Burning Spear’s impact on reggae music is profound. A true legend, Spear’s legacy through his music is one of self-reliance and self-determination for the African diaspora. With a career spanning over six decades, his message remains on point and his vocal delivery is as powerful as it is identifiable.
Winston Rodney began his music career in the late 1960s, attributing his start to a fateful encounter with Bob Marley. Both were living in the St. Ann’s parish of Jamaica. As Spear recalls, “Bob was going to his farm. The man was moving with a donkey and some buckets and a fork, and cutlass and plants. We just reason man-to-man and I-man say wherein I would like to get involved in the music business. And Bob say, ‘All right, just check Studio One.’” It was there that Spear recorded his first two classic albums, “Burning Spear” and “Rocking Time.”
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Burning Spear rocked the reggae world, releasing acclaimed albums such as “Social Living,” “Hail H.I.M.” and “Resistance.” His music evolved to incorporate elements of jazz, funk, and rock, while maintaining its solid roots reggae foundation.
Burning Spear has won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album; one at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000 for “Calling Rastafari,” and one for 2009’s “Jah Is Real.” He has been nominated for a total of 12 Grammy™ Awards. He was awarded the Jamaican government’s Order of Distinction for outstanding services to music in 2007. Since establishing their own label Burning Music Records, Winston and Sonia Rodney have released nearly forty singles, CDs, DVDs and vinyl albums on the Burning Music imprint.
In addition to his music career, Burning Spear is a dedicated anti-racism activist and philanthropist. He has been involved in various social and political causes throughout his career, including the fight against apartheid in South Africa, the struggle for independence in Zimbabwe and his campaign to raise awareness of the teachings of
Marcus Garvey.
Burning Spear’s legacy as a reggae icon is everlasting, and his music continues to inspire and uplift audiences around the world. His influence can be heard in the work of countless artists who have followed in his footsteps, and his message of love and unity remain as relevant today as ever.
Jesse Royal
Two-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Jesse Royal stands at the forefront of contemporary reggae, carrying Jamaica’s storied musical legacy into a bold new era. Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Royal has emerged as one of the genre’s defining voices — seamlessly blending roots tradition with modern global influence while remaining anchored in messages of consciousness, resilience, love, and unity.
Born in 1989 and raised between St. James and Kingston, Jamaica, Royal’s artistic path was shaped early by cultural immersion and a formative friendship with Daniel “Bambaata” Marley. Guided by a deep spiritual foundation and an unwavering sense of purpose, he developed a sound that honors reggae’s lineage while speaking directly to a new generation.
Royal made a commanding debut in 2017 with Lily of da Valley (Easy Star Records), which entered at No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and signaled the arrival of a major new voice in roots music. He solidified that position with his 2021 sophomore album, Royal, which also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and earned him his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
In 2025, Royal reached another milestone with No Place Like Home, a deeply reflective and culturally resonant body of work that garnered his second GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The back-to-back recognition places him among reggae’s most influential artists of his generation.
Having collaborated with an array of global artists including Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel, Protoje, Chronixx, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Major Lazer, and Steve Aoki, and having toured extensively across North America, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, Jesse Royal continues to expand reggae’s reach without compromising its essence.
With multiple Billboard No. 1 albums and two GRAMMY nominations to his name, Jesse Royal stands as both torchbearer and innovator — a vital voice shaping the future of reggae on the world stage.
