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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

KIDDUS I - PROFILE: (Reggae Artist)

All photos © JYM “Living Drum”, except when noted
 Kiddus I - 2012.05.13 - Vauréal, France  © Henri Séguin
 Kiddus I - 2012.05.13 - Vauréal, France  © Henri Séguin

In this Page...

Kiddus I - PROFILE

See also ...

Kiddus I - DISCOGRAPHY

 Kiddus I & Homegrown Band 2009.11.13, Massy, France


Kiddus I - Biography
by JYM "Living drum"

Kiddus I was born Frank Dowding Jr in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, December 1944. He came from a middle class background. His mother, Maria Cathcart Dowding, made her living primarily through pottery and handcrafts, but later worked in a restaurant, while his father, Frank Dowding, was a bookkeeper.

He grew up in an environment of expression and could listen to a large variety of music: operatic singers, crooners, big bands and 50s/60s music from America (blues, jazz, soul, funk, rock’nroll, pop music). His father had a wide collection of records, and both his mum and dad sang, but it was not professional. His dad would sing at parties and receptions. In an interview,

Kiddus recalled: «he had big voice, a type of voice like any of the top singers at the time that were on the radio. My mum had a beautiful sweet voice, she was a wonderful singer. They sang everything: blues, jazz… she was more Spanish because she had come out from Cuba when she was about eight. She was a great dancer of the rhumba, the cha cha, the bossa nova, the merengue, various types of Spanish, Cuban, Latin American music ».

Kiddus grew up with all these various genres, so that whenever a style of music became popular, it would become the root of his foundation.
He started singing at a very young age, around the age of four. People paid him to sing for them and he enjoyed getting bribes from them. When he was a little boy, his family moved between Kingston and the country. He also joined a choir at school and at a very young age. In fact he has always been deeply rooted in Jamaican music. Singing was like second nature to him. He also used to be a collector of music but when he was about 15, he had a party and someone robbed all his records collection, so he stopped collecting music.

In 1959-60, Kiddus got a scholarship for a Quaker School ‘Happy Grove High’ located in the parish of Portland (The Quaker belief of the “Inner Light” or that of God in each of us creates an atmosphere of tolerance and openness: students are led by example not only to respect the perspectives and talents of others in the community, but so to learn from them). It was one of the only Quaker schools in Jamaica at the time. It was not much different to other schools but he did get to learn the history of the ancient Sumerians – not many schools at the time had that text.

Kiddus also did art in school and he was quite good at drawing. He did have skills at arts, but never took it commercially. He did the arts and crafts like tie dye, batik and leatherwork and a variety of other stuff. He did painting for a while and made a whole collection of paintings. After some years, he wanted to do an exhibition, it was about 1975-76, but when he came back to his house in Mas Camp, his paintings had been stolen! From then, he stopped painting.
In High School, he would make bamboo fifes and some of his own instruments (things that weren’t available). He tried out to play the trumpet but he never liked the hardness on his lip. He played a little of piano and guitar but he finally mainly played percussions.

 (Photo credit unknown)  

Kiddus initially adopted a hippie lifestyle before converting to Rastafari. When he left high school he came and lived in Kingston full time, learning diesel mechanics or diesel engineering as an apprentice. There he met a Rastafarian called Gibbons who would smoke his chalice at lunch times. From then started his introduction to praises and his faith in Jah Rastafari.

After a while he went into surveying for real estate and the for the bauxite industry. After he left in 1969, he had been self-employed and the music has been one of his main sources. He started promoting shows during the ska rocksteady area (later he put out many live show with Inner Circle). At the same time he did arts and crafts, like silk screen printing of t-shirts and a variety of other things, he also did some farming at times.

At the start of the 70s, Kiddus operated a Rastafarian commune, called ‘Mas Camp’, and a crafts centre, the ‘Café d’Artique’ located at 1C Oxford Road, Kingston. Its situation at the juncture of Uptown and Downtown meant persons of all social strata could meet in a harmonious atmosphere that attracted a number of musicians who were recording in and around Kingston, including Jacob Miller, Zap Pow, Third World and Gregory Isaacs. It was Isaacs who encouraged Kiddus I to pursue a career in music, although the singer had already recorded a session with Joel Gibson in the early 70s. Ras Michael was there constantly, with Sidney Wolfe, Geoffrey Chung, Robbie Shakespeare, Santa Davis, Haile Maskel, Tommy Cowan…. Mas Camp was like a cultural centre for Kingston, where Kiddus was considered the prime mover for this artisan community. So based there, he supplied the best herbs, the Ital food and at the same time there was the music that they were doing.

Kiddus I plays Darbouka in Spain © Lone Ark Myspace

Kiddus has had different nicknames along the years. At school, children used to call him ‘Frankie’ or ‘Kid’ and additional variants like ‘Kiddy’, ‘Kid Reketek’ or ‘Kid Bangarang’. Later on, he also has been nicknamed ‘Shepard’ (he was a ‘shepherd’ in music industry). Kiddus was always surrounded with all the legends of reggae as he was like a visionary. Many greats including some that are no longer with us like Bob Marley, Jacob Miller and Peter Tosh, to name a few, spent much time in ‘Reasoning’ with Kiddus.

All his legendary friends were always happy to sit in and play on anything Kiddus was doing, as he has always been progressive. For that reason Kiddus depth in recording is very special, as he brought the brotherhood to the Music.

It is Ras Michael who nicknamed him ‘Kiddus I’. It is an Ethiopian name, meaning ‘saint, holy blessed, sacred’ in the Amharic language. It is also a common name in Ethiopia. Bob Marley nicknamed him ‘Doctor Feel Good’ because of his excellent quality herb (‘Dr Feel Good’ is quoted in Bob’s song ‘Punky Reggae Party’: “Wailers will be there, the Damned, the Jam, the Clash, Wailers will be there. Dr Feel Good too, oooooooohh”).

Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus © Peter Simon  

In 1971, Kiddus was recruited as a vocalist and drum player in Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus. With the group he performed on the Jamaican hit ‘Non A Jah Jah Children’, that featured on 1975’s Rastafari album produced by Tommy Cowan. He played with Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus until 1978, when Ras Michael left and went over to the United States of America.

Rastafari album
Concert flyer UK 1976

Kiddus I is a powerfull singer with clear enunciation and a tenor that trembles with emotion. He has a special voice with heavy and deep accents. In 1972, he recorded his first titles.

He met Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett circa 1971 at 56 Hope Road. Aston played bass & keyboards on one of Kiddus’ first recordings. Carlton ‘Carlie’ Barrett, his brother, played drums, Sangie Davis played guitar and Bunny Wailer completed the bass line on it : ‘Fire Burn’ and ‘By The Sweat Of Man’s Brow’ was his first recordings, in 1972 at Bob Marley’s rehearsal studio, 56 Hope Road, Kingston in (Tuff Gong headquarters and Bob Marley’s home).

Kiddus also recorded in 1974/1976 at the Harry J studio along with some members of the Sons of Negus and some others including Ralph Holding, Benbow, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith. Kiddus knew Chinna when he started playing on Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus records.
Since then, Chinna has always been a close friend and an important part of Kiddus’ music and recordings.

Later on, Kiddus also played with other excellent guitarists like Cat Coore (Third World) or Jimmy ‘Senya’ Haynes (Aswad, Steel Pulse), Winston "Bo Pee" Bowen, Sweeney Williams or Ernest Ranglin on some pieces, but Chinna was always the best for him.

Kiddus considers Chinna as his little brother: he remembers his debut, when he started to get involved with the Soul Syndicate, while playing also with Ras Michael, Chinna was only 18 years old then… soon after he started doing sessions with just about everyone, including Bob Marley, on ‘Rastaman Vibration’

For more information see ‘Earl Chinna Smith Profile page’:    
https://reggaediscography.blogspot.fr/2017/04/earl-chinna-smith-profile.html

(The young Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, down left).
 California tour flyer, 2009.01        Kiddus & Chinna 2009.4.25


Back in the early 70s, Kiddus and Jah Lloyd were at Nyabinghi House (Judah Coptic House of Rastafari) which they started up together in the early ages of their forming as young Rastafarians. They met Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry when he came back from Canada in about 1971, when they were just turning dread. They became close friends and Scratch eventually grew into one of the main spokesmen for the ‘peace movement’.

So they were affiliated when Bob Marley came back from the UK. Kiddus was at 56 Hope Road as a member of the peace treaty committee with the ‘Rastafarian house’ and Bob plus a couple of others. Around that period the UNIA (Marcus Garvey’s movement) was doing a joint thing with the ‘Nyabinghi house’. They took over the Heroes Circle in Kingston, a huge park, and every evening from 6 until 9 they had live music, That is where live dub poetry really took off: Oku Onuora, Michael ‘Mikey’ Smith and a number of other artists came and performed. After that they went into the Nyabinghi groundation and in the morning it was the meeting of the UNIA.

When Kiddus wanted to do some recordings, he went down by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Black Ark studio and did some. He and Scratch got on very well and stayed close for many years. He recorded quite a lot of stuff and somehow or another those tapes got mixed up or got lost, some works that he had done with Scratch from ’75 to ’76 period disappeared.

In 1976, Kiddus had been recruited to arrange interviews with a number of Jamaican key performers for Reggae Bloodlines, an early publication that helped introduce their music to the American mainstream.

'Reggae Bloodlines', published in 1977 and updated edition 1992


Reggae Bloodlines: In Search Of The Music And Culture Of JamaicaPaperback August 21, 1992 by Stephen Davis & Peter Simon: “updated with a new afterword, was the first book to tell the story of the music of the Jamaican people and their spiritual nationality, the Brotherhood of Rastafari. It includes interviews with reggae’s master musicians—Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Big Youth, Peter Tosh, Agustus Pablo, Max Romeo—and Prime Minister Michael Manley; reportage on Jamaican politics; and it sorties into the nation’s lush interior in search of the ganja fields of Kali Mountain and the legendary Maroon enclaves, still inhabited by the descendants of slave warriors. Reggae Bloodlines is not an encyclopedia of Jamaican style, nor a critical appraisal of its music—it is a definitive portrait of a struggling nation and its musical heritage at the crucial turning point of decolonization.

Packed with hundreds of astonishing photographs, Reggae Bloodlines captures the restless rhythm of reggae culture like no book before or since.In March 2013, Peter Simon revisited Reggae Bloodlines with a month-long exhibition inspired by the original book, that happened at Pulse 8 New Kingston, Jamaica”.
Later on, Kiddus became a prominent member of the peace movement to stop political violence.

“Security in the Streets” was one of the first of several songs recorded in appreciation of the Peace Treaty of 1978 between rival political gang-leaders Claudie Massop & Bucky Marshall.          
It was a historic moment in Jamaican history where these two brothers from opposite sides of the political divide had decided enough was enough with this foolishness of shooting and killing their people. The peace treaty came and it was such a wonderful feeling in Jamaica because it resonated with a harmonious vibration.

Kiddus launched his own ‘Shepherd’ label, re-recorded some music that had been lost, and released some single records as ‘Crying Wolf’, ‘Mr Too Fat’ and…  ‘Security in the Streets’...


Shepherd labels - Autographed Maxi Single "Security in the Streets/Too Fat"


‘Security in the Streets’ was recorded with Lee Scratch Perry to celebrate the truce in the political troubles in Kingston at that time.

Advertising for the Kiddus I disco 45, issued in Jamaican zine‘ Jah Uglyman’
N°1’,october 1978 (the album ‘Jah Power,Jah Glory’ has never been issued)  


Kiddus also played percussions backing Bob Marley & the Wailers at the ‘One Love Peace Concert’ held at Kingston’s national stadium, April 22nd 1978, as Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus performed just before Bob.

This concert remains famous forever for the strongest moments and images of the happening: Bob Marley holding the hands of the two political rivals Michael Manley (PNP) and Edward Seaga (JLP), during the song ‘Jammin’. It was a show of strength against the overpowering forces that brought out the worst of human nature and teared the country apart.

 Lee 'Scratch' Perry at Black Ark Studio, early 70s’   
One Love concert poster    

Unfortunately, the event did little to quell the political violence. Sadly, the peace did not last. The event's two organizers, Massop and Marshall were both killed within two years after this concert.

The following general election year in 1980 saw 889 reported murders in Jamaica. It has been a bitter fight, influenced by ideology that led people back into this ‘tribal political war’.
After 1978, Kiddus I became a legend through the most famous cult movie of Reggae: ‘Rockers’.

 © Blue Sun Film Co
  Photo: Courtesy of Blue Sun Film Co.   
 
Rockers is a 1978 Jamaican film by Theodoros Bafaloukos (died on September 10th, 2016, RIP).

Several popular Reggae artists and musicians star in the movie, including, amongst others: Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Jacob Miller, saxophonist Richard 'Dirty Harry' Hall, bass player Robbie Shakespeare and producer Lawrence 'Jack Ruby' Lindo.…

Rockers was originally intended to be a documentary but blossomed into a full-length feature showing the Reggae culture at its peak. With a budget of JA $500,000, the film was completed in two months.
Horsemouth and Dirty Harry met Bafaloukos while touring Germany in 1976 with Burning Spear.

Bafoloukos met them again when he visited Jamaica in 1977 to discuss his project. In early 1978, he returned in Jamaica. They hastily assembled a cast and commenced filming in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Kingston.

Kiddus got his role in the film after an on-spot 'audition' at Harry J recording studio in east Kingston where he was doing a Jack Ruby session. Ted wanted the scene for the movie.
It’s a scene you’ve probably watched a hundred times: Horsemouth, drummer, interrupts Jack Ruby’s recording session and is asked to leave. In the voicing booth is a light-complexioned Rastaman with a face of almost indecipherable calm: Kiddus I. Guitarist Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and bassist Robbie Shakespeare strike up the rhythm, and out of the man’s mouth comes a voice as cool as any jazz crooner’s.

The track, ‘Graduation in Zion’, is the one for which he is remembered and renowned worldwide, thanks to the movie. But Kiddus had a lack of compensation for Rockers in terms of economical financial. He wrote and produced his track and paid for his studio time, he also paid his musicians for working when they came and filmed that. He didn’t get any real royalties… but he finally “won much more than cash”.

Kiddus I & Jack Ruby - Photo: Courtesy of Blue Sun Film Co.
Kiddus I performing ‘Graduation In Zion’- Photo: Courtesy of Blue Sun Film Co.

In this film’, the culture, characters and mannerisms are authentic. The main rocker, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, for example, is shown living with his actual wife and kids and in his own home. The recording studios shown are the famous Harry J Studios where many roots reggae artists recorded during the 1970s, including Bob Marley. Kiddus also played his own role.

Kiddus I, Ras Michael & the Abyssinians - Photo: Courtesy of Blue Sun Film Co.
Original LP front sleeve / 2017 new edition on coloured vinyl  


While artists such as Burning Spear, Inner Circle or Gregory Isaacs could use the film as a springboard for an international career, you should not hear any Kiddus release for long time…

In the early 80s, he has had to stop his Shepherd label, mainly because of problems related to the distribution and therefore to the distributors. Only a handful of singles had been released then.

Before the 2000s, only one of his songs, ‘Love Child’, has been officially released, in 1998, by the Rhino Records label. It is part of a Christmas compilation by various artists: ‘Natty And Nice: A Reggae Christmas’ (Rhino Entertainement Company – Cd ref.  R2 75338)

Because so many tapes of his recordings got lost along the way, along the years, Kiddus adS GOOD  to called himself: “the most recorded but "never released artist”…GREAT NOTHING TO CHANGE IT WAS GOOD TO WRITE IT THIS WAY (:-) you are the best !!!

Aside his regular activity in Jamaica, as a farmer, Kiddus travelled many times abroad. He never stopped laying tracks either in JA, in the US or in the UK: he did recordings in London in 1988 with some members of Matumbi’s band. He did works in Los Angeles, at the Ground Control studios in Santa Monica. He also recorded with Haile Maskel (member of the Rastafarians’ band) in another studio. He came back in 1989 and went back to the US again. Then he was back again in Jamaica in January 1992. But he could feel that it was not the right time for his roots Reggae music to be released yet. In Jamaica, ‘digital’ recordings and ‘slackness’ ragga songs took over!

Somehow many results were lost or failed to see release: Kiddus did experienced several real misfortunes with his recordings, that is incredible!
Sadly, some of his 1988 work with members of Matumbi got mixed up.
About ten of his 2 inch 24 tracks tapes disappeared after he left them in a big studio in Malibu (LA, USA), what which would have been at least another LP was gone !

Another couple of tapes that had been recorded at Inner Circle’s Studio in Florida, got lost when they moved, while Kiddus was on his way back to Jamaica: the airport had his original track for the Rockers movie and a tape with about five tracks on it also went missing at the airport there in Kingston.

Finally, Kiddus might have about 6 LPs recordings or so that have been lost along the years!!!
On the more positive side, we are happy to know that Kiddus did his best, after many years, so as we all may now listen to many of his original songs, sometimes being re-found and re-issued or re-recorded… his compositions are available forever!

Among some events that marked his life, here are some to mention :

In August1983, he was one of the last people to see the equally under-recorded Jamaican dub poet Michael ‘Mikey’ Smith (RIP) alive. They were close friends for years. They spent a part of this evening (August 17,1983) together. Kiddus dropped him in Stony Hill, that night, then Mikey went by a political meeting, althought he was ‘stoned to death’. Kiddus called him back: “Hey, Mikey, I did poetry too”.Then he recited an original poem to Smith over the phone. A phoneline recording of this on that fateful day exists.

 ‘Mikey’ Smith     
Article in the NME - August 27, 1983  

In 1995 or 1996, Kiddus got a car accident. He was driving and felt asleep one morning, looking into the sun, while coming across the mountain. He crashed and got hurt on his neck. He never had on his seatbelt and his head went into the windscreen, so his neck is still compromised and he can’t turn it any further since then.

Music-wise… it is around 1996 that Kiddus really started to invest himself and his energies back into the music. He thought: “hey, time is going on me now” and he knew his first calling per se was music and he told himself: “hey, I’m going to put myself back into seriously fulfilling my purpose as a musician to express what I have to say”…
It took him some years to do it, because from then on, he had to get deeply involved so as to get as much as possible things, the way he wished to, to go through everything… until 2004.

His very first album, an acoustic one, had been recorded in Chinna’s yard, in August and in November 2004: “Kiddus I - Inna de Yard” came out on the Makasound Records label in 2005.
It was the 2nd one in this famous series of 10 albums. It includes a bonus DVD of a Kiddus’ interview at that time, and an extra 40 minutes “acoustic session inna de yard” video.
The release of this album and the collaboration with the French label is an opportunity for him to come to France several times from 2005 onwards.

For more information see ‘Inna de Yard Profile & Discography page’:    
https://reggaediscography.blogspot.fr/2017/10/inna-de-yard-profile-discography.html

 French Festival flyer 2005
Kiddus I - 2005,05,05 - Magny Les Hameaux


In the French documentary “Natural Mystic Reggae” (Dvd: 2006), Chinna & Kiddus took us for a tour in Downtown Kingston. They went to some places that were famous in the 60’s/70’s, but that are nowadays abandoned: theaters (Majestic, Ambassador…), recording studios (Treasure Isle, Channel 1…). They also tell us their memories about those places.
In 2006, Kiddus also recorded the song ‘Vive La France’ and its dub version ‘Vive La Transe’ for the ‘Crossfire’ compilation album by various artists..

In 2007, Kiddus had got a deal with the Japanese company Dub Store Records. His second  album ‘Rockers - Graduation In Zion 1978 – 1980’ is released. Reissues of some of his early songs on singles and Eps will follow (some of them using the same labels design as his original Shepherd labels). A ‘riddim’ album compilation by various artists also came out in 2007, called “Graduation In Zion Riddim", produced by Roberto Sanchez & Nano Bravo.

In 2008 Kiddus sang on ‘One Love’ cover song by Seyni & Yeliba (Guinean Reggae band based in France).

2009 was a prolific year for Kiddus, here are some events and productions that came out:

➔The first ‘Inna de Yard’ French tour has been set in late April. A live recording of the show performed in Bourges was released, called “Inna de Yard - Live In France” (Cd + Dvd: 2010), including 2 songs by Kiddus (‘Graduation in Zion’ and ‘Salvation’).

2009 French tour poster 
   Kiddus I © Makasound promo postcard    

➔ More material recorded between August 2006 & August 2008 at Earl "Chinna" Smith’s home has been released on the album “Kiddus I – Green For Life” (Makasound/Maka fresh label & Naya Records & Grass Yard Production label) that came out in late August. This is Kiddus’ third album. Musicians are: Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, Robbie Lyn, Stone Strickland, Nathan Sabanayagam and others. It features thirteen new tracks. Some of the track highlights include the title track “Green Fa Life” and the politically fueled “War.”

➔ Kiddus recorded the song ‘Merry Chase’ for the compilation album "Grass Yard Productions, Vol. 1" by various artists (Naya Records label).

➔ Makasound organized a promotional French tour in November, along with Omar Perry, who promoted his new album ‘Can’t Stop Us'. Both artists were backed up by the French Homegrown Band.

 2009 French tour flyer  -  Kiddus I, Omar Perry & ‘Stepper’ 2009.11.13 Massy  


➔ In early December, the recordings from a recovered cassette tape has been released on the album “Rocking Rebel Volumes 1 & 2” (on the MVD Audio label). Kiddus thought these recordings were lost for the last 3 decades. They somehow resurface, thanks to a back up tape that a close friend (Michael Santoro) made back in 1981. In December 2007, Santoro sat down with Kiddus and listened to the "Lost Tape" which resulted in the realization that these recordings were extremely significant and should be released. The ten singles that make up Rocking Rebel were recorded at Tuff Gong, Harry J's, Aquarius, and Sound Dragon in N.Y.C. Players include Robbie Shakespeare, Earl "Chinna" Smith, Tyrone Downie, Earl "Wire" Lindo, and other session heavies, but the scant liner notes don't tell us who played on what track, unfortunately.

➔ In December 2009, the Grass Yard Productions team (Naya Records label) released an album by the Italian singer Sabrina Pallini, produced by Earl "Chinna" Smith, called ‘Holy Salad’. Kiddus is credited for hand drums. It was recorded between December 2005 and November 2006.

‘Graduation in Zion Riddm’ album (2007)  -  Sabrina Pallini ‘Holy Salad’ album (2009)


In 2010, Kiddus toured again in Europe during Summer with Inna de Yard and sometimes with Earl Chinna along with a few friend. He also did some more recordings in France: as a guest with Abdou Day, Lek Sen, Alam. Later on in 2011, he did some more guset appearance with Omar Perry and Sebastien Sturm.
New Kiddus’ singles were released on the Dub Store Japanese label in 2011/2012.

Another Inna de Yard French tour was set again in May/June 2012
For more information see ‘Earl Chinna Smith Profile page’:    
https://reggaediscography.blogspot.fr/2017/04/earl-chinna-smith-profile.html

Kiddus I, 2012.05.13 Vauréal, France  © Henri Séguin


In February 2013, a new album came out, called ‘Topsy Turvy World’, Kiddus’ 5th album. Recorded in Germany, this album was produced by the German label Rubin Rockers. It was the result of two years of studio work, under the leadership of Martin Pauen (who plays the drums). This a must have. The musicians are among the best. Starting with Aston "Family Man" Barrett, but also Earl "Chinna" Smith, Uziah "Sticky" Thompson, Tyrone Downie, Dalton Brownie, and others, joined by the Jin-Jin Band musicians (Sebastian Sturm’s German backing band).

Kiddus recorded again in 2013 and 2014, as a guest on one song with Scratchylus ‘Reset The Mindset’, two more songs and a dub version for the Ricky Chaplin’s album ‘Chap Dem Chaplin’. He also recorded a tune for the ‘Naya Sound System’ compilation album and another one for the EP "Full Respect" by various artists.

Kiddus I & The Homegrown Band 'Take a Trip' album came out in 2015. The genesis of this album dated from 2005, when the French Paris-based band (including Guillaume "Stepper" Briard, saxophonist player in ‘Taxi Gang’, the group that accompanies Sly & Robbie) backed Kiddus I on tour dates in France. The major tunes on this album are: ‘If You Love Me’ (cover song of Edith Piaf’s ‘L’Hymne à l’Amour’) and ‘As Time Goes By’ (‘Casablanca’ film theme), both delivered in a Roots Reggae fashion style.

In 2015 and 2016, Kiddus participated in various musical projects including Brain Damage ‘Walk the Walk’ and ‘Talk the Talk’ albums (two songs and their dub versions). He did the song ‘Blessings Of The World’ for the ’Liberty Hall Riddim’ album.
In Spring 2016, Kiddus performed live in southern France again, during the ‘‘Graduation In Zion tour 2016’, along with Vivaldo Brown, Sabrina Pallini & the Positiv'Mouvement. Some clips and videos have been recorded (Kiddus I,Vivaldo Brown & the Kamélia backing band (riddim makers).

Dub Store records released a new called ‘Kiddus I Meets Reggaelation Independance’ that had been recorded with Japanese musicians in Tokyo in 2014.

Graduation in Zion tour 2016 poster  

Back in Jamaica, Kiddus joined to a new project that just started: the ‘Inna de Yard reunion’.
Most of the musicians who played in the first Inna de Yard band agreed to re-unite and to play together again: Kiddus I, Cedric Myton, Kush McAnuff, Derajah, the Viceroys, Eric ‘Bongo Joe’ McDonald and Alphonso Craig... Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith did not want to take part.

Many other elder or younger talented artists were therefore approached: Winston McAnuff, Ken Boothe, Lloyd Parks, Robbie Lyn, Steve Newlands (from Roots Underground), Winston “Bo-Pee” Bowen’s,Var (from the Pentateuch Movement), Ruel ‘Pot A Rice’ Ashburn, Ronald 'Nambo' Robinson (RIP)… more singers & musicians were enthusiastic and adhered to the project likeFixi (French accordion player). So they became members of Inna de Yard’s ‘Chapter Two’ story.

The recordings sessions started in June 2016 in the Kingston’s hills, then again in January 2017.The project includes the release of a new album called ‘The Soul Of Jamaica’ (that came out in March 2017), and a French tour, in April and in October. This has been a successful project: the Inna de Yard album has been choosen amongst more than 12000 votes as the ‘Roots album of the year’ on Reggae.fr. The concerts in prestigious halls in Paris were sold out before the event.

For more information see ‘Inna de Yard Profile & Discography page’:    
https://reggaediscography.blogspot.fr/2017/10/inna-de-yard-profile-discography.html


‘The Soul of Jamaica’ album (2017)  - French Fall 2017 tour poster
‘The Soul of Jamaica’ album (gatefold) inner sleeve
 Kiddus I  © Bernard Benant
Inna de Yard  © Bernard Benant
Inna de Yard - 2017.04.22 (in Charenton, before the show at the Philharmonie de Paris)
 © JYM ‘Livingdrum’


One Love by
JYM "Living drum"

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In this Page...

Kiddus I - PROFILE

See also ...

Kiddus I - DISCOGRAPHY

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Page written by....

JYM 'Living Drum'

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Kiddus I Inna de Yard 2017.04.22 - Philharmonie de Paris


1 comment:

  1. great covering story of this very special "farmer". love his work/ from what i could hear and attend lately also Inna de Yard of the Milky Way- Amsterdam. Greetings, thanks and praises...

    ReplyDelete