JOE HIGGS MUSIC AWARDS

Music:

Member Since: 5/8/2007
Band Website: JoeHiggsMusicAwards.Com
Band Members:

JOE HIGGS
"FATHER OF REGGAE":
Singing "THERE'S A REWARD":

If it weren't for Joe Higgs, the history of Reggae might be considerably different. Although Higgs, known as the "Godfather of Reggae", is not a common name to many Reggae fans, his influence has shaped the course of the music for almost 20 years, directly touching the music of the genre's most significant and successful performers.

Higgs, who had pop hits in Jamaica in the late 1950s, used his home in the Trenchtown ghetto of Kingston as a sort of Reggae Training Academy in the 1960s. Higgs held regular Jam Sessions in his back yard to teach younger musicians the lessons he had learned.

The best and brightest of the future's Reggae Giants were among his most receptive students. Such legendary figures as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer were prominent in these backyard jams, and their later work displayed strong evidence of the lessons they learned from Higgs.

Higgs said these sessions were nothing special, although music history strongly suggests otherwise. "I've always enjoyed sharing my music with other people," he said recently. "That is what music is for, to share with all the people, not to keep for just yourself."

Higgs' well-seasoned voice carries echoes of vintage American soul music within it's Reggae format. His music, almost devoid of the contemporary emphasis on electronics, is roots-simple. It's an intensely personal sound that can be raw and ragged one moment and sweetly sincere the next.

Higgs believes that basic human emotions are the most important element of all music. "The music should be able to stand on it's own without any artificial props," Higgs explained. "The most important thing is the feeling, not the sound. The message can only be communicated by humans. Anything you use is just an instrument, whether it's an acoustic guitar or an electronic synthesizer. It is the Human Element that counts most."

- By Michael Point
Special to the American-Statesman (1986)
Austin, Texas

Joe & Marcia Together:
"ROOTS COMBINATION"

Q: "Marcia, your father was a Great Monument in the Reggae Music Industry, and now that he is no longer here with us, I must ask, have you yet decided how you would like to carry on his legacy?"

A: "I've never thought of this so in depth before, but because my father was said to be a teacher of legends, and in his own right, a legend himself, I would love to establish the JOE HIGGS MUSIC AWARDS in his honor and memory.
MY VISION is to see my father's name live on, in such a way,
that I'm sure would make him proud."

Joe Higgs' Great-Granddaughter
Princess Jah'Nyah Menen Spencer
Entertains As The Legacy Continues!!!

Influences:

Joe Higgs' album "LIFE OF CONTRADICTION" is, without doubt, one of the most seminal reggae records of all time. This album is a true classic and has been a huge influence on everybody at Pressure Sounds. This Joe Higgs classic is now available at
PRESSURE SOUNDS RECORDS:
www.pressure.co.uk/item/PSCD58

HOT MySpace Layouts by Mr. Doe!
Sounds Like:
Enjoy this Scenic Adventure, a "Tranquil Masterpiece" to the Sound of Joe Higgs' "VINEYARD"

Record Label: PRESSURE SOUNDS RECORDS, UK
Type of Label: Indie