Am 29. September 2012 erscheint die 3. Ausgabe von get happy!?, einem neuen Magazin für Musik und Popkulturelles. get happy!? #3 enthält neben vielen anderen Themen ein 12seitiges Special über jamaikanische Musik vor, während und nach Bob Marley, das unter tatkräftiger und sachkundiger Mitwirkung der Big Shot Redaktion entstanden ist. Im Rahmen dieser Kollaboration, die redaktionsintern den Operationsnamen “Mini-Big Shot in Farbe” trug, haben wir nicht nur Skinhead-Reggae erklärt, sondern auch unser erstes Interview gegeben. Zu lesen exklusiv in get happy!? #3, erhältlich bei ausgesuchten Plattendealern oder per online-Order.

As the Jamaica Observer reports, there is a documentary about Joe “Drummie” Isaacs and Studio 1 Rock Steady in the making. Not bad, eh?

In it, Isaacs, who played on many classic songs at Studio One during the 1960s, speaks of his days working with legendary musicians including Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, Jackie Mittoo, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Toots and the Maytals, the Heptones, Marcia Griffiths [and] Burning Spear.

Review of the highly rated new Bob Marley portrait in the Guardian.

Macdonald, however, is clearly concerned to offer more than a straight music biog; he grapples at length with Marley’s philosophical and religious convictions, as well as his precarious place above the fray of Jamaica’s post-colonial political antagonism.

Nice article in today’s Observer about how the album “Catch a fire” changed reggae music.

[P]rofessor [Alleyne], who holds a master’s degree in English from the University of the West Indies, sought to explain that although Catch A Fire marks a defining moment in the internationalisation of reggae [...], the militancy and urgency of Catch A Fire were the yardsticks against which other albums such as Kaya, Exodus, Rastaman Vibration, Natty Dread and Burnin were often measured.

As the Jamaica Observer reports, Chris Blackwell’s recording deal with Bob Marley that made Bob the king of Reggae was offered to Bob Andy first.

VETERAN singer/songwriter Bob Andy, revealed he was offered a recording deal by music mogul Chris Blackwell, which he did not take up. A similar deal was instead taken by Bob Marley, who later became the king of reggae.

The Jamaica Observer reports about The Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires opening the celebrations and their being honoured by the likes of Marcia Griffiths and Derrick Morgan. Meanwhile, a Bob Marley documentary has premiered at Berlin film festival. Read on!

Wunderhübsch aufgemachte Top 100 von Marley Tunes mit Soundfiles. Leider die falschen Tunes in der falschen Reihenfolge.

The Jamaica Observer reports about sons of Reggae – with famous fathers like Stranger Cole, Bob Marley or Freddie McGregor. Obviously, the author missed a lot of great sons (Christopher Ellis, e.g.) of great dads, but still a nice article.

Das Forbes Magazine macht sich Sorgen um Bobs Erbe.

Sadly, events surrounding his estate have been anything but consistent with his musical legacy. 2011 marked the 30-year anniversary of the day Marley died of cancer, at the age of 36, on May 11, 1981. In those 30 years, his estate has seen far too many court fights, lawsuits and money-grabs to count. And that legacy of fighting over money doesn’t seem likely to end any time soon.

Interesting article in yesterday’s Montreal Gazette:

Bunny Wailer may be the last living “Wailer” – Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 and Peter Tosh was murdered in 1987 – but no one has done more musically to keep the spirit of Bob Marley alive than The Wailers’ original bassist and bandleader, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who continues to tour the world with new incarnations of The Wailers, featuring young musicians paired with off-and-on past members from the 1970s.