John Masouri

It was VP Records' Murray Elias who conceived and oversaw this tribute to Jamaican producer Joe Gibbs, and then commissioned me to write...

When I wrote the liner notes to this Charly Records' reissue in 2011 I still hadn't interviewed the Last Poets and any insights I did have were due to producer Alan Douglas, whose recall of these initial recording sessions proved invaluable. Thanks to him I'd first heard the Poets in 1970, on the Performance soundtrack. Like most other people I was shocked at the directness of what they were saying, but spellbound by their use of language and imagery. I've remained a fan of t

Maxi has been a family friend for years, and my admiration for the man and his music runs deep. EMI commissioned these liner notes in...

Snapper Music again, and with a classic reissue by jazz musician Don Cherry that allowed me the freedom to write about another form of...

When Sanctuary bought RAS Records they embarked on a major reissue programme based around Doctor Dread's famous label. All things...

I met Gregory Isaacs on many occasions over the years but only interviewed him once, after I'd given a speech in his honour at the...

George Clinton again, and with "the heaviest black rock band since Jimi Hendrix’s Band Of Gypsys." It was the comparisons to Hendrix's...

Archie Shepp's story intersects with so many fascinating areas of musical and social history that it was a joy researching and writing...

I first met Sizzla when he was still at high school. Homer Harris introduced me to him at Grove rehearsal studios in Kingston in 1993 and...

Culture were one of the most popular reggae acts during the seventies and their shows always left you feeling exhilarated, just like...