BEENIE MAN was last night named winner of this year's reggae Grammy award at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.
The DJ was awarded the coveted golden gramophone presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) for Best Reggae Album for his Virgin Records debut 'Art And Life'.
It was Beenie Man's third consecutive nomination, having been nominated previously for Many Moods Of Moses and The Doctor.
Beenie Man, who is managed by local company Shocking Vibes Records, has been an entertainer since age seven and has enjoyed the spotlight since 1992. He has been named DJ Of The Year locally six times since then. The DJ has won numerous awards locally and internationally, including two MOBO awards (Music Of Black Origin) in England, but the Grammy Awards is seen as the highest musical honour in this hemisphere.
Beenie Man achieved international attention in 1998 when the single Who Am I performed creditably in the United States and the United Kingdom. Last year he was snatched by major record label Virgin Records who signed him to a five-album deal. 'Art And Life' is the first album under that arrangement.
The album has so far sold close to 500,000 copies in the United States with additional sales in Europe and other parts of the world. 'Art And Life' stayed at the top of the Billboard reggae chart for 29 weeks.
Each year, a Grammy award is presented to a reggae artiste for Best Album. The first reggae Grammy was won in 1984 by Black Uhuru.
Last year's winner was Burning Spear for the album Rastafari Calling. Other winners over the years have included Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Bunny Wailer, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy and Sly and Robbie. Beenie Man beat a field this year which included Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Wailing Souls and Pato Banton.
Beenie Man was in Los Angeles to accept his award. The Gleaner spoke with his manager, Patrick Roberts, who headed the Shocking Vibes entourage which left Jamaica for the event in Los Angeles.
"It's hard to translate into words how we feel now. We had always said that just being nominated was a signal achievement. We give God thanks that we were able to pull this off. It means a lot to us," Mr. Roberts said.
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They make the world so hard
JAMAICA'S MUSIC hero Robert Nesta Marley Tuesday night won yet another international honour when the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) in America gave him a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
NARAS is the presenter of the annual Grammy Awards.
The ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Science Centre. The award was collected by Marley's widow Rita, son Ziggy and daughter Stephanie.
Also receiving Lifetime Achievement awards were Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and the group The Who.
Sources in Los Angeles told The Gleaner that a number of Jamaican music industry personnel including Marley's artistic director and former head of the Bob Marley Foundation, Neville Garrick, were present.
The source further said that the atmosphere in Los Angeles was electric, in anticipation of last night's Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre. Bob Marley was up for another award, in a special category for collaborations between living and dead artistes.
The single 'Turn Your Lights Down Low', featuring Marley's daughter-in-law Lauryn Hill and produced by son Stephen, has been nominated. The song appears on the 'Chant Down Babylon' album.
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They make the world so hard
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