John Masouri

Many thanks to Lisa B and The Voice of the Caribbean radio for inviting me to share stories from my book Pressure Drop: Reggae in the Seventies. You were the perfect host!

Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between. This particular edition is devoted to Bob Marley, and draws heavily upon material included in my book Simmer Down: Marley-Tosh-Livingston, published by Jook Joint Press.

Many thanks to Real Rockaz Radio host Marlon Burrell for his insightful and well researched interview in Miami during my recent visit there. It was absolute pleasure reminiscing about my early days and sharing thoughts on reggae of the seventies in particular.

I had a great interview with Miami based radio presenter G Cole whilst in the city for the Miami Book Fair. A week later, Jimmy Cliff passed away, leaving millions of us reggae fans mourning the loss of this iconic artist. I had the honour of meeting and interviewing him numerous times over the years, and one of the most memorable musical events I've ever witnessed was his spontaneous rendition of Many Rivers To Cross , shared with South African harmony group Ladysmith Black