While it hosts one of the world’s biggest reggae festivals, Spain is not among the traditional markets for Jamaican music. For the last four years it has been a happy hunting ground for Keeling Beckford.

The veteran singer heads to the southern European country in March for a 10-city tour that starts on the 28th.

He will promote two albums, Combination and Try Me, during the trek which comprises mainly club shows.

Beckford, best known for the 1968 hit single Combination, told the Jamaica Observer that the United Kingdom and Germany have been strong markets for his music for decades.

Five years ago, his manager discovered there was similar demand for those songs in Spain.

“It’s all vinyl, because like most Europeans they like that analogue sound,” said Beckford. He added that fans in that region are also drawn to vintage reggae.

“Di tune dem dat coming out of Jamaica now don’t really mek any sense. If yuh look at di festivals in Europe is di older artistes they book,” he continued.

Rototom Sunsplash, held annually in the municipality of Benicassim in northern Spain, is one of those festivals. It vies with Summerjam in Germany for the title of world’s biggest reggae event.

The St Mary-born Beckford’s career started in the mid-1960s. His breakthrough came 56 years ago with
Combination, produced by Enid “Dell” Barnett.

That song was a solid seller in the UK, which had a flourishing reggae scene due to the country’s growing Jamaican population.

Beckford moved to New York City in the late 1970s and established Keeling’s Records in Manhattan. Although he produced songs by many Jamaican acts, he also tapped into the city’s emerging hip hop scene.

He produced songs by early hip hop artistes such as Pee Wee Mel, TJ Swann, Grandmaster Kelly P, and Lonnie Love. Their songs were released by Express Records, a label Beckford operated with Phil Pratt and Claude Smith.