It’s bewildering to consider the role that Jamaica – a country roughly the size of Connecticut – has played in popular music over the past fifty years. Aside from creating such lasting genres as reggae, ska, dub, dancehall and ragga, Jamaican music has had a massive influence on hip-hop, jungle, even punk rock.
One of reggae’s founding fathers, Freddie McGregor, paid a visit to Celebrate Brooklyn last night, and New York’s Jamaican community turned out in force. McGregor, 52, has been performing since he was 7 years old and was rightly referred to by his guitarist/MC as a “living legend.” McGregor played many of his own hits, including “Big Ship” and “I Was Born a Winner”, but what really sent the crowd into ecstatics were his covers of Bob Marley’s “Song of Freedom” (which he turned into a protest against the Bush administration) and “One Love.” With a balmy breeze blowing through Prospect Park, you could close your eyes and easily imagine you were in Parrot Bay.