to pursue a solo career and to focus on his spiritual growth within the Rastafari movement. He recorded several albums that received critical acclaim including Blackheart Man and Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers produced by legendary duo Sly and Robbie. He achieved international success with the single “electric boogie” a duo with reggae queen Marcia Griffiths. Bunny Wailer has penned classics such as Dreamland, Dancing Shoes and Who Feels it Knows It, to name a few. He has amassed an impressive and extensive music catalog and is considered one of the standard bearers of roots music. He has won the Grammy award in the reggae category three times.
The Bayside Rocks Festival strives to promote the works of musical artists that embody peace love and unity. According to the organizers of the festival, the event was initiated as a “full day celebration of cultural awareness and expressions.” The event has been designed to appeal to all “genuine cultural expressions.” To this end, the line up of artists reflect a cultural diversity. Reggae great Toots will also be performing along with renowned British based reggae band Steel Pulse. The queen of reggae Marcia Griffiths, is also slated to make an appearance at the event. The line up also includes Spanish reggae group Mixed Culture, as well as reggae /surf/ska band Bootleg, Puerto Rican group Cultura Profetica and emerging female singer Soulflower Empress.
The concert promises to be a rich celebration of diverse roots music in a festival atmosphere. Gates open at 2 pm and a large crowd is expected at the Bayfront Park in Miami today to enjoy some great music in an atmosphere of peace, love and unity.
Comments