Rocksteady – The Roots Of Reggae
DVD Release & Showcase in New Zealand (finally!!!!!)
Rocksteady The Roots of Reggae tells the story of the Rocksteady era (1966-69), considered by music experts to be the golden age of Jamaican music.  Forty years after Rocksteady’s peak, documentary filmmakers brought the remaining great Rocksteady singers and musicians together to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform live at a reunion concert and to tell their stories – all of it captured in this stunning film.
A blend of ska, soul and R&B, Rocksteady developed the buoyant rhythms, prominent bass line, beautiful vocals and socially conscious lyrics that became Reggae. Forty years after Rocksteadys peak, the documentary filmmakers brought the remaining great Rocksteady singers and musicians together to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform live at a reunion concert and to tell their stories, all of it captured in this stunning film.
The singers featured in Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae are Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Dawn Penn, Hopeton Lewis, Stranger Cole, Derrick Morgan, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles and U-Roy. Among the musicians are Ernest Ranglin, Sly Dunbar, Jackie Jackson, Gladstone Anderson, Hux Brown, Bongo Herman and Scully Simms.
A special guest star in the film is Rita Marley, who along with, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths made up the I-Threes, Bob Marleys backup singers during his rapid rise to stardom. These artists reunite to take audiences on a trip through time with such legendary hits as Rivers of Babylon, The Tide Is High, No,No,No (You Don’t Love Me) and Stop That Train.
Rocksteady, The Roots Of Reggae DVD will be released here in NZ on Monday February 7th
The Companion soundtrack is available in all good record stores now.
 
To celebrate the release of the DVD…
 
THE ROCKSTEADY SHOWCASE feat. STRANGER COLE
In association with 95bFM
Saturday February 19th @ Galatos. With DJ Mossman (Canada), Unity Pacific, Atsushi and The Moisties, and DJ Selecto.

Jamaican ska and reggae legend Stranger Cole’s first ever New Zealand show! A powerfully expressive singer/performer and a prolific songwriter, Stranger is one of the chief architects of reggae music.
Stranger has composed and recorded many recognizable hits such as “When You Call My Name”, “Just Like A River”, “World’s Fair”, “Artibella”, “Bangarang” and “Rough & Tough”. In 2003, Trojan Records released Bangarang: The Best of Stranger Cole 1962-1972, a long overdue retrospective of this fine Jamaican singer’s career.

Stranger’s list of career achievements include being inducted into the Canadian Black Music Hall of Fame, the 1994 Canadian Reggae Music Award for 25 years achievement, and the 2001 Canada Salutes Cultural Icon Award.

Opening for Stranger and hailing from Montreal, Canada will be DJ Mossman, returning to New Zealand after his successful visit here in early 2010. Known for spinning rare and unreleased tracks of Jamaican ska, rocksteady and early reggae, Mossman also produced the Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae movie soundtrack.

http://www.rocksteadyrootsofreggae.com /  http://www.myspace.com/mossmandub http://www.myspace.com/moistiesska