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Stan E Smith 2010 Entertainment News Report

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS FOR STEELE AND MANDY WOODS FROM THE RMAA

The Reggae Music Achievement Awards (RMAA) will take place on Saturday June 12th at the Jamaican Canadian Centre in Toronto, Canada

Steele has been nominated in four categories of “Best Reggae Album/CD of the Year” for his latest release “The Man the Music”, “Artist of the Year”, “Male Vocalist of the Year”, and “Best Reggae Single of the Year”, for “Love Yourself First”, his duet with Mandy Woods at the 2010 Reggae Music Achievement Awards (RMAA).

Fellow label mate Mandy Woods has also received three nominations from the (RMAA) in the categories of “Best Female Vocalist of The Year”, “Best Single of The Year” for Take a Bow, and “Promising New Artist.”

Tarrus Riley Grabs RMAA Nomination Duane Stephenson Works with I Grade Records

Riley picked up a nomination for “International Reggae Artist” at the Reggae Music Achievement Awards RMAA which will be held in Toronto, Canada on June 12. Reggae singer and songwriter Tarrus Riley he copped the Cultural Artiste of the Year and he won the Best Cultural Artiste category at the Youth View Awards and At the Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME).

Reggae singer, Duane Stephenson just completed his first Europe tour in some thirty cities across France, Belgium, London, Sweden, Spain, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Germany. He is finishing up work on his follow-up album to his ground-breaking debut, August Town, has also been working on a project with I-Grade Records, based in St Croix, the US Virgin Islands (VI).

A roots reggae compilation CD ‘Joyful Noise’ is already completed which features Duane’s single, Hard Times in on the compilation. According to the producers, Joyful Noise features an impressive roster of artistes who are all at the forefront of the conscious reggae movement from their respective lands — which may be considered the nerve centers of original conscious roots music in this time.

The Black Music Month, the 4th Annual Reggae Achievement Awards (RMAA) will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2010 at the Jamaican Canadian Association Ballroom in Toronto, Canada.

Tanya Mullings Nominated for the 2010 JUNO AWARD- Toronto

2010 Juno Awards announced a Tanya Mullings as a nominate for Reggae Recording of the Year. This years awards will be hosted in St. Johns, NL The 2010 celebrations in St. John’s will mark the 39th anniversary of the JUNO Awards. Watch the JUNO Awards Live April 18th on CTV.

TSHA T NOMINATED IN 2 CATERGORIES REGGAE MUSIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2010

Toronto-born artist Tasha T has been delighting audiences in Canada, the US and Jamaica Tasha T nominated for the prestigious Reggae Music Achievement Award (RMAA) 2010.

Spanner Banner Picks Up IRAWMA Nomination

Reggae artist Spanner Banner recently copped the EME award nomination for Biggest Come Back Artist of the Year. Banner picked up a nomination for the Most Improved Entertainer in the 29 International Reggae and World Music Awards.

Jamaican Music Producer Sues South Africa Telecommunications Company-

CaribWorldNews: US-based, Jamaica-born reggae pioneer Phillip Smart is suing a South African telecommunication for alleged copyright infringement. Phillip Smart has sued the MTN telecommunication company for allegedly adopting his sound recording in radio advertisements promoting the FIFA World Cup.

Smart, through his lawyer, Ntambirweki Kandeebe, filed the suit at the Commercial Court division on February 9, contending that his song was used without his authorization by MTN. Smart says he composed the song `Hot This Year` and registered its copyright in the U.S. and that MTN took his song and ran it with their advertisements for six months on radio without his permission.

He is seeking damages and licensing fees amounting for an unspecified amount from the telecom company. I spoke MTN has declined comment on the matter citing the ongoing lawsuit. MTN is a major communications company focused on the African continent.

Una Morgan Makes Break-Through Progress with New Solo Album

Una Morgan is the sole female of Reggae band Morgan Heritage. Her new solo debut album entitled ‘Just Me’, features collaborations with established and new names in the industry.  On her album, she worked with producers and song writers, such as Stephen McGregor, Jimmy Cozier, producer “X”and Taj from the 90’s group The Boys. To work with rising stars such as Kiana India, ME, Una Morgan’s signature sound is a blend of Reggae, Dancehall, Pop, Hip Hop and Soul fused to be appropriately called Raggasoul. The Raggasoul songstress ‘Giving’, produced by Lenky ‘Diwali’ Marsden and Tribute to Haiti’ track produced by the great Handel Tucker, international producers on her debut

Una has recently signed to Gary George Inc. (GGI) and Rubikon Entertainment management companies to use their pooled wealth of resources for management and legal services to propel her development. Rubikon is a UK-based management and legal firm that provide management and legal & business affairs to a slew of prominent artistes and producers amongst other entities.

“Roll Out” – Bounty Killer and Bridgez – Jah Snowcone

Billboard chart topping producer Rohan ‘Jah Snowcone’ Fuller presents his latest single, “Roll Out” featuring Alliance Five Star General Bounty Killer and the new face of the Alliance, Reggae/R&B siren Bridgez. “Roll Out,” a club-banging ode to the authentic ballers that “roll like billionaires,” is guaranteed to be one of the summer’s radio smashes.

“Roll Out” is the first single on Snowcone’s brand new World End Riddim. Best known for producing Sean Paul’s #1 Billboard single “Temperature,” on the Applause Riddim –for which he received an ASCAP Pop Music Award — Snowcone has also produced the Rice & Peas, 7-11, Cheerful, and Landscape riddims. He has worked with everyone from Bounty Killer and Elephant Man to Wyclef, Salaam Remi and P. Diddy. “Roll Out” was mixed by famed engineer Gary ‘G Major’ Noble. TO “Roll Out” will be available on iTunes and other digital outlets on Thursday, April 8th.

Romain Virgo to sign with VP – VH1 to air ‘This Love’ Video

Romain Virgo ‘This Love’ music video airs on  cable station VH1.According to his manager, Dawin Brown, they have been in negotiations with VP Records, as the company is about to sign the budding star.

Virgo said he was very excited about the development of his career. “Jah know a one of the greatest feeling. VH1 and MTV are world stations. I think it’s a good opportunity for the world to see who the true Romain Virgo is. I think it is a good way to bring me out there to the world,” he told THE STAR, noting that the video was done during his 2007 Digicel Rising Stars journey. He will shoot the video for ‘Who Feels It Knows It’ in Kingston and St Ann. The video, Virgo said, would “look at hard-working people in every environment.”

He is also working on a self-titled album that will be released in May through VP Records. Virgo said it would have songs such as ‘Caan Sleep’, ‘Murderer’ and several new tracks. For the album, there will also be a series of promotional shows. And, in the coming months, he will have shows in the US, Europe, Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada and St Martin. “It will be a whole lot of work for the year,” said Virgo. Source: The Star.

Busy Signal Goes Universal

President and CEO of Universal Music Group Distribution, Jim Urie, cannot get enough of Busy Signal’s cover of the Phil Collins hit ‘One More Night’.  Urie was so impressed by the cover that he has added the single to his annual compilation album.

At the end of each year Urie releases a double CD album with his favorite songs from various genres and his 2009 compilation features ‘One More Night’ by ace dancehall deejay Busy Signal. “When I saw the album and saw the song listed, I couldn’t believe, the song really gone universal”, said Signal. The video for the single was released three weeks ago and has been receiving steady rotation on local TV stations. In addition, the song has been added to several charts both locally and overseas.

Signal is completing a two week stint in Trinidad where he performs at several events associated with the very popular Trinidad carnival and on Thursday February 18, Busy performs with Machel Montano at the highly publicized Beyonce concert. He returns to Jamaica to complete the finishing touches on his soon to be released album, before heading off on another successful tour. Source: Jukebox Productions.

Jamaica Music Museum’s collection grows but still no home

Though there has been steady donation of artifacts to the Jamaica Music Museum, no location or date have been identified for this proposed showplace of the country’s popular music history. Herbie Miller, director/curator of the project, gave few specifics during Sunday’s launch of the Jamaica Journal’s Special Music edition at the Devonshire Restaurant in Kingston.

“Given the state of affairs, I don’t think we are going to see a physical museum in the short term,” Miller told The Gleaner. “It all depends on funding from local and international agencies that fund the arts.”

Belly of the city

Miller was clear, however, on the museum’s location.” Definitely downtown, the music came out of the belly of the city and it must stay there,” he said.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange also spoke at the function. She said respected musicologist Dermot Hussey has committed most of his vast music collection to the museum.

The Hussey donation includes 6,000 albums, interviews he did with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, and Requiem to Don Drummond, a 1969 radio programme paying tribute to trombonist Don Drummond who died at the Bellevue asylum that year.

Hussey, who once hosted shows on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Jamaica, is currently a disc jockey in Washington, DC, with satellite radio station Sirius FM.

Pieces on show

Other pieces of interest that will ultimately be on show are a cassette tape of Tosh jamming a blues song with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones at SIR Studios in New York City in 1977, and a copy of Escape From Babylon , American singer Martha Velez’s 1976 reggae album which was produced by Marley.

The latest issue of Jamaica Journal examines various facets of reggae, including its political and criminal links, a feature on controversial Singjay Buju Banton and the reggae scene in Switzerland.

Two men who played integral roles in early Jamaican music were present at the launch. Bassist Lloyd Brevette, a founding member of the legendary Skatalites band, and singer/songwriter Bob Andy.

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