THE Jamaica 60 celebrations is an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come as a people and the heights to which we aspire in our reach for greatness. For Red Stripe, with a history that dates back before Independence, it’s an opportunity to celebrate our vibrant musical industry.

“For an island of less than 3,000,000 people we should be immensely proud of the role we have played in creating genres of music that have inspired the rest of the world. From ska to rocksteady to reggae and dancehall, we have given the world the richness of our culture; and Red Stripe has been there every step of the way,” said Sean Wallace, head of commerce at Red Stripe.

The brand chronicled the progression of Jamaican music with its first EP titled Journey with Stripe, produced by Grammy-winning musician Pablo Stennett to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Desnoes & Geddes in 2018. But Red Stripe’s support of local music began decades earlier. The brand is responsible for Jamaica’s first sponsored mixtape in 1963, a long-play vinyl record called Let’s Have a Red Stripe Party. The mixtape featured 12 exciting songs in the genres of jazz, reggae, folk and country music. It featured four Jamaican bands, namely Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Carlos Malcolm and His Afro-Jamaican Rhythms, The Caribs, and Kes Chin and The Souvenirs. Several other musical events were sponsored by the brand that year.

Understanding the importance of building the land of its birth, Red Stripe has consistently rallied around Jamaican talent. For its first full-length television ad in 1972 the company partnered with respected Jamaican composer, lyricist and singer, the late Ernie Smith who wrote the popular single for the campaign called Life Is Just for Living. Prior to filming the commercial, Red Stripe had sponsored Smith’s participation in the World Popular Song Festival hosted by the Yamaha Foundation in Tokyo, Japan. There, he performed Life Is Just for Living and won in a tie. Smith became the first Jamaican musician to ever win an International Music Award. Red Stripe commissioned a remake of the song with Ernie Smith, Wayne Marshall and Mystic Davis in 2016.

The brand was also among the first to sponsor ‘Reggae Sunsplash’, the largest reggae festival in the world, for 20 years beginning in 1978. It was at Sunsplash that reggae icon Bob Marley performed in public in Jamaica for the last time at the 1979 staging at Jarret Park in Montego Bay. When Reggae Sumfest was introduced in 1993, Red Stripe understood the vision to take Jamaica to even higher heights and became a major sponsor of the event. Today, Reggae Sumfest has grown to become the world’s largest reggae festival, with Red Stripe as the longest-running sponsor.

Reggae Sumfest 2022, held in Montego Bay from July 18-23, presented the golden opportunity for Red Stripe to creatively display its contributions to music through historical wall art mounted in its Vibes Lounge. Reflecting on the brand’s support of Jamaican music, Brand Manager Nathan Nelms shared: “For decades Red Stripe has taken pride and passion in embracing Jamaican culture through music. We are not only pleased to support the showcasing of our exceptionally talented people, but we find great satisfaction in promoting events that bring people together. It’s doubly rewarding that many of these instances have turned out to be iconic moments in our history.”

Other notable mentions of Red Stripe’s involvement in music include the commissioning of a documentary film about Jamaican music in 1979 called Sounds of an Era; Red Stripe’s launching of the Jamaica Music Industry (JAMI) Awards along with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation in 1986; and the initiation of a UK campaign in 2007 to support new music by sponsoring events such as The Camden Crawl and Great Escape Festival.

“We continue to champion music and Red Stripe. For Jamaica 60 we partnered with dancehall recording artiste Busy Signal to produce the very patriotic Big Up Jamaica, which is at the centre of our campaign promoting the pride of our people as we celebrate our diamond jubilee,” added Nelms.