Clarendon to host legends in concert

Donovan ‘Conscious’ Anderson, one of the founding members of well-known record label and production house Kings of Kings, believes that it is time for a major concert to be staged in the parish of Clarendon once again.

That is why he has conceptualised ‘Legends Are Forever’, a stage show that will be held in the parish in November.

“Clarendon and the south coast need a stage show like this to re-energise the reggae-dancehall community along the south coast,” he said.

Four years ago, during the height of the pandemic, in a bid to avoid major urban areas, Anderson moved to Red Hills, located four miles from Bullet Mountain in Clarendon.

“My parents are from Clarendon, so I moved [there] at the time when everybody got scared. After a few years, I observed that there is no reggae show in this area. The last set was Coco Tea’s Jam Jam and Everton Blender’s show. That’s how I came up with the idea. Me and Wayne Francis are going to do a show for my birthday and name it Legends are Forever. This is for all the people of Clarendon,” Anderson said.

Anderson said Clarendon has given Jamaica and the world some of the greatest musical icons.

“The musical heritage of Clarendon is immense, with people like Millie Small, Derrick Morgan, The Clarendonians, I Octane, Des-I Boyd, the late DJ Merciless, Everton Blender, Freddie McGregor and countless other world-renowned musical acts, so this parish deserves a big stage show,” he said.

The Legends are Forever stage show will blast off on November 29 at the Block Factory. Musical heavyweights like Capleton, Tony Rebel, Frisco Kid, Lutan Fyah, and Junior Reid are the major headliners of the event.

“We will have 14 artistes on the event. All of them are legends,” Anderson said. “We have Errol Dunkley, Admiral Tibet, Natty King, Peter Metro, Nitty Kutchie, Little John, Mikey General, Junior Cat, and Apache Scratchy.”

Capleton, who received the Reggae Icon Award at this year’s Grand Gala on Independence Day, is “looking forward to delivering an incendiary performance”.

“Clarendon is one of my favourite places to perform. Remember the days of Coco Tea’s Ram Jam, Denbigh Show Grounds and Island Explosion? So ... ah good while now the people dem no see me, so I am looking forward to this performance at this event organised by Conscious,” Capleton said.

Even though there has been a marked decrease in the number of live stage shows in the entertainment calendar, Anderson remains positive that the event will do well because of its “true intent”.

“We’re doing this event for love and the consciousness in music, the upliftment of music. We don’t do it for the money alone,” he said.

There will also be a six-a-side competition and a cookout and kids’ fun day on the same day. Proceeds from the event will be donated to two schools in Clarendon – Red Hills Primary and the Cricket River Primary.

Anderson is the head of Conscious International Productions, which handles artiste bookings and event productions. He has been a senior production member for major events such as Rebel Salute, Red Rose For Gregory, and A St Mary Mi Come From.

Anderson, who is from East Kingston, started his music career as an artiste. He recorded for producers such as Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes before moving into show production in the early 2000s. He was instrumental in several musical productions released by the Kings of Kings label.