Hailing from the Isle of Wight on England's sunny south coast, The Ohmz was formed in early 2010 by a group of friends. Taking their cues from the likes of Toots & The Maytals, Groundation and Frank Zappa, the band are known for their energetic live performances.
Junior Murvin (born Murvin Smith Jr. in Port Antonio, circa 1949) is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is best known for the classic single "Police and Thieves", produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1976. Murvin's soaring voice and the infectious rhythm made "Police and Thieves" into an international hit during the summer of 1976. The song was so influential that it was recorded by the punk rock pioneers The Clash on their debut album the following year.
Juzzie Started playing the harmonica at 13. By 23 he had won the coveted Golden Harmonica at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and the Byron Bay Blues Blowout twice. He has in the course of his musical journey embraced and mastered a range of instruments, and absorbed influence from some diverse musical styles. Juzzie has played in a lot of bands, some fantastic and some forgettable, and performed with some of Australia's best musicians, including John Butler, Damon Davies, Jodi Martin and Jeff Lang.
Daley grew up in Waltham Park Road, Kingston, and, influenced by American soul and Jamaican artists such as Dennis Brown, began his singing career by entering local talent shows. He became the lead vocalist for the group The Flaming Phonics, playing live around Jamaica. Daley decided to drop out of school to pursue his music career, which prompted his mother to throw him out of the family home. Needing to make some money, the group tried out for producer Duke Reid, but left before finishing their recording for him due to his habit of firing live gunshots in the studio.
There is more than one band with the name The Beatroots:
1) The Beatroots play roots rock reggae and hail from Southend-on-Sea, Essex. They have released one album, 'White Elephant', and have a large live following. 2) In the late 70’s Flashback began life, in Cardiff, as a Reggae/Funk outfit. With the early success of UB40 and the rise of Two-Tone, the decision was made to concentrate on Reggae, and the band's name was changed to The Beatroots to better reflect the new direction.
Groundation is a Fusion-Reggae band based in Sonoma County, California. It was established in 1998 by Harrison Stafford, Ryan Newman and Marcus Urani upon their meeting at the Jazz program at Sonoma State University. Groundation's music incorporates the lyrical struggle of Roots Reggae, the progressive musicianship of Funk/Jazz fusion, and other-worldly transcendental Dub. The 9-piece band creates an altogether new Reggae sound, featuring swirling horns, stout poly-rhythmics, and soulful harmony vocals.
Ruby and the Vines, fronted by vocalist/bassist Binisa Bonner, fuse influences as diverse as Congolese roots music, jazz, afro-beat and reggae. The line-up is completed by guitarist Greg Sanders and drummer Ben Assiter, who complement Binisa's soulful, frank vocal delivery and deftly melodic bass lines with a meticulous groove. Hotly tipped by Max Reinhardt (The Shrine, BBC Late Junction) as a ''wild, hot and about to happen new trio", Ruby and the Vines debuted their unique brand of afro-rock in June 2010 to great acclaim at the Celebrating Sanctuary festival, hosted by BBC London.
Ken Boothe's (born 1948 in Kingston, Jamaica) is known as "Mr Rocksteady" for his prominence during the musical period 1966-1974 and was a major idol for the to-be members of UB40. Boothe started by recording a version of Sandie Shaw's "Puppet on a String" in 1967. Later the same year, Boothe and Alton Ellis had a successful U.K. tour with the group The Soul Vendors. Under new direction from record producer Lloyd Chalmers, the song "Everything I Own" surprisingly was Number One in the UK in 1974.