Winston Rodney OD, better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots artists to emerge from the 1970s.
Midnite was a roots reggae band from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, which started playing in 1989.
Manley Augustus Buchanan, better known as Big Youth, is a Jamaican rapper and singer, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.
The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, Right Time, produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 1979 release, Deeper Roots.
Rototom Sunsplash is a large European reggae festival founded in 1994 in Gaio di Spilimbergo, and since 2010 held in Benicàssim, a few miles north of Valencia, Spain. It attracts thousands of fans from all over the world, thanks to a cultural and musical program that lasts for up to ten days.
Earl "Chinna" Smith, a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest, is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and as guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers, among others, and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums.
Basque Dub Foundation, more often known as B D F, started in the early 1990s as studio project by Iñaki Yarritu, a London-based reggae musician originally from the Basque Country. Iñaki moved into music production in the late 1980s, having been previously involved in Reggae since the late 1970s as a radio DJ, journalist and promoter. In their early days BDF toured as a sound system, supporting Mad Professor in the first dub sessions to take place in Spain.
The Twinkle Brothers are a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1962, and still active in the 21st century under Norman Grant's lead.
Chalice is a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1980 in Gibraltar Hill, St. Mary. Chalice is probably best known for their performances at the Reggae Sunsplash music festival.
Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.
Michael George Haynes, known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s most popular roots reggae singers and had several prominent hits during his 40-year career, after his passing his family together with Thomas Evers of Rockers Artist Agency released the highly rated live album "live at plein les watts"
Hatikva 6 is an Israeli reggae band started in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. Hatikva 6 plays dancehall and roots styles with Hebrew, English, and French lyrics. While reggae in Israel is a fairly young industry, Hatikva 6 has already been recognized in Israel through major performances all over the country at the biggest musical festivals. They have been compared to Matisyahu, a Jewish reggae artist, for the universality of their music. Much of their music is directly tied to the social, political, and religious aspects of Israeli life which is marked by tension due to the Arab Israeli conflict, and the diverse religious demographics in the country. Songs such as “Elohim” and “World War x” are songs in which these themes are apparent. This form of musical production is proof of the versatility and cross pollination of reggae and how widespread its influence has become.
Irie Maffia is a Hungarian pop band formed in 2005. Their music is based on reggae and dancehall, which they blend with hip hop, funk and rock. The band also has a sound system formation, where András Kéri sings ragga lyrics on the reggae/dancehall riddims played by band leader Márton Élő and Gáspár Horváth from vinyl records.
Alpha And Omega are a roots dub duo that mix both analogue and digital elements, comprising bassist Christine Woodbridge and keyboard player John Sprosen, both of whom had played in reggae bands previously, Sprosen also having worked with the Roaring Lion Sound System. They began working together in the mid-1980s, splitting their time between their home towns of London and Plymouth, and issued their debut home-recorded cassette in 1988. They were picked up by Greensleeves Records, who acted as a parent company to the duo's A&O label, and also worked with Jah Shaka, for whom they supplied rhythm tracks. Although they are strongly influenced by artists such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, they have developed a sound that has been described as "uniquely British". In a review of their Mystical Things album, Rick Anderson, writing for Allmusic, wrote: "This prolific London-based duo is responsible for some of the most convincing old-school reggae to come from the first world."
Black Roots are a roots reggae band from the St. Paul's area of Bristol, England, formed in 1979. They toured extensively in the UK and Europe in the 1980s and early 1990s releasing several albums and singles during that time before disappearing from the music scene for about ten years. Their comeback began when Soundicate/Makasound, a record label in France, released an album in 2004 and followed it up with another in 2007. In December 2010 they performed their first live show for some twenty years at the Trinity Hall in Bristol and since then they have been active once again, playing live dates and releasing a new album.
The Bush Chemists are a British dub reggae group.
Mellow Mood is an Italian reggae band from Pordenone, Italy that formed in 2005.
Raging Fyah is five-piece reggae band from Kingston, Jamaica, formed in 2006. They released their first album in 2011, and in 2016 signed to VP Records, with third album Everlasting earning them a Grammy nomination.
Kerida Shushana Johnson, known professionally as Hempress Sativa, is a contemporary reggae singer and songwriter from Jamaica. Her music aligns with the roots reggae tradition with variants of hip hop, afrobeats and R&B.
