Gramps Morgan et Morgan Heritage

Reggae is a family business it seems. Not only is the Marley dynasty still going strong thanks to Ziggy and Damian among others, but Denroy Morgan seems to have created an entire music scene out of his legions of children. They do come from one of the most influential reggae artists of his generation however, so it makes sense that a lot of them would be musical themselves. There’s solo artists Laza Morgan and Jemere Morgan, but far and away the most succesful has been Morgan Heritage, who formed in 1992 and have released eleven succesful studio albums since then.

Of course, it’s difficult to say when this band “formed” exactly. They formed when they were all born technically speaking, and each of them were very musically talented from the start, their father noticed this and started taking them from their school in Massachusetts to his studio in New York City to record their music on weekends. By 1992 both their first single and album had been self-released, which lead to a slot at the Jamaican festival Reggae Sunsplash. By this point the siblings’ chemistry had been honed to perfection and the eight piece, barely out of their teenage years, performed such an electrifying set that they were offered a record deal as soon as they were offstage.

However, they were to hit a slight snag off the bat. 1994 saw the released of their debut major label album “Miracles”, which tanked on the charts and was not a critical darling either, with many, including the band themselves, criticising the overly commercial nature of the album. They’ve since disowned the record, and they’re probably thankful that it was made in a time when even major labels would allow their artists to grow and develop even if they weren’t necessarily making them money. They regrouped, set up shop in their ancestral land of Jamaica, and toured the Ivory Coast, getting back in touch with roots and discovering what they wanted to perform as a band.

It was just the thing, after three members of the band left, they released their massively acclaimed second album “Jah Protect Us”. Since then they’ve become one of the most important and respected reggae acts in the world. Releasing quality album after quality album, becoming one of reggae’s most unmissable live acts and generally making a big name for themselves outside of their father’s considerable shadow (or as much as they can while still being literally named after him). They’re not called reggae’s Rolling Stones for nothing, and if you see them live as soon as possible, you’ll see why. Highly recommended.