Reggae-dancehall industry players unite on Clubhouse
Audiomack aids Jamaican youth Kes The Band Concert
ton’s humanitarian efforts
also includes providing instruments
and sporting equipment
to Sunbeam Children’s Home,
Mount Olivet Boys Home and
Denham Town High School.
“We are excited to partner
with Buju Banton and
The Buju Banton Foundation
to help provide resources to
the boys, so they can have
an opportunity to excel at
the highest level,” said Audiomack
Vice President of Marketing
& Brand Strategy,
Jason Johnson.
The Buju Banton Foundation
@bujubantonfoundation
provides sustainable
assistance like skills training
and educational opportunities
to ensure that underserved
and at-risk young people
have equal opportunities
to succeed.
The organization said it
collaborates with known
entities worldwide, including
other popular artists, having
worked with rapper Kanye
West recently to secure funding
for laptops.
“Supplying tools for developmental
Caribbean L 30 ife, FEBRUARY 12-18, 2021
growth and establishing
dependable learning
environments are critical
for disenfranchised youth,”
the Buju Banton Foundation
said.
“Given the economic
moment and its impact on
individuals and organizations,
the Buju Banton Foundation
salutes Audiomack for
opening its heart and hands
to vulnerable boys,” added
Singer Diana Ross performs at the 2017 American Music Awards Show in Los Angeles,
California, U.S. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni,fi le
Rosemary Duncan, director,
Buju Banton Foundation.
Audiomack is a global
leader of independent music
for fans, artists and industry
professionals.
The company said it is
expanding rapidly in part due
to its dedicated efforts with
“geo driven emphasis.”
Specifically, the Audiomack
Caribbean division,
led by Tanya Lawson, said it
is thriving with an increased
focus on highlighting the talent
and supporting islandspecific
initiatives, including
charitable acts.
“Our directive is to fully
embrace the people and
places that give rise to, and
inspire, artists and music
lovers while providing outreach,”
she said.
Birdsong — Wilson appeared
on all 12 of the Supremes’ No. 1
pop hits from 1964-69, according
to Variety.
It said that, during that period,
the act — the biggest of
Motown’s vocal groups thanks
to their silken sound — charted
a total of 16 top-10 pop singles
and 19 top-10 R&B 45s, six
of which were chart-toppers.
The Supremes released their
first No. 1 single, “Where Did
Our Love Go,” in 1964, Huffpost
reported.
It said Ballard — who died in
1976 — was replaced by Cindy
Birdstrong.
Ross left the group a few
years later, and Wilson stayed
with the Supremes until the
group was officially disbanded
in 1977, Huffpost said.
It said Wilson later embarked
on a solo career and released
her self-titled debut album in
1979.
In her 1986 autobiography,
“Dreamgirl: My Life as a
Supreme”, Wilson detailed her
time as a Supreme.
Wilson and Ross had publicly
discussed a potential reunion
tour in 2000 that didn’t materialize,
Huffpost said.
It reported that Wilson said
on “The Talk” last year that she
and Ross were “family.”
“We started singing 1959; we
were just 13 years old, Huffpost
quoted Wilson as saying then.
“We were sisters.”
Motown Museum chair and
chief executive officer Robin
Terry said that the “world has
lost one of the brightest stars
in our Motown family.
“Mary Wilson was an icon,”
he said in his tribute. “She
broke barriers and records as
an original member of the
Supremes, one of the greatest
music acts of all time.”
Continued from Page 29
Continued from Page 29
The culminating performance
on Feb. 13 will air live on CNC3 in
Trinidad & Tobago and on affiliates
across the Caribbean, the
Guardian said.
It said local fans can also view
a live stream on Guardian Media’s
platforms as part of its virtual
Carnival 2021 series, “We inside!”
Fans outside the region can
view the live stream of the concert
at KES’ website, www.kestheband.
com.
“This year, with Trinidad and
Tobago’s Carnival festivities on
pause, the band decided to rebrand
and extend its Carnival
season event to multiple nights
of live music in order to accommodate
more fans while keeping
within the maximum gathering
size, strictly in compliance with
the Ministry of Health’s COVID-
19 regulations,” the Guardian
said.
Kees “Kes” Dieffenthaller,
frontman for Kes the Band, told
the Guardian that “IzWE is a
presentation of we culture in all
its different aspects.
“We’ll be celebrating the
essence of who we all are as Caribbean
people,” he said. “It all
began with drums and fire and,
out of the revolution of our ancestors,
Carnival which came to be
the sweetest revolution. As such,
we are celebrating our light in
these dark times.”
“The cancellation of Trinidad
and Tobago’s Carnival this year,
along with Carnival celebrations
across the Caribbean this past
year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
has impacted Caribbean
entertainment and, by extension,
our culture,” the Guardian said.
Continued from Page 29
SUPREMES SINGER
By Nelson A. King
As the entertainment
industry continues to grapple
with the fallout stemming
from the ongoing global pandemic,
many industry players
have taken to the newly
popular social media app,
Clubhouse, as a means of not
just networking but also educating.
According to entertainment
publicist Rickardo Shuzzr,
the invite-only social media
app, which is exclusively on
Apple devices, “continues to
see many reggae-dancehall
players connecting amongst
themselves and stakeholders
globally.”
Shuzzr said digital marketer
Romario English, founder
of Caribbean Music Industry
Club, a widely popular group
on Clubhouse, currently hosts
weekly “master class sessions
geared towards educating and
reshaping the way individuals
operate in the industry.”
The Master Classes which
are spearhead by Shuzzr;
Genie Sweetness, former VP/
VPAL digital distributor representative;
Kereena Beckford,
Alkaline’s manager;
Anju Val, co-founder of HYPE
TV and Dre Arts Designs/
Bad Bear, host weekly guest
speakers from a wide crosssection
of the industry.
They speak on topics such
as publishing/licensing,
media relations, artiste management,
digital marketing
and graphics/video creation,
among others.
“Clubhouse has provided
an opportunity for industry
players to meet virtually to
share ideas, network, educate
and even entertain fans and
others that operate in the
reggae-dancehall space and
outside it,” Shuzzr said.
“The Caribbean music
industry group is geared
towards educating individuals
about the entertainment
business and sharing best
practices,” he added.
/www.kes-theband.com
/www.kes-theband.com
/www.kes-theband.com
