Morgan Heritage gets first ever Grammy Nomination
Published:Monday | December 7, 2015 | 12:00 AMCurtis Campbell
Reggae acts Jah Cure and Morgan Heritage are among five nominees announced for the 2016 Grammy Awards yesterday.
The Cure is up for the award, along with Morgan Heritage's Strickly Roots, Luciano's Zion Awake, Barrington Levy's Acousticalevy, and Rocky Dawuni's Branches of the Same Tree.
Jah Cure, who produced The Cure under his own label, recently told the media that he expected a Grammy nomination. He also encouraged other reggae artistes to make music that is marketable to a wider audience.
"When I look at the body of the work and the time I spend, I deliberately tell myself that I have to make a step to the next level, and if I don't achieve that in this album, it means I'm going backwards. We are holding strong on the charts. Local artistes are not staying on the charts for more than three weeks, and I looked into it and say, 'I'm gonna make a mixture of fusion music so that people across the world can relate'.
"I am looking forward to the Grammys this year, whether I am nominated or get it, but this album is doing well," Jah Cure said.
The members of the Morgan Heritage reggae band had signalled that they were going to pursue solo careers back in 2008. However, having worked out their differences, the family band decided to team up once again, and that decision has paid off as they are now celebrating their first Grammy nomination after over a decade of releasing hit records. With tears aplenty, Gramps Morgan told The Gleaner that the band was in celebration mode.
"I have been in tears all morning. We have been celebrating because it's our first nomination, and being in Jamaica while we got this news means so much more because we could have been anywhere in the world.
"As a Jamaican reggae band, our father was in the music business and never got nominated, but he dedicated his whole life to ensuring that we had the attributes to be the best musicians, songwriters, and producers that we possibly could be. To win with our own label, CTBC Music Group, would just be overwhelming.
"There are so many emotions, and I cannot stop crying. I am so happy for the other nominees that are Jamaican - Luciano, Jah Cure, and Barrington Levy as a legend of the music ... . It's overwhelming, and we will not stop. This is encouraging for us to continue on our work through music," Gramps told The Gleaner.
Luciano and Barrington Levy have been relatively quiet on the local scene and did not have as much success on the Reggae Billboard charts as Morgan Heritage and Jah Cure; however, their strong presence on charts in Europe and the United States ensured their place on this year's nomination list.
The final person on the reggae nomination list, Rocky Dawuni, is seldom played in Jamaica. The artiste, who hails from Ghana, currently resides in the US and released his Grammy-nominated debut effort in March or this year.
Rocky Dawuni is known for the single African Reggae Fever, and is quite popular in Africa and Europe.
Noticeably missing from the nomination list is Jamaican artiste OMI despite selling platinum with his hit record Cheerleader and climbing to the top of the Billboard charts. Strangely enough, no Marley made it on to the nomination list this year either.