John Masouri

I'd like to thank the organisers of the Miami Book Fair for inviting me to this month's event, and for making my visit so memorable. I enjoyed every moment, the arrangements were first class and there were so many stalls and events to share and inspire. My actual presentation on the final day was well attended, and fellow writer Randall Grass was the perfect host!

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

This month's Echoes' reggae content was written in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Melissa; a Category 5 storm that devastated huge swathes of Jamaica, and left many people homeless and without support. Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of all those who died or were badly affected by the worse Caribbean hurricane in living memory, and respect to everyone who contributed to the relief efforts including artists like Shaggy, Sean Paul and Maxi Priest.

I'd like to thank Jesse Royal and Easy Star for their time and support in making this months' lead reggae interview possible - it's always a pleasure! - and Al "Fingaz" Newman for bringing back great memories with his book Greensleeves: The First 100 Covers , which is the subject of our second reggae feature. Elsewhere we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Damian "Junior Gong" Marley and Dan Dalton's Welcome To Jamrock Cruise ; review singles galore by Friends Only, Collie Bud

teppin' Razor: The Rebel Life of Peter Tosh is published as part of the Omnibus Press Remaster series on 19 February 2026.

It’s been forty-five years since reggae producer Dennis Bovell took Dub Band stalwarts Nick Straker and John Kpiaye, together with...

This is the album with Sister Nancy's best-known hit on it - the iconic Bam Bam , which can still be heard in reggae dances and playlists...