Bob Marley Birthday Tribute

Jay Douglas first appeared on stage in Montego Bay, Jamaica, when he was a youth. In over 45 years of entertainment, he has developed a wide-ranging repertoire of American blues, West Indian rhythms and jazz standards combined with fancy footwork and incredible on-stage charisma. In the early ’60s, Douglas fronted the R&B group The Cougars, who, with their skill and stamina, lit up the city of Montreal and Toronto’s Yonge Street nightclubs in the late ’70s with soul-funk and reggae. Over the past ten years, he has performed worldwide and at annual Toronto events such as the Beaches Jazz Festival, Jerk Fest, Canadian National Exhibition, Yonge and Dundas Square and a Taste of Lawrence. Douglas was proclaimed winner of NOW Magazine’s Toronto’s Best R&B Act in 2006, and Male Reggae Vocalist of the Year at the Annual Toronto Reggae Awards in 2007. During this time, the promotions company, Light in the Attic, made Douglas their band leader for the From Jamaica to Toronto concert launch at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto in July 2006. This show was successfully led by Douglas in both Vancouver and Montreal. He was nominated for Reggae Recording of the Year at the 2012 JUNO Awards and was the recipient of the G98.7 FM Entertainment Award at the Harry Jarome awards that same year.

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Liberty Silver is a Canadian singer based in Toronto, Ontario. Her music draws inspiration from diverse genres, including R&B, jazz, pop, gospel, reggae and rock.

At 12 years old, Silver performed with a Toronto reggae band, The Wild Bunch, as an opening act for Bob Marley’s show at the Madison Square Garden in New York. As the first Black woman to receive a JUNO Award, Silver is widely known for paving the way for future generations of Black female artists in the Canadian music industry. She was nominated for a JUNO Award five times, from 1985 to 1989.

Silver also hosted a TV series called Centre Stage Chronicles, directed by Sylvia Sweeney and Aeyliya Husain. The series featured guests ranging from Martha Chaves to Carol Welsman.

As a member of a supergroup called Northern Lights, she appeared on the platinum-selling 1985 African charity ensemble single “Tears Are Not Enough,” singing a duet with Mike Reno of Loverboy. Other artists on the track include Bryan Adams, Anne Murray and Joni Mitchell.

Silver has appeared in a wide range of distinguished music festivals throughout her career, from Niagara Jazz Festival, The Beaches International Jazz Festival, Antigua Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Jamaican Air Canada Jazz Festival, Barbados Jazz Festival, Toronto Funk + Soul Festival and TRIUS Jazz Festival, to name a few.

Eddie Bullen is a standout amongst his generation of multi-talented artists. His lengthy career has yielded an abundance of awards and recognition for his outstanding talents. From his first album, Nocturnal Affair to his most recent, Spice Island, Bullen gives his audience a taste of contemporary jazz, flavoured with Caribbean rhythms.

Since moving to Toronto from Grenada in 1980, Bullen has worked with Caribbean, Canadian and American artists like Melba Moore, Anslem Douglas, Byron Lee, Maestro, David Rudder, Liberty Silver, Deborah Cox and Dee Dee Bridgewater. He is also a composer and arranger for TV, radio and films. His work has been heard on City TV, YTV, Love & Hip Hop and Wine TV Australia.

Bullen has produced over 150 albums and has worked on several ventures through his record company, Thunder Dome Sounds, and publishing company, QDB Music. Through his production company, Bullen fulfills his passion for nurturing youth talent through a high school co-op program he launched in 1986.

Kairo McLean was born in Toronto, Ontario, and by the time he was 3 years old, he was already playing the drums and the guitar at the age of 6.

He is a true connoisseur of the genre and is deeply familiar with all aspects of reggae, rocksteady and sound-system culture. When it comes to his compositions, McLean is as old-school as it gets, drawing influences from Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, and Peter Tosh. This young artist knows the tradition, studied the history, and developed his own style and unique flare.

His debut EP, Easy Now, was released in 2022. Its title track was nominated for and won a JUNO Award, making McLean the youngest person to win a JUNO.

His most notable performances are Harbourfront Centre, Singing Fest, Jerkfest, Junofest 2022 and Kirk Diamond.