Because of the region’s massive Jamaican communities, the tri-state area has never been short on reggae artistes and producers. Many of them are unknown outside of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, but earned respect of their peers in those areas.

Michael Eaton operates Eaton Music out of Staten Island, New York. He has lived in the US for over 40 years and produces songs mainly by acts in the tri-state radius.

His latest effort is Trees, a song by Sydney Salmon, a Jamaican singer based in Ethiopia. He co-produced it with Salmon and American Majik Reed.

“I’ve in the music business a long time, but I got beat up an’ just decided to start over again. So, I wrote and produced the song which was recorded at Blurred Noise Studio and Planet Hits Lab Studio in New Jersey,” Eaton told Observer Online.

That literal beating left Eaton so disillusioned, he gave the music business a break for 15 years. Two years ago, he was introduced through social media to Salmon, who has lived in Ethiopia for over 20 years.

Oh Lord, their first song, was released shortly after, followed last year by the jazzy Trees. Eaton has also released his self-produced songs, Confess and Words Without Meaning; Call on Me by Emil Troy and Love Has A found Way by Misganaye Salmon.

Originally from St Ann, Eaton spent most of his formative years in Barbican, St Andrew. Like Salmon, he was drawn to the message of Rastafari through the roots-reggae revolution of the 1970s.

Encouraged by the response to Oh Lord and Trees, Eaton plans to plan to record more songs with Salmon, as well as continue to release songs as a singer and work with other artistes.

“Wi have some good people around wi an’ di vibe is right. Yuh can’t look at di past all di time through bad vibes…yuh learn an’ move on,” he said.
Howard Campbell