Guitarist Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan was presented with seven Grammy Certificates on July 17 at Island SPACE Caribbean Museum in Plantation, South Florida. Beside him is Kennedy Mensah, head of Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd, who made the presentations. Behind them are, from left, Claudia Bryan-Campbell (daughter), Sherrie-Gay Brotemarkle (daughter), Paula Bryan (wife), Carolyn Guniss (niece), Island SPACE Museum members, Neddjie Stephanie Bien-Aime, Deserie Softleigh and Armande Khisha Laguerre.

It’s been a busy but productive year for Back 2 Da Future Music Limited, a London-based publishing company which represents a number of reggae artists, musicians and producers.

Led by founder Kennedy Mensah, it staged three Grammy Certificate ceremonies in South Florida, Kingston and London. At each event, reggae stalwarts were presented with citations for their contributions to Grammy-winning or Grammy-nominated projects.

Mensah, born in London to Ghanaian parents, said it has been a “fulfilling year.”

“If someone had told me in January when we saw Ansel Collins with his certificate, we would have been this busy, I don’t know if I would have taken on this research!” he joked.

The final ceremony took place on October 22 at The British Library in London where six persons were acknowledged.

Producer/musician Paul “Jazzwad” Yebuah received four awards for working on albums by Aswad, Buju Banton, Wayne Wonder and Yellowman.

Other Grammy Certificate recipients are:

--- Don Chandler, for contribution to Black Uhuru’s 2019 album, ‘As The World Turns’.

--- Seani B, working as producer on Black Uhuru’s ‘As The World Turns’.

--- Guitarist Alan Weekes, for his work on Joss Stone’s ‘Mind Body & Soul’ album, released in 2005.

--- Rapper Blak Twang, for his contribution to the 2005 Ragga Hip Hop collaboration ‘Def Jamaica’.

--- Don-e, multi-instrumentalist, was recognised for his contribution to Lauryn Hill’s 1998 Grammy-winning album, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’.

Collins, a veteran keyboardist who had a number one song in the United Kingdom 53 years ago with ‘Double Barrel’ alongside Dave Barker, was awarded a certificate for playing on ‘Friends’ by Sly and Robbie. That set won the Best Reggae Album Grammy Award in 1999.

Fellow musicians Rad Bryan, Lloyd “Gitsy” Willis and Ranchie McLean, singer Chevelle Franklyn and producer Lloyd “King Jammy” James received certificates in South Florida and Kingston.

Written By Howard Campbell