| Named after the first president of independent Kenya Jomo Kenyatta, Winston Burning
Spear Rodney crafted his own reggae sound in the ende of the seventies and
enjoyed massive success with his 1980 hit Hail
H.I.M. An incredible showman, Rodney still rocks the crowds as his latest
release Calling Rastafari
clearly demonstrates. Born in Saint Anne, the land of Marcus
Garvey and Bob Marley,
Rodney began his career at Kingston's legendary Studio
One. under the patronage of producer and Studio One boss, Coxsone
Dodd, Rodney releases his first EP Door
Peep in 1969. Its lack of commercial success brought Wembley back to Saint
Anne where he composed new songs and decided to return to Studio One after Bob
Marley himself convinced him of their worth. His two subsequent Lps Burning
Spear and Rocking Time
which were released in repsectively 1973 and 1975. This marks the beginning of
a very productive era that saw the release of no less than five LPs including
a live album. Perhaps most notorious are the two Lps celebrating Marcus
Garvey : the eponymous Marcus
Garvey and Garvey's Ghost. The two Lps were later reunited on a single LP in 1987 for the 100th anniversary of Garvey's birth.
In no more than five years, Rodeny created his own sound distinctive in its form and lyrics from that of reggae stars such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
1980 proved a rocketing year for Burning Spear as it saw the release of its most celebrated album Hail H.I.M and that of "Rockers" a motion picture on Jama?ca featuring a blasting acapella cover of Jah No Dead.
In the early eighties, he resumes his collaboration with Heartbeat which resulted in his nomination for a grammy award in 1985 for Resistance. This success was prolongated in the nineties with release of nine Lps including the excellent (A)Live a full demonstration of Bruning Spear's powerful showmanship.
Still a leading figure of Jama?can music and an artist who remained true to his roots, Rodney pleased his fans once again with the 2000 release of Calling Rastafari.
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