Bob Marley will be one of three Diamond Jubilee winners this year.
Following the launch of the 2022 Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Honorary Awards last Sunday, February 27, it has been revealed that on the occasion of Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence, three special Diamond Jubilee Awards will be presented. The launch took place at the Footprints Café on Belmont Road in Kingston.
The three prizes will be awarded posthumously to some of Jamaica’s icons, including Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey and Louise ‘Miss Lou’ Bennett-Coverley. The launch was used to announce both the winners and the nominees for the upcoming JaRIA awards. The date of the awards has not yet been officially announced.
In total, JaRIA will be handing out 28 awards in 18 categories and will break with the tradition of handing out awards during Reggae Month. The career award will go to Pama Records. The British record label was instrumental during the 1960s and 1970s and helped increase the popularity of ska, soul, rocksteady and reggae.
Winford Williams, known for his OnStage TV news program, as well as Nadine Blair of Love 101 FM, Riddim Magazine and jamaicans.com, will also be recognized for their contribution to the genre.
When it comes to Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, the audience will decide this one. The nominees for Innovative Artist are Moyann, Skillibeng, Diyani, Yaksta, Joby Jay and Nation Boss. Interested voters can consult the JaRIA website to vote.
Spice’s “Go Down Deh” with Shaggy and Sean Paul, Shenseea’s “Run Run,” Yaksta’s “Ambition,” Koffee’s “West Indies,” Jahvinci’s “Virgin,” and Laa Lee’s “Dirt Bounce” will compete. for the song of the year.
Some of the reggae icons that have fallen in recent times will also be recognized for their contribution, such as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Hopeton Lewis is also on this posthumous list for his contribution to music.
Two well-known reggae singers will be recognized in the Male Icon category. They are Barrington Levy and the late Jacob Miller. JC Lodge will receive the Female Icon Award, while Abyssinians will receive the Icon Award for duo or group.
The band of the eighties Ruff Cutt will be recognized for their outstanding contribution to the reggae industry. The band is headquartered in the United Kingdom and formed in 1980. Another musician, guitarist Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, is also being recognized for his extraordinary impact on the reggae mentoring industry.
Also on the awards list are producers Tony Kelly and Neil ‘Mad Professor’ Fraser. They will be awarded for their outstanding contribution to the reggae industry, while Rohan Dwyer and Paul Barclay will receive awards for their contribution to the field of audio engineering.
Jamaican of all trades Mikie Bennett will be recognized for his contribution to music as a composer, and promoter Linval Gibbons will receive an award for his annual show, Teen Splash.
Glacia Robinson and Jermaine Edwards have been named this year’s winners for their contribution to the gospel genre. Other laureates include instrumentalists David Madden and Hux Brown, who will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the industry and sound systems The Mighty Crown and Lloyd Matador.
The Gregory Isaacs Foundation Award will go to Neville Garrick, known for his art, including some of Bob Marley’s most iconic album covers.
