The Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) brought its raft of activities in celebration of Reggae Month 2011 to an amazing climax at the Edna Manley College on Saturday evening with its annual awards presentations.

A cadre of musical stalwarts were honoured for the monumental contribution to the music in various categories such as sound system, studio engineer, mentorship, producer, musician, band, duo group, posthumous, lifetime achievement and performing artiste.

It was indeed an occasion of national pride, filled with pleasant surprises in the creation of new categories and performances for the select gathering of mainly industry players at the college’s amphitheatre, now the official home of Reggae Month’s celebration.

Hosted by popular comedian Christopher ‘Johnny’ Daley, one of the event’s most unexpected moments was Grub Cooper performing Come Back to Me, perhaps for the first time as a solo act and away from the drums. This he did as prelude to the presentation of the Award for Best Backing Band to Fab Five, the 40-year-old musical aggregation for which he has been drummer, vocalist in as many years.

Sounding fresh and mellow, The Tamlins were like vintage wine. With four decades under their belt, the trio of Carlton Smith, Junior Moore, and Derrick Lara, were sweet, polished and not to mention Smith’s smooth dancing.

The late rocksteady crooner, Delroy Wilson, and songbird Phyllis Dillon received the night’s posthumous awards. Veteran singers Prilly Hamilton and Mary Isaacs represented well. Hamilton was on point with Wilson’s Trying to Conquer Me, while Isaacs was in her element on Dillion’s Don’t Stay Away and Perfidia.

And likewise, Pam Hall performing Cynthia Schloss’ Love Me Forever ahead of the presentation of one of two sound system awards to the 60-year-old Merritone Music. Winton Blake accepted on behalf of the Blake family. Sharing the honours with Merritone was Killamanjaro owned by Noel ‘Papa Jaro’ Harper.

But it was Mr Rocksteady Ken Boothe who copping the artiste award gave a truely celebratory performance with Puppet On A String, Train Is Coming, Everything I Own, and Freedom Street before prompting Tarrus Riley, from whom he received the award, to join him on Say You, a capella.

Among the new categories were mentorship, for which Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper was the first recipient for his perfound impact on the Jamaica music industry. Another first, the lifetime achievement award went to veteran bandleader and bassist Lloyd Parks.

Other honourees included reggae singer Judy Mowatt, veteran broadcaster Winston Williams for his contribution to the promotion of Jamaican music as a radio jock, studio engineers Michael Riley and Dennis Thompson, producers Clive Hunt, Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne, better known as Steely and Clevie, bassist Valentine Douglas and rhythm guitarist Dwight Pinkney.