Junior Byles music for Art Walk Festival today
The classic songs of Junior Byles will be featured today during ‘Fi Wi Food, Fi Wi Kulcha’, as part of Kingston Creative’s Art Walk Festival in downtown Kingston.
Guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith and his Binghistra Movement will revisit some of the singer’s finest moments which are on Still Beating Down Babylon, an album that was released in June by DubShot Records. It contains 11 acoustic renditions of Beat Down Babylon, Fade Away, A Place Called Africa, and Curly Locks.
Freddie McGregor, Mykal Rose, Chiney KiKi and Little Nate from Israel are some of the artistes saluting Byles’ legacy.
According to a press release from Kingston Creative, “The album is a testament to the enduring impact of reggae music on global culture and the profound influence of Junior Byles’ contributions to the genre.”
The 75 year-old Byles (born Kenneth Byles Jr) was a fireman when he started his recording career as a member of The Versatiles in the late 1960s. Going solo in the early 1970s, he recorded a number of hard-hitting songs for producer Lee “Scratch” Perry including Beat Down Babylon and Curly Locks.
Fade Away, released in 1974, was produced by Smith, a session musician whose credits include songs by Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, and Lauryn Hill.
‘Fi Wi Food, Fi Wi Kulcha’ also comprises art exhibitions, tours, domino tournaments, food tastings, and cooking demonstrations and music by DJ Fenix, DJ Yumi and Merritone Disco.