Greetings,

It was October 2003. My bredrin Grizzlite and I headed up to Park City to catch one of my favorites from the 90’s: Lucky Dube. Terrific South African roots singer in the era of apartheid.

A huge favorite with the Pacific Islander community, the club was packed. Everyone singing along on a cool fall night in the mountains.

Grizz and I got a beer and angled ourselves and positioned ourselves on the patio with a view of the stage. Everyone bumping along to Lucky’s melodic Peter Tosh-esque vocals.

All of a sudden the packed dance floor scattered and the music screeched to a halt. A youth had been shot. Later I found out it was a gang assassination. Tribal war in the Polynesian community. Assassins were dispatched from California. They knew their target would be out in the open and vulnerable at a must see event: Lucky Dube is on a par with Bob Marley among the Island community.

Before we knew it, the paramedics had wheeled the victim pass Grizz and I on a gurney. One of the EMT’s was straddling his chest doing CPR. Right next to me, a massive Island dready stepped up and punched the dying man in the face, caving in his nose.

Murder at Park City Lucky Dube concert, Oct. 2003

As we head into Jah-loween season, would you like to know the song that Lucky was performing when the violence took place???

<Dracula; 1 min. 52 sec.>

The Park City show was Oct. 16, 2003. Four years later, nearly to the day: Oct. 18, 2007 Lucky Dube was cut down in a carjacking.

Lucky Dube carjacking

One of the many eerie and sad coincidences in 30 years of Reggae culture for I and I

bless,

Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Sept. 29, 2018: Annotated Playlist

Set 1:

• Zap Pow – This Is Reggae Music; Reggae Rules! (Rhino US) ’80 US vinyl
• Agrovators – Kaya; Kaya Dub (Justice) ’78 JA vinyl dub album of the hour
• Don Carlos & Gold – Harvest Time; Raving Tonight (RAS) ‘83
• Hollie Cook – Superfast; Hollie Cook (Mr. Bongo) 2014
• Israel Vibration – Licks and Kicks; Live Again! (RAS) ‘97 California live
• The Ethiopians – Obeah Book; Slave Call (Heartbeat) ’77: Obeah = Jamaican black magic
• Yellowman – Operation Eradication; One in a Million (Shanachie) ’82 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

<Operation Eradication in Jamaica; 67 sec.>

• The Gladiators – Evil Doers; 12” (Virgin Front Line) ’77 UK

Set 2:

• Dennis Brown – Africa We Want to Go; Reggae Nuggets (Mojo Magazine) 50^th anniversary of UK’s Trojan Records
• Bananarama – Tell Tale Signs; Deep Sea Skiving (London) ’83 UK new wave female group; bonus 12”
• The Itals – Give This Love a Try; Modern Age (RAS) ‘98
• Barry Brown – Dreadfull (sic) Day; 10” (Hitbound) ‘83 JA

Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 29 Years

• Jimmy Cliff – Many Rivers to Cross; The Harder They Come Soundtrack (Mango) ‘72

<Reggae popularity: The Wailers Catch a Fire and The Harder They Come; 16 sec.>

• Fred Locks – Wheat and Tears; Missing Link (VP) ‘78
• Judy Mowatt – Get Up Chant; Love Is Overdue (Shanachie) ‘87
• Ranking Dillinger – See and Blind; None Stop Disco Style (Abrahama) ‘78
• 4^th Street Orchestra – Higher Ranking; Scientific Higher Ranking Dubb (Rama) ’78 UK Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

• Peter Tosh – Mystery Babylon; Scrolls of the Prophet (Columbia/Legacy) remix of Babylon Queendom
• Bunny Wailer – Blackman Redemption; Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 Bob Marley covers for his 50th Birthday
• The Skatalites – Malcolm X; Rough Guide to Ska (Rough Guide) Request
• Ranking Joe & Cha Cha – You’ll Never Know; 10” (Above Rock) 2010 UK ska rocksteady w/ female Chinese singer

Set 5: Vinyl ls Vital

• The Wailing Wailers – Love or Affection; Wailing Wailers (Studio One) ’65 JA  

<Love or Affection; 1 min. 39 sec.>

• Paulette Tajah – Last Night; Lovers Delight (Ariwa) ’83 UK 
• Nigger Kojak & Liza – Two Bad Duppy; Showcase LP (Nigger Kojak) ’80 JA
• Three Dimension – Roadblock; Roadblock (Nubian) ’87 UK herbtune

Set 6:

• The Wailers – Slave Driver; Live 1973-1975 (Starbucks) 11/23/73 Live at Leeds (UK) Polytechnic

<UK Tour 1973; 62 sec.>

• Dubblestandart feat. Ari Up – Surrender Dub; Return From Planet Dub (Collision) 2009 Jah-strian dub w/ female vox
• Adrian Sherwood – Zero Zero One; 10” (Green Tea) 2001 UK mutant dub
• Dub Specialist – Starring Dub; 17 Dub Shots From StudioOne (Heartbeat/Studio One) Dub Album of the Hour

Set 7: Jah-loween 

• Lucky Dube – Dracula; Prisoner (Shanachie) ’90 South African 
• Future Pigeon – The Mummy; Echdelic Sounds of Future Pigeon (Record Collection) 2005 LA
• Sinead O’Connor – Vampire; Throw Down Your Arms (That’s Why There’s Chocolate & Vanilla) 2005 Devon Irons cover
• Earth & Stone – The Devil Must Have Made You; Kool Roots (Pressure Sounds) ‘79

Set 8: Mutant Dub

• Tena Stelin – Flying Saucers; 7” (Mascot) ’99 UFOria

<Aliens in the Bible; 28 sec.>

• Thievery Corporations – Warning Shots; It Takes a Thief (ESL) 2010 DC best of
• Desmond Williams – Dread a the Roughest; Delights of the Garden (ESL)
• Alpha & Omega – It Hurts + It Must Be Dub; Mystic Things (BSI) 2001 UK trance dub w/ female vox
• Spiritual Rez – Let’s Go Out With a Bang; Apocalypse Whenever (Spiritual Rez) 2014 about Alien invasion

<When the Aliens attack. let’s go out with a bang! 47 sec.>

Words of Wisdom: