As promoter of the long-running Heineken Startime series, Michael Barnett led a rocksteady revival in Jamaica throughout the 1990s. Concerned that interest in so-called vintage music is waning, he stages the Let’s Go Dancin’ For Charity on December 7 at Footprints Cafe.

The event sees Barnett collaborating with the non-profit Koolites Changing Lives International to raise funds for early childhood education.

He and fellow broadcasters/sound system selectors will also educate patrons on the history of Jamaican music.

“It is of great concern to me that the younger generation is totally unaware about ska, rocksteady, and early reggae genres of Jamaican music; but, then again, they are not totally to be blamed. The Jamaican media houses, especially radio and television, need to play a greater role in helping to educate the younger generation about these classic genres and the legendary exponents who created the foundation that current Jamaican music and artistes are beneftting from,” Barnett told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash.

Barnett developed an appreciation for ska and rocksteady while a student at St George’s College in the late 1960s. That interest grew when he migrated to the United States, where he lived for 15 years.

Shortly after returning to Jamaica, Barnett started Heineken Startime in 1988 at Oceana Hotel in downtown Kingston. The event grew considerably during the 1990s, reviving the careers of acts like The Melodians, The Techniques, The Clarendonians, Alton Ellis, and Delroy Wilson.

The final show in the series, dubbed Startime, was held in April 2018 at Mas Camp.

Formed 10 years ago, Koolites Changing Lives International has raised funds to assist institutions such as Braeton Early Childhood Institution in St Catherine. Angle of Fame Early Childhood Education in Clarendon and the Waterford Basic School in St Catherine are the beneficiaries of next month’s show.

— Howard Campbell