Jimmy Cliff in concert.

I've heard the question asked many times, "Are there any good reggae shows coming to town?" This is a prevailing query no matter what city one may be traveling. Up until the mid 90s traveling tours such as "Sunsplash" and others were highly anticipated events across America. Since then large outdoor reggae fests have slowed considerably. What happened?

As an artist I have toured many times and fully understand the business side of things. With that said, if live reggae is going…

(L-R) Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Burning Spear.

Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer and the rural poor. Lyrical themes include spirituality and religion, poverty, cultural pride, social issues, resistance to government and racial oppression as well as repatriation…