“Smile and the world smiles with you” the saying goes so why is it then that opportunities to smile or derive merriment are often shunned? Have a party tomorrow and see how many ‘regret’ messages you get afterwards. Just before Christmas yours truly was involved in an event called ‘Lovers Live’ which boasted the return of the same Lovers Rock vocalist, Jean Adebambo who is being honoured at the Empire. Admittedly, the promotion could’ve been stronger but nonetheless the word was out, interest was high, attendance was good but the south London venue was far from full. After the gig I had people asking me “when is......” Others were waiting for Ms Adebambo’s next appearance as it was widely recognised that the chanteuse was firmly on the come back trail having broken her silence a few months earlier at the Brixton Academy.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be as Ms Adebambo sadly took her own life a few weeks later. The shock waves that reverberated around the UK Reggae scene must’ve registered on the richter scales of Australia! The surprise element was all the more poignant because this was a singer/songwriter who had disappeared from the scene for almost twenty years. Now, I know what you’re thinking, ‘a lot of artists stop making records and come back every so often’. Well you’re right, but with most artist’s there’ll be a single release here, a live performance there or they’ll surface somewhere like Canada. But with Jean, the silence was deafening. There were rumours that she’d emigrated, but to where, nobody knew.Born to a Montserratan mother and Nigerian father, Jean Olufumnilayo Ola Adebambo who grew up in East London was well renowned for performing acoustically with her guitar in the late 1970’s. At the turn of the decade, her debut release, ‘Paradise’, would prove to be her most enduring and best-loved anthem. The type of song that has swathes of females swooning from the opening bars all the way till the end of the record nearly 30 years later. The type of song that meant that her name was actively missed over the years when Lovers Rock reunions would amass the cream of the genres kings and queens to venues as diverse as the local Acton Town Hall to the prestigious Royal Festival Hall.
Lovers Rock is today seen around the world as ’Romantic Reggae’ with the likes of Beres Hammond leading the charge, but for British born Blacks it is much much more than that. It captures memories of our cultural experience’s teenaged angst if you like as it was the first music form created by Black Britain. Waaaaayyy before Grime, Trance, Dub Step and even Jungle. It is without doubt the soundtrack to our lives. With that in mind, the passing of any of the stars of that genre was always going to be big news as it has proven.
As with many of her peers, Jean never really knew how anthemic her music was, - make that is because Paradise will forever be a bona fide classic. A gifted musician, she played the keyboards, guitar, and wrote most of her own songs. And yet she would tell friends that she would’ve been happy being a backing vocalist for her favourite group, The Emotions. A very quiet individual, she’d carved herself a career in the Health Service and had even been promoted shortly before her passing. The sadness that greeted the unexpected news meant that the two daughters she left behind could be in no doubt of how much their mother was indeed loved.
This Sunday much of Britain’s Reggae community will be in attendance at The Hackney Empire in East London for a tribute concert to Ms Adebambo. With this event comes one more piece of history to add to the legacy. The fastest sellout show in The Venue’s history. Britain’s Black community have not attended that venue in such eager numbers since the 90’s when the forces conspired for a drive to encourage locals to attend it coincided with a televised variety-cum-talent show called the 291 Club based on the famed Amateur Night At The Apollo.
If you’re not one of the privileged few with a ticket, I guess you’ll just have to wait for the reviews to know what you missed. Until such time I shall be flashing a bitter-sweet smile as through the ‘Pain’ as I’m there ‘Reaching For A Goal’ in a Hackney ‘Paradise’.
On This Day.......
1988 – Barrington Levy had a 1 week stay atop the UK Reggae chart in-between Dean Fraser’s ‘Girlfriend’ and Aswad’ ‘Don’t Turn Around’.
This week’s number one’s around the Reggae world.
‘Bad Man Don’t Cry’ – Shaggy – RETV Reggae, JA/South Florida, USA
‘Calm Down Yuh Nerves – Bescenta – Jamaica Music Count Down (Reggae)
‘I Can Feel Your Pain’ – Gyptian - New York, USA‘Love Is Automatic’ – Marcia Griffiths Ft: Busy Signal - Choice FM, London/BBC 1xtra
‘Love We Deal With’ – Million Stylez – Germany (Pictured)
‘Million By A Mawning’ – Vybz Kartel - Outaroad.com, JA ‘Romping Shop’ – Vybz Kartel & Spice – RETV Danchall, JA/France
‘Start Anew’ – Tarrus Riley – New Style, Birmingham, UK ‘Time To Shine’ – Laden - Jamaica Music Count Down (Dancehall)
In De Charts
‘Flying Dagger (100 Stab)’ – Aidonia – Jamaica Music Count Down(Dancehall)/RETV (Dancehall), JA‘Know Yourself’ Lloyd Brown & Peter Spence – New York
‘Pull Up Your Trousers’ Vivian Jones & Nereus Joseph – New Style, Birmingham (Nereus Joseph Pictured)
On Air
Fridays – 10pm -12 Midnight – Aston FM 89.1/www.astonfm.com with Chicken George
Saturdays – 7pm – 9pm – www.playvybz.com
Sundays – 10pm -12 Midnight – The Archive Selection on Choice FM as part of Natty B’s Reggae Top 20 Countdown
Mondays – 6pm – 9pm – Elayne Smith’s Music Industry Show on www.colourfulradio.com (Monthly)
Live:
March
Mar 12th - Aidonia in Berlin, Germany
Mar 13th - Aidonia in Milan, Italy
Mar 15th - Aidonia in Copenhagen, Denmark– Dennis Bovell/Lloyd Brown/Prezedent @ Jean Adebambo Benefit Concert @ Hackney Empire, London, England (SOLD OUT!!!!)
Mar 21st - Aidonia in Toulouse, France
- Bongo Chilli @ Polish Club with Underground Roots, Bradford, UK
Mar 22nd –Prezedent @ In Celebration of my Sisters with Playvybz family @ Hackney Empire, London, UK
Mar 26th – Bongo Chilli @ Hi Fi Club with The Root One Band, Leeds, UK
Mar 27th – Prezedent @ Labadi Nights with P’nP Family, DJ Abrantee, Cheese ‘n’ Bread & More @ Manjaro Bar, Holloway Rd, London, England
Mar 28th – Bongo Chilli @ Everyone Centre (Dub Central), Sheffield, UK
April
Apr 1st – Prezedent @ Lovers Rock Lounge with Carroll Thompson & Guests @ Ruby Lo’s,London, England
Apr 2nd Prezedent & DJ Ice @ Funky, @ The Prince Albert, Wolverhampton, England
Apr 4th – Bongo Chilli @ The Sands with Underground Roots, Grange Over Sands, UK
Apr 11th – Chi Ching Ching @ Stratford Rex, London, EnglandApr 12th – Prezedent @ The Studio Club, Bedford, England
May
May 2nd – Lloyd Brown @ Deighton Centre, Huddersfield with Mike Anthony & Kofi
- Nereus Joseph & Prezedent @ African Language Fundraiser, Spotty Dog Football Club, Forest Gate, Upton Lane, London, England
May 6th – Prezedent @ Lovers Rock Lounge with Carroll Thompson & Guests @ Ruby Lo’s,London, England
July
25th – Lloyd Brown @ Lovers Rock Gala, Brixton Academy
August
2nd – Lloyd Brown @ Reggae Rising Festival, California, US
September
Sep 19th – Lloyd Brown, Dennis ‘Matumbi’ Bovell, Sylvia Tella & Prezedent @ The Giants Of Lovers Rock @ The O2 Indigo2, London, England
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