As legendary reggae/rocksteady artist Leroy Sibbles celebrates 60 years in music, he will be honoured with a concert in August featuring Marcia Griffiths, Etana, Duane Stephenson and Singing Melody.
The show, titled “Leroy Sibbles: The Crowning – Celebrating the King of Reggae Bassline”, will take place at the Lanny Williams Entertainment Centre in St Andrew on the 31st.
“His influence on the development of Jamaican music genres, from ska to rocksteady to dancehall, is undeniable, so we decided to pay tribute to him. Listen to Morgan Heritage’s 2003 album ‘Down By The River,’ which features Leroy’s 1968 arrangement of ‘What Kinda World’ for Cables.”
“When you take the distinctive bass lines of Mighty Diamond’s ‘Pass the Cutchy’ and Musical Youth’s ‘Pass the Dutchie’, it’s questionable whether they will remain hits. The bass line that can be heard in both hits is from Sibbles’ ‘Full Up’,” the event’s creative director, Voni Coromanthi, told the Jamaica Observer.
She adds, “And let’s not forget his work with the Heptones, whose bass lines have featured for decades – the instantly recognizable ones on ‘Book of Rules’ and ‘Sweet Talking’.”
At the same time, Coromanthi noted that each guest star is doing their best to make the show memorable.
“Preparation is well underway. The Crowning’s Musical Director Dean Fraser has assembled the band and team, and Etana is ready to deliver a captivating performance from her catalogue of hits. All the artistes are thrilled to be sharing the stage with Leroy, who is part of the founding generation of Jamaican music.”
“Leroy flew to Florida to support Marcia’s 60th celebration and she will now be celebrating his well-deserved crowning as the King of Reggae Bassline,” she said.
Sibbles was one of the driving forces behind the legendary Studio One, singing harmonies and playing bass on some of rocksteady and reggae’s biggest hits. He is best known as the lead singer of The Heptons, a group that also included Earl Morgan and Barry Llewellyn, arguably the most successful harmony group of the rocksteady era of the late 1960s.
Meanwhile, Coromanthi says he’s hopeful for great things from the August show.
“My hope for this event, however contradictory it may seem, is to highlight the future history of Jamaica. Etana and Duane Stevenson represent the first class, world class standard of Jamaican musical production, while we celebrate a set of standard bearers who have invested in Jamaica and cemented their legacy through their work,” she told the Observer.
