 Once in a great while, an artist emerges that has a profound effect on popular culture. Burning Spear is such an artist. A certifiable musical legend, Spear's career has already spanned over three decades and shows no sign of slowing down. It's no surprise that Spear was the only reggae artist included in the 2002 music issue of Vanity Fair. Carrying the torch for the gospel of Marcus Garvey, Burning Spear is one of the single greatest proponents of self-determination and self-reliance for all African descendants; but his message is not exclusively based on the teachings of Garvey. Through his music, Burning Spear has consistently been able to educate, inform, and uplift people the world over with his positive message based on honesty, peace, and love. Growing up in the parish of St Ann's Jamaica, the same musical hotbed that produced Bob Marley and the Wailers, Burning Spear made his first recording of "Door Peep" in 1969 for the esteemed Studio One label. While at Studio One, Burning Spear recorded his first two classic albums, Burning Spear and Rocking Time. Building on this solid foundation, Spear went on to record for Island Records in the 70's, releasing three albums (Marcus Garvey, Man in the Hills, and Garvey's Ghost) that not only reshaped the face of reggae music, but also saw the emergence of Burning Spear as an international artist whose artistic vision began to permeate popular culture around the world. He followed these up with the release of Hail H.I.M. for EMI and set the stage for a prolific string of releases through the 80's and 90's, including the Grammy winning Calling Rastafari, as well as Rasta Business, The World Should Know, Fittest of the Fittest, and more. And now, Burning Spear is ready to embark on a new journey with the launch of Burning Spear Records and his first release, Live At Montreaux Jazz Festival 2001. A stellar collection of now classic Spear anthems, including "Slavery Days", "Columbus", "Rocking Time", and more, Live at Montreaux is just the first of several planned releases that will also include the re-issue of previously unavailable Spear recordings as well as a new studio album in 2003. Get ready for the next 30 years and keep the Spear burning!
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