The Reggae Sumfest Team is all about doing things bigger and better this year. Reggae Sumfest has taken a decision to adopt the Montego Bay Boys Club band as a project. The band was formed some 50 years ago and to mark this milestone the organisers of the festival will be making a financial donation to the institution to acquire musical instruments for the band.

It has been fifty years since the Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club Band was formed. To mark that milestone, the promoters of Reggae Sumfest will make a financial gesture that is bound to be sweet music to their ears.

Damian McGann, a spokesperson for Summerfest Productions, said $200,000 will be donated to the school. The funds will be used to purchase musical equipment for the institution which has produced some of Jamaica’s top musicians. “Sumfest is trying to continue the development of music in western Jamaica and donating instruments is just one way of doing that,” McGann said.

He pointed out that Montego Bay’s reputation for producing quality musicians is one of the reasons Summerfest decided to assist the school. Drummer Paul Kastic, keyboardist Christopher Birch and bassist/vocalist Benjy Myaz all got their musical start in the tourist Mecca, which has always had a vibrant live music scene.

The Montego Bay Boys and Girls Club Band was formed 1961, twenty-one years after its parent club was formed at Fustic Street in Montego Bay. Since 1966, it has taught hundreds of students the intricacies of music at its current River Bay Road base.

It started out ‘with a few pieces’ under the tutelage of Gladston ‘pop’ Lawrence, but with support within Montego Bay, its roster grew to 30 by the late 1960s. Among its past students are drummer Tony ‘Ruption’ Williams, who currently plays with the world-famous Third World . Its bandleaders included the inspirational Lawrence, Winston ‘Sparrow’ Martin and Patrick Clarke, the current lead instructor who is also a past student.

The band has a proud history, performing at some major local and international events. These include the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada; the funeral of footballer Stephen ‘Shorty’ Malcolm in 2001; and honouring WorldWar II veterans in Montego Bay in 2003. The troupe has also performed in the Cayman Islands and the United States.