The story of calabash began in the early nineties when drummer Mr. Radics and bass player Ricky teamed up to form their own reggae group. The same period marks the beginning of a long search for skilled and dedicated reggae musicians to join them in their search for the ultimate riddims and the perfect rootsy sound. Some ten years on, thousands of captive listeners bear witness to the fruit of that search and the concretisation of a dream in sound.
In 1995 the group backed singer, King Flashman at the Hove Live festival and opened for the legendary Skatalites in Brussels. No more than a year later however, the band ran out of energy and decided to quit. But, when Radics and Ricky met guitar player Pawel, his vibes and enthusiasm caught on and convinced the original rhythm section to give it another shot. The rebirth of the band was complete with the addition of keyboard player, Oli and singer, Erick Judah - both pioneers of the Antwerp reggae scene.
With additional keyboard player, Nordine, it was this group of musicians that became the original calabash band. With this line-up, they soon succeeded in creating their own style and unique sound. In 2002, concerts at various summer festivals brought them rave reviews and won them a warm place in the hearts of reggae-minded Belgians.
With the multitalented Peter, replacing Nordine on the keyboards in 2002, calabash earned themselves a faithful following and an impeccable reputation as a backing band for singers like Rojah Lao and DJ Raggamuffin' Whiteman.
From the end of 2003 until the summer of 2006, picking guitar player Rico joined Calabash. His rich musical experience added to the solid sound and good reputation of Calabash as a backing band.
With a talented horns section on top of that, Calabash is ready to take their music to the next level. Pure wickedness!
The last few years, Calabash successfully played on several Belgian reggae events. A few times they opened for international acts such as Linton Kwesi Johnson, Cecile, Max Romeo, Ethiopians & Eek-a-mouse.
Whether working with the many Belgian & Jamaican vocalists such as Carlton Livingston, Lion I, Omar Perry , Erick Judah, Jagan, Onesty, ROC, Rojah Lao, Raggamuffin Whiteman, Ragga Yves, Irieginal Abraham, etc., or playing solo, churning out those brilliant cover versions of familiar Jamaican classics, those instantly catchy riddims and even a few Calabash originals, fans and reggae aficionado’s alike trust Calabash to keep the vibes flowing!... THINGS FROM THE PAST
