Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport Olivia “Babsy” Grange says the music fraternity, and the country at large, should strengthen the habit of hailing The Rock’s stalwarts while they are able to experience the honour.

She indicated that such was the raison d’être for the annual Reggae Gold Awards, which debuted three years ago.

It was forged to pay homage to the outstanding men and women in the music industry whose contributions have impacted the world.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer after the 2025 edition, Grange shared that having recognised how deep the talent pool runs within the entertainment industry, there was a dire need to reward the contributions of these iconic individuals before it was too late.

Striking home her point by reminiscing on the tear-jerking moment shared between Ken Boothe and fans inside the National Indoor Sports Centre, she said artistes and other industry professionals need to feel the country’s love.

“We honoured Marcia [Griffiths] with a Lifetime Achievement Award and you could see how much she appreciated it. It was also important for people like Max Romeo and Maxi Priest and others like Ken Boothe,” she said.

Boothe, who has been left visually impaired by Parkinson’s disease, had to be assisted to the stage to collect his award. He was moved to tears as the audience stood to its feet and offered up resounding applause for his years of dedication to the music.

“The Ken Boothe moment was a touching moment, because although he’s suffering from Parkinson’s disease and he is blind, his voice is the same. I thought it was important for him to be here tonight. It wasn’t easy for him to come, because he’s not too mobile, but I wanted him to be here for people to see him and for them to hear him,” Grange told the Jamaica Observer. “And it meant so much to him. Based on his condition, he from time to time would feel that nobody cares and that he can no longer make a contribution, but coming here and singing and hearing the response, it told him that the people still love him.”

“This awards ceremony is about honouring those we can while they’re alive while also remembering those who have passed,” she continued.

Lenford Salmon, executive director, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), for his part, said the Reggae Gold Awards is about giving industry players their “roses while they’re still here to appreciate them”.

“We recognise that there are a lot of unsung heroes out there in the industry… whose contributions are also great. We take the time out to recognise what they do here and it makes them feel appreciated,” he said. “Minister Grange has been a stalwart of the industry for many years. Outside of her role as government minister, she is from the industry, and so she understands the needs of the industry, and so she drives us to do things like these. This means a lot to her… She just feels that there are too many people who the world generally does not have the information about or the appreciation for and she wanted to acknowledge that in moving forward.”

Salmon said he is happy with the outcome of Reggae Month 2025 as the public support this year was exceptional.

“We measure ourselves by how the audience receives us, and the feedback on all our events for Reggae Month 2025 has been tremendous. That tells us that we did something right,” he told the Observer. “The Reggae Gold Awards, for us, is what we call looking back to move forward. Because if we don’t recognise and acknowledge the contributions of those before us who created the music and took it across the world, then we’re bound to not recognise what we need to do and how to move forward.”