Don Letts & Turtle Bay Press Release
Don Letts & Turtle Bay present – Reggae 45 – Lovers Rock
Release Date: 27/09/2018
Listen: https://bit.ly/2xDkOF3 Mixcloud: https://bit.ly/2N2BU45 iTunes: https://apple.co/2xT6wzr
As the seasons begin to change and the mood turns to getting cosy by a fire, Don Letts is back in partnership with Turtle Bay for the next in the series of the Reggae 45 Podcast – a dedication to the iconic sound of Lover’s Rock.
A tributary of the Reggae genre that has become the cornerstone in the story of UK Reggae’s success, Lover’s Rock was born out of the need for an alternative to the more political tones of the wider Reggae sound in the 1970s. The young and ambitious of the Windrush generation looked for a reflection of their emotions at that time… of love, romance, relationship ups and downs as well as hopefulness… and along came the perfect soundtrack to their lives.
The cultural impact and musical significance of Lover’s Rock is sometimes cruelly undervalued. At a time in our history where race riots and the tension of cultural differences were a constant cloud over day to day life, where women were still lagging behind when it came to equality and England was still a country wrestling with those who were excited for change and those who drew arms against it. Lover’s Rock encapsulated the hopeful and resulted in some significant milestones – such as the first black, British female to reach number 2 in the charts and UK reggae boomeranging back to the shores and studios of Jamaica, as well as inspiring some of the biggest artists around such as The Police, Sade, Culture Club and more. Its influence can still be heard today in the DNA of acts such as Lily Allen and Holly Cook.
Don kicks off the podcast with a classic and aptly named ‘Lover’s Rock’ by the Sugar Minott which nicely sets the tone of the next hour of delights. As Don mentions when you listen to the show, the Lover’s Rock movement was pioneered by women, flourished on the streets of South London and flew the flag for those children of Windrush.
This love themed genre that took influences from American soul and heavy Jamaican reggae bass lines, opened the doors for tracks like Simplicity’s ‘Black is Our Colour,’ which was still rooted in the more political themes of reggae but had the essence of a more romantic, feminine viewpoint. Then there was Brown Sugar, which included Caron Wheeler who went on to Soul II Soul, their track ‘I’m in Love with a Dreadlocks’ which Don includes in this hour of aural delight!
Other artists featured include, Elizabeth Archer and the Equators with ‘Feel Like Making Love’, Louisa Mark with ‘Six Sixth Street’ and the chart hit ‘Silly Games’ by Janet Kay.
So, time to get your smooth on and enjoy a journey to Lover’s Rock…
To catch the rest of the series which includes a four- part reggae exploration (featured in the Sunday Times top 50 podcasts of 2017), Notting Hill Carnival, an exploration of 50 years of Trojan Records and the king of reggae himself, Bob Marley head to: https://apple.co/2tSYjYh
Don Letts - https://www.donletts.com Turtle Bay- https://www.turtlebay.co.uk
