The reggae music fraternity and the public at large showed up for Cocoa Tea's celebration of life at the Luxurious Banquet Hall in Lauderhill, Florida on March 29th. There were an estimated 3,000 people in the audience and musical contributions were made by numerous artists including Beenie Man, Spragga Benz, Ed Robinson, Hopeton Lindo, D'Angel, Twiggi, King Banton, and more.
Capleton also paid his respects but could not perform due to contractual obligations. Overall, it was a grand send-off, with the music industry and the general public coming out to pay their respects to the late and legendary singer. Celebration of life events were also held in Jamaica. The music industry also showed up in Jamaica to give the singer a grand send-off.
The 42nd International Reggae And World Music Awards (IRAWMA) was held in Coral Springs, Florida on Sunday, March 30th. In addition to the awards, numerous honorees received lifetime achievement awards. They include our very own Joanna Marie Robinson. Other honorees include Wayne Wonder, Oliver Samuels, Lloyd Parks, Everton Blender, Audley Rollen, and Consul General to Miami, Oliver Mair. Beenie Man was crowned King Of The Dancehall for over 30 years of service along with Bounty Killer and Buju Banton who were not present.
Oliver Samuels was also crowned King Of Caribbean Comedy. Among the performers at the event were the aforementioned Wayne Wonder, Everton Blender, and Lloyd Parks. Nigy Boy, Richie Stephens, and D'Angel also performed at the event while Beenie Man took the mic for an impromptu performance after his crowning.
The Juno Awards were also held on March 30th at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC Canada celebrating Canadian music achievements. Exco Levi walked away with his sixth Juno award in the Reggae Recording of The Year Category. He was not in attendance to collect his award, however. Levi has been nominated in the category twelve times and has won half of the time.
Sean Kingston and his mother, Janice Turner, were convicted of wire fraud in Miami on March 28th. They were convicted on all five charges that they faced. The duo was accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $1 million worth of luxury cars, watches, and other merchandise. Ms Turner was considered a flight risk and remanded in custody while the singer was allowed to go home with court-ordered electronic monitoring. They are both facing a maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the five counts that they were convicted of. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11th.
Jamaican actor Munair Zacca died on April 2nd at the age of 79. He was a veteran of television, theatre, and the big screen. Zacca was best known for his roles in "Royal Palm Estates" and "Shottas." His wife reported that he was suffering from the effects of diabetes and had a lung disorder.
Recent birthdays include Conroy Smith (59) on March 28th, Daweh Congo (56) on the same day, Tracy Chapman (61) on the 30th, Celine Dion (57) also on the 30th, and Little John (60) on the 30th as well. Mad Cobra turned 57 on the 31st, and Anthony B 49 on the same day. The late Tony Tuff who died last April would have been 69 on April 1st while Ricky General turned 54 on April 2nd.
Garnett Silk would have been 59 on the 2nd while respected drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace turned 75 on the 3rd of April. Gem Myers (64) was on the 3rd, and Roland Burrell of "Jonny Dollar" fame turned 74 on the same day. The 3rd of April was extremely busy as Jemere Morgan turned 30 and Eddie Murphy turned 64. On the 4th, singer Screwdriver turned 65, Jahmali (53) on the 5th, Chuck Turner (62) on the 6th, Cat Coore of Third World (69) also on the 6th, and Tommy Cowan turned 79 on the 3rd as well. Wayne Marshall turned 45 on April 9th while British singer Donna Marie celebrated her birthday on the same day.
WRITTEN BY MARLON BURRELL