Omeil, or ‘The Lava Lady’, is seen as the best female reggae artist ever to release an album. She began her career early in the year 2001, when she recorded her first commercial single known as ‘Fret’. The single was not an instant success, although she managed to sell just over five thousand copies herself. Omeil’s first album entitled ’Reggae Sweetheart’ was downloaded over 150,000 times, and is still being sold today. She is also the most successful female reggae artist to date.

It was mainly in the year 2003 that Omeil’s career really took off. She released a single entitled ‘Hot Girls’ which was an overnight success. People could not get enough of her unique, yet traditional dancehall reggae sound. After her single had sold so well, she recorded and released her debut album, which held the number 20 position in Italy for a number of weeks, and stayed in their top 100 list for even longer.

It was in the year 2003 that ‘The Lava Girl’ was awarded the prestigious ‘Hip-Hop Palace’- Best New Female Reggae Artist, and the Most Promising Artist awards. Omeil has gone from strength to strength, recording further singles, followed by more albums.

Omeil’s influences do not follow the ‘norms’ of reggae music. Her musical influences include artists like Aaliyah, Whitney Houston, Lady Saw, and some genuine reggae legends such as Beenie Man. Omeil’s grandfather played a massive role in her musical life as he mentored and encouraged her throughout her life.

Omeil has featured in many publications across Jamaica, the U.K., U.S., Canada, but most of all Italy. Most of Omeil’s success has been in Italy and some of the surrounding European nations.

Currently Omeil is due to release her newest album, simply titled ’Lava Lady’. She is also working as the head of a division of Terrelonge Recordings.

One of the biggest names in reggae, Carlton Livingston was born in St. Mary, Jamaica, which is a trait shared by hundreds of popular reggae artists. Carlton Livingston was number four, in a family of six children. He started singing at a very early age as a choir singer in the local church of England. His sister were also choir singers and his mother was an organist.

Music was a huge part of Carlton Livingston’s life ever since he was a very young boy. His family supported him all the way to the top. His first semi-hit was recorded in 1978, called ’Tale of Two Cities’. The song was released in England and did hold a low place in the charts, for a short time. Carlton Livingston was soon approached by a man called Leon Symoie, from ’Trillseekers’ record label.

After being signed onto ’Trillseekers’, Livingston recorded enough songs to release his first LP, ’Soweto’. The album was a good success, but still not brilliant. He then looked to bigger things. Carlton moved and started a radio broadcast. He was picked up by Tony Walcott, who took them to reggae and D.J. training sessions, which led to huge ’underground’ success. In this time, in 1979, Carlton Livingston created and recorded over forty songs.

After his underground success, Carlton Livingston looked to the big time, recording tracks like ’Tricks’ and ’Hot Summer’. These were moderate hits in the U.K. and U.S. until 1982 when he went on a tour around North America, performing at some of the biggest and most popular venues across the nation. He then became hugely successful, performing at venues across London, the U.S. and Canada.

It is widely believed that Carlton Livingston is one of the best singers and songwriters of the eighties and early nineties. This has been demonstrated by the large number of other reggae artists that have performed and recorded cover versions of his songs. Carlton Livingston is now recording new material to be released in Jamaica later this year, but he is not as young as he used to be, so he is taking it easy at the moment.

Obviously, Bob Marley needs absolutely no introduction. Everybody in the world has more than likely heard one of his songs, whether it be something from his life, such as ‘African Herb man’, or something that was remixed and re-released after he died, like ’Sun is Shining’. Whatever the song, all of Bob Marley’s songs remain classics across the world.

Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1945, on February the 6th, in St. Ann (Jamaica). Amazingly, Bob Marley recorded his first single, ’Judge Not’, at the age of sixteen. He recorded under the different name of Robert Marley. He recorded his second single shortly after under the name of Bobby Martell. Neither of these songs were particularly successful. He decided to enlist the support of a man named Joe Higgs, who had already trained the collective of singers that became known as ’the Wailers’, who eventually joined Bob Marley. He settled on the recording name Bob Marley only a short few years later, recording his first song with ’The Wailers’, ’Simmer Down’, which became a number one hit instantly.

Over the next few years, ‘The Wailers’ recorded over one hundred songs. They were the first ever Jamaican band to hold five slots in the top ten, at one time. After a good number of years going through different record labels, before eventually splitting up. The band now became known as ’Bob Marley and the Wailers’, with the addition of ’The I-Threes’, a trio of female backing vocalists.

Bob Marley shot to fame quickly, releasing hundreds of songs. He was a firm believer in the traditions of the Rastafarians, he was definitely not just a pot smoking rebel. It was, however, his religious practices, including heavy smoking, that eventually killed him at the very young age of 36, when he was diagnosed with Melanoma cancer.

Bob Marley’s legacy still lives on today. Members of his family still go on tour around the world paying tribute to his memory and success. Compilation albums are always being released, and virtually every reggae artist thanks Bob Marley for his influence in their album credits. Bob Marley really has influenced an entire genre.

Anthony Red Rose is the man responsible for the hugely successful ‘Family Man’ album that was released late in 1993. The album brought him into the public eye quickly, after moving around local venues back home in Jamaica, trying to become popular.

Anthony Red Rose was born in St. Mary’s, named Anthony C. Cameron. He was brought up in St. Catherine in Jamaica where he practiced his music as an alter server at the local Catholic Church in this Spanish village.

Whilst Anthony Red Rose is a fairly new name on the reggae scene, he recorded his first single in 1980, although it was not picked up by any record company until a little later. The one single to ‘make his career’, which still sells copies to this day, was called ‘Tempo’. The song joins the ranks of some of Bob Marley’s less commercial songs, and is sold on a compilation C.D. containing songs from some of the giants of popular reggae.

‘How Yu Fi Sey Dat?’ and ‘Raggedy Joe’ are the names of the two record labels that Anthony Red Rose started up. He has recorded songs with some of the latest and greatest reggae artists of all time, including Sly Dunbar and Beenie Man. He has also spent a lot of time writing and producing rhythms and tracks to back some of the most famous ‘underground’ reggae artists, including The Fire House Crew and Danny Brownie.

Anthony Red Rose has now released his own unique brand of reggae music all over the world. His sales are shooting through the roof, and his recording and production companies are worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. His is a true ‘rags to riches’ story, coming from a small Spanish village, to owning several recording and production companies.

At present, Anthony Red Rose is focusing more on his recording and producing career. The reggae scene, as it is today, is not what it used to be, meaning there is less space for reggae veterans like Anthony Red Rose.

Do you remember the seventies? Back then, Tim Stahl and John Guldberg formed a group called The Starbox Band and there was chemistry between them from the beginning. However, The Starbox Band project was short-lived after a horrible show they had, opening up for the Kinks, when people literally walked out on them. The band broke up shortly after that show.

As new technology started to arrive later in the 70s (what we would now call ancient history in terms of technology), John had built a home studio and had Tim come over to start jamming regularly again and using the new technology to create new sounds (some would call electronic).

Their new group that formed from these jams, who called themselves Laid Back, released their debut album in 1981 and had a number 1 single with their first release. The band wasn’t a Reggae group, but their second single, which also went to number 1, had a Reggae sound. The title of that track was Sunshine Reggae. If you look around online, you will still see people arguing about whether or not it is a “reggae song“. In my opinion, that’s not something worth arguing about, especially when we’re talking about such a positive vibe in a melody. You either like it or you don’t, it’s as simple as that. Take a listen, watch the video, and decide for yourself.