Romain Virgo performs at country music event
Reggae’s truly gone country as on Monday night reggae vocalist, Romain Virgo, performed alongside Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers at the 5th Annual Academy of Country Music honours in Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, who were the recipients of Academy of Country Music’s Stone Pioneer Award, performed their hit All The Gold In California and invited Romain on stage to sing the island rendition off of Reggae’s Gone Country, the genre-blending album produced by John Rich, Cristy Barber and Dean Fraser which debuted at #2 on Billboard Reggae Album chart and #65 Billboard Country Album chart.
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers and Romain Virgo received a standing ovation from the auditorium, which was reportedly filled to capacity with fans and country elite including Joe Nichols, Taylor Swift, Reba, Rodney Atkins, Jamey Johnson, Montgomery Gentry, Tom T Hall, Ronnie Dunn from Brooks and Dunn, John Michael Montgomery and broadcaster Ralph Emery.
Romain expressed his enthusiasm at the opportunity to perform for that audience. “I was thrilled when The Gatlin Brothers invited me to perform at the ACM honours. To grace the stage with these musical legends and set foot on The Grand Ole Opry stage, country music’s church, was a moment in my career that I will never forget,” he states.
Virgo, who recently wrapped up the shoot of the video for his newest single System produced by Vikings Productions, walked the red carpet with Larry Gatlin who was an honouree at the awards ceremony.
He shot to prominence upon winning the Digicel Rising Stars competition in 2007. At 17 years old, he was the youngest contestant to ever win top prize at the competition, which included a $1,000,000 prize and a recording contract with Greensleeves Records. A few weeks after winning the competition, Virgo met Donovan Germain who produced his first hit record Mi Caan Sleep on the Penthouse label.
Several hit singles followed, including Wanna Go Home, Live Mi Life, and Alton’s Medley. In June 2010, VP Records released his debut album, the self-titled Romain Virgo.
