THIS DAY IN REGGAE - AUGUST 19

THIS DAY, AUGUST 19, MARKS THE EIGHT YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSING OF JOSEPH HILL FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE ROOTS HARMONY GROUP CULTURE. BORN IN 1949, JOSEPH HILL LIKE MANY JAMAICAN ARTISTS BEGAN TO SING IN CHURCH AT AN EARLY AGE. IN TIME JOSEPH HILL CAME TO EMBRACE THE TEACHINGS OF RASTAFARI, WHICH BECAME THE INSPIRATION OF MUCH OF THE MUSIC RECORDED BY CULTURE OVER THE YEARS. DEVOTED TO HIS MUSICAL MISSION, JOSEPH HILL CONTINUED TO SPREAD HIS MESSAGE OF RASTAFARI LIVITY UNTIL THE VERY END. TWO DAYS BEFORE HIS PASSING, HE COLLAPSED ON STAGE WHILE PERFORMING  WITH CULTURE AT A SHOW IN BERLIN.

JOSEPH HILL WITH CULTURE HAD MANY HIT SONGS, MOST NOTABLE BEING 'TWO SEVENS CLASH'. THE APOCALYPTIC SONG WARNED OF TRIBULATION ON THE DAY OF JULY 7,1977. THE SONG HAD SUCH A IMPACT ON THE JAMAICAN PSYCHE THAT MANY JAMAICANS DECIDED TO STAY HOME FROM WORK THAT DAY TO AVOID WHATEVER DISASTER HAD BEEN PREDICTED IN THE SONG'S LYRICS.

JOSEPH HILL'S LEGACY WILL LIVE ON THROUGH HIS BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL MUSIC. HIS SON KENYATTA HILL HAS TAKEN HIS FATHER'S PLACE WITH THE GROUP CULTURE. A GREAT WAY TO INSURE ANOTHER GENERATION WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO HEAR THE POSITIVE VIBRATIONS OF HIS FATHER'S MUSICAL MESSAGE.

BALANCE,

JAHZILLA