Lovers rock celebration moves to Ocho Rios for Heroes Weekend

For decades, the silky vocals, romantic lyrics and unmistakable basslines of lovers rock have occupied a special place in British reggae culture. Now, veteran broadcaster and photojournalist Steve James is bringing that sound to Jamaica's north coast for the third staging of Lovers Rock: A Night of British Reggae, set for Oct. 16 at Ocean's 11 Bar and Restaurant in Ocho Rios.

The event moves from Kingston, where the first two stagings were held, to the resort town in St. Ann for Jamaica's Heroes Weekend. James said the Ocho Rios location was carefully chosen to capitalize on the holiday weekend and attract music lovers from across Jamaica, as well as members of the diaspora.

“Heroes Weekend everyone goes out of town,” he explained. “There are a lot of returning residents in that area. There are a lot of visitors coming down from overseas from the diaspora. And three, Ocho Rios is like a midpoint between Negril and Kingston.”

He added, “If you're down on the south coast or west coast, then it's an easy drive to Ocho Rios. And everything is happening in Ocho Rios on Heroes Weekend. So, it was just a nice fit.”

While A Night of British Reggae is still relatively new, James said the idea had been brewing for well over a decade.

“Back in 2010, I thought of doing a show on a small scale with lovers rock artists,” he recalled.

His original concept involved bringing together performers from Jamaica and the United Kingdom. Among the artists he considered were Sugar Minott, Vivian Jones and Bitty McLean. Those plans never materialized, but James said the idea remained “in the back of my mind.”

Rather than abandon the concept, he eventually transformed it from a live concert idea into a musical experience built around selectors playing the songs that helped define British reggae.

The mission, he stressed, is to “highlight lovers rock, real lovers rock.”

The October event will feature James as lead selector alongside Twinn Spinn from Fetedayz Radio, Jacko of the legendary King Jammy Sound System and Buppy C of Vibes FM in London.

Lovers rock emerged in Britain during the 1970s and became synonymous with a smoother, romantic style of reggae. Artists associated with the genre include Janet Kay, Carroll Thompson, Sandra Cross, Peter Hunnigale, Vivian Jones, Maxi Priest and Bitty McLean.

But James is quick to point out that the British lovers rock story cannot be told without acknowledging Jamaica. Artists such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, John Holt, Sugar Minott, Errol Dunkley and Boris Gardiner had songs that became important to British reggae audiences — in some cases, records that received far greater exposure in Britain than they did in Jamaica.

“There are songs that are popular in the UK that you don't even hear them in Jamaica,” James said. “I'm talking [about songs] done by Jamaican artists.”

That musical connection is one reason the event carries the subtitle A Night of British Reggae rather than restricting itself solely to artists traditionally labelled as lovers rock.

“We're going to give you a nice mixture of good quality music,” James promised. “We're not going to wheel and come again. We're not going to chop up the music. But a night of, as we call it, quote unquote, ‘big people music.’”

James said the response to the first two events has convinced him there is an audience in Jamaica hungry for the experience.

“The first two events were very successful,” he said.

Interest in the Ocho Rios staging has already stretched beyond Jamaica.

“I have been getting calls from all over,” he said. “People from the UK called and said they want to know where to get tickets.”

For those who have never attended a lovers rock session, James said Oct. 16 offers an opportunity to discover music they may rarely hear on Jamaican radio or at contemporary parties.

“You're going to hear some music that you've never heard before,” he promised. “And the thing about it, they all sound good ... The last one we did in Kingston, you had all the ladies grabbing the mic and they were just singing along [to] their favourite song,” James recalled.

For him, that connection between the audience and the music is exactly what A Night of British Reggae is intended to recreate in Ocho Rios.

“It's just going to be a lovely atmosphere,” James declared. “And don't be surprised if you see one or two artists perform.”