easy.b

- -

NAME: MARLON SEMALISON BRATHWAITESTAGE NAME: EASY B / E.Z.BD.O.B: 02ND OCTOBER 1976ADDRESS: 121 PEARL VIEW KINGSLAND TERRACE CHRIST CHURCH BARBADOSOCCUPATION: ENTERTAINER /CHANTER /SINGERGENRE: REGGAE, RAGGASOCA, REGGAE-HIP-HOP CROSSOVERSFIRST PERFORMANCE: EVERTON BLENDERS CONCERT@ THE PEPPERPOTFIRST RECORDING: HAND ME DE SICKLEPAST ACHIEVEMENTS: APPEARED IN BELGIUM FOR THE 24TH ANNUAL “REGGAE GEEL” FESTIVAL ON THE 2ND, 3RD AUGUST 2002RECENT ACHIEVEMENT: WINNER IN THE CHANTING CATEGORY OF THE 2004 REVODUBBALUTION REGGAE DUB COMPETITIONPAST HITS REGGAE: GOD OF MOSES, GOING DOWN, GRAVEYARD DIGGER, AVALANCHE, DESOLATION, IT’S NOT EASY, REDDCALYPSO: MEAN, FREEDOM CHANT, REAL MAN, FREEDOM, (RECENT RECORDING) I LOVE BAJAN GIRLSGOAL: TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL REGGAE / RAGGA SOCA ARTIST AND TOUR THE WORLDOTHER WORKS: RECORDED FOR *SOUND SYSTEMS SUCH AS MASSIVE B., KILAMANJARO, RAGGANOYA, WINNIE MAN, BLACK HARMONY, CHIHUAHUA BUSINESS, BARD INTERNATIONAL *DUBPLATES*HAS TRAVELLED TO: BELGIUM, HOLLAND, ENGLAND, JAMAICAI first started singing at the age of 10, in the Christ Church Boys Primary School in the school choir, did two graduation ceremonies Class of 1988 and 1989 to the Combermere Secondary School where my love for music, especially reggae got stronger. I was always influenced by the other types of music as a child, my grandmother being a devout Christian. I grew up listening to Gospel, Jazz, Blues, Pop, just about any music that came out of the Reddifusion Box the popular radio station at that time. My songwriting abilities came from the fact that I was always a good composition (essay) writer from primary school and I first started writing love songs. I entered the Richard Stoute Teen Talent contest at age 16, with two songs “Moving Unto Zion” and “You Shouldn’t Go Away”. I didn’t qualify but it paved the way for me becoming a singer, performer and songwriter. I entered my first reggae contest in the “Frontline” a dub at the Cavan’s lane in the city at the age of 13,though I did I never got pass the prelim’s I found that reggae was most appealing to me. I was known at Combermere School as the boy who knew every recent dub songs and could sing them word for word, I also took my talent to my peers and teachers, when I performed at a talent contest at school. After leaving secondary school I entered some more reggae competitions, though I did not immediately become a favorite of the fans. It was my conversion to the Rastafarian faith that change my music. My inner spirituality and allegiance to “JAH” and my constant praise to him through songwriting and singing as well as commentary of events in society and the world change for me forever. In 1997 while performing at a block party on Boxing Day in Kendall Hill, I was recognized by fellow artist and Disc Jockey at that time, Shakey Ranks, I was given the opportunity to perform at my first concert (Everton Blender). I did my first performance with the reggae band “Black Amali”. People who had just know me as Marlon were amazed to see I had transformed to a Rasta, Reggae artist with my new self- given name Easy – B.From there I performed across the Barbados, at the National Stadium to the Queen’s Park, Sugar Hill, Clapham, Hero’s Square, just about anywhere that the bajan people wanted to hear us. I recorded my first song with Lil’ Rick (Chihuahua Business Man) after hearing his request for new artist record and have they music played on the ‘Guinness Rush Hour’ which he presides over as the D.J on Saturdays from 12 p.m until 3p.m.”Hand Me De Sickle” was made my signature song and bajans referred to me the “Bajan Capleton” since my style and vocal ability mirrored that of the Jamaican reggae star. My first collaboration with a Jamaican artist came in the form of a dub-plate with Jamaican singer “Yami Bolo” for Lil’ Rick (Chihuahua Business Man). This took me to a higher level, with a string of recordings since. I began to perform at reggae shows here which featured some of Jamaica’s most prominent reggae artist, like Capleton, Anthony B, Norris Man, Glen Washington, Lexus, Baby Cham, Elephant Man, Half Pint, Courtney Melody, Admiral Tibbet, Culture, Luciano just to name a few. By now reggae music was fully in my veins, I continue to record but it did not stop there. I also tried my hand at our National music Calypso and enter a Calypso tent called the “Lions Den” where I sang originally penned renditions “Freedom and Haile Selassie”. I was beginning to cross over into new art forms of music. My greatest achievement came when I was invited to appear at the 24th Annual Reggae Geel Festival in Belgium. This being my first European tour and my first collaboration with a Dutch Rastafarian reggae band “Rebel Souls”, I conquered all performing to thousands of Belgium, French, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Swedish, African, Indian, Asian and Caribbean fans for the first time and was well received. Journalist Antoine Legat of “De Morgen” a flemish quality newspaper with thousands of readers across Belgium had many goods things to say to the bajan reggae artist and translated his report on my performance at the “ Reggae Geel “ in which he was quoted as saying “On Friday the 2nd of 2002 there was one act to admire then. Easy B doesn’t come from Jamaica but Barbados. You would never notice because what he does can be considered as being 100% pure reggae. Easy B keeps in the middle of being a singer and an entertainer. He fires people up with his jivetalkin’, the lingo that contains all the clichés (mainstays) of the style: It was the very first very first Belgian (European) concert of Easy B and his first cooperation with the solid Dutch rasta rockers of Rebel Souls, but that was not to be seen either they played as if they had been together for years. We noted a magnificent version of Graveyard Digger. More fire was not needed with this excellent opening move”. “Reggae Geel “also featured artist such as Anthony B, Bushman, Admiral Bailey and English reggae group Ras Ites.