Kiddus I | |
|---|---|
 Kiddus I, Rudolstadt-Festival 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Frank Dowding Jr |
| Origin | Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Instruments | Vocals |
Kiddus I (born Frank Dowding Jr, December 1944) [1] is a reggae singer and musician, best known for his appearance in the film Rockers .
Dowding was born in 1944 in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica. His mother, Maria Cathcart Dowding a home maker and his father, Frank Dowding, a bookkeeper. [1] He adopted the stage name Kiddus, which is Amharic for "blessed one", after becoming a Rastafarian. [1] In 1971, he set up a Rastafarian commune and craft centre located between uptown and downtown Kingston, which became a unique feature of a city generally divided by social class. [1] [2]
Dowding was a member of Ras Michael's Sons Of Negus from 1971 to 1978, singing and playing funde drums. [3] [4] He recorded several self-productions in 1972 with Aston Barrett at Joe Gibbs' studio, but these were not released due to lack of funds. Rockers director Theodoros Bafaloukos had seen Kiddus recording "Graduation In Zion" in 1976, two years before the film was made, and decided to film Kiddus recording the track as part of the movie. [4]
Kiddus had by then released a few singles on his own Shepherd label, including "Security In The Streets" which was recorded with Lee Perry at his Black Ark studio. [5] Dowding was a prominent member of the Peace Movement, and "Security in the Streets" was one of the first of several songs recorded in appreciation of the Peace Treaty of 1978 between rival political gang-leaders Claudie Massop and Bucky Marshall. [1]
After releasing a handful of further singles, and recording an album that was not released due to the master tapes getting lost, little was heard of Kiddus I until French label Makasound issued Inna De Yard in 2005, one of a series of albums recorded acoustically by vintage reggae artists in Jamaica. [5] Japanese label Dub Store Records then reissued some of the 1970s singles, followed by the anthology Graduation In Zion: 1978-1980 in 2007. In June 2009, Kiddus I released Green Fa Life (Naya Records), remarkably his first full-length electric instrumentation album of his 30+ year career. Green Fa Life sees Kiddus I team up with roots reggae legends Earl "Chinna" Smith and Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace, although that is naming just a few of the very respected heavy weight artists who also play on the album. Kiddus I also appears on the first two "Grass Yard Productions" albums [Naya Records] released 2009 with the tracks "Merry Chase" and "Shine Your Light". Both Grass Yard Productions: Vol1 & Vol2 has Kiddus I sharing studio time with other stella Jamaican musicians such as Ken Bob, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Jamel, Don I, Ken Boothe, Israel Voice, Jahmali and Michh "Shemaiah" Abrahams.
Around 2009 he set up the Green Fa Life project, promoting planting of the Moringa tree and products derived from it. [2]
In 2007, a copy of his album tapes from 1981 were discovered, and his debut album was finally released in 2009 as Rocking Rebel Volumes 1&2. [4]
In 2014 he staged the first Rastaman Vibration concert in Cheapside, St. Elizabeth, with the intention of expanding it into a festival in future years. [2]
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Rastaman Vibration is the eighth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976.
Vincent Ford, known as "Tata" or "Tartar", was a Jamaican songwriter best known for receiving writing credit for "No Woman, No Cry", the reggae song made famous by Bob Marley & The Wailers, as well as three other Bob Marley songs. However, controversy persisted as to whether the compositions had actually been written by Marley himself, and had been credited to Ford to allow Marley to avoid contractual obligations, resulting in a legal battle that ended with the Marley estate being granted control of the songs.
Bob Marley and the Wailers were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer.
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Manley Augustus Buchanan, better known as Big Youth, is a Jamaican deejay, 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.
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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.
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Keith Lorenzo Blake, better known as Prince Alla is a Jamaican roots reggae singer whose career began in the 1960s, and has continued with a string of releases into the 2000s.
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Danny Ray is a Jamaican-born reggae singer and record producer who has been based in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. He recorded for MCA Records and Trojan Records in the early 1970s and later set up his own Black Jack label.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bob Marley:
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