Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley performs at 'Welcome to Jamrock', held at Cinema 2, New Kingston, in December. He will be performing at the IRAWMA 25th anniversary show in New York on May 6.- FILE PHOTOS
THEY CAME before the United States' Grammy recognised reggae and have outlasted the home-based Jamaica Music Industry (JAMI) effort at recognising the best in Jamaican music.
And although the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) are not, as the name states clearly, dedicated solely to reggae, it is the longest-running and certainly the most inclusive awards show, including the dominant sound of the world's loudest island.
When the IRAWMA gets going at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the Apollo Theatre in New York, it will mark a quarter century and many travels since Ephraim Martin of Martin's Inter Culture Limited organised a way to hand out golden cups and have reggae and dancehall's finest dress up and step up to the podium.
"The awards started at a time when there was no form of recognition for reggae in the world," Martin told The Sunday Gleaner at the New Kingston offices of JAMPRO recently, where details of the 2006 silver anniversary version were outlined.
"After being encouraged by Bob (Marley), Peter (Tosh), Jacob (Miller) and Tommy Cowan, I decided to see what I could do. In 1980 Tosh called me and told me some of the things that musicians were facing around the world and said he wanted me to do a little more," the then Chicago-based print journalist said.
CHALLENGED
There was impetus from another direction as well, as "I wrote an article about a certain band being the best". Martin's opinion was promptly questioned and he was challenged to put a number of bands, including his number one choice, on stage to see just who was number one. He took up the challenge and on May 1, 1981, 19 bands squared off in the Windy City.
It turned out that Martin's band of choice, Gypsy Far I, came in third, with Yabba Griffith first and Nyakomo first. Still, it was reggae which was the winner, the international aspect, along with world music, being added the following year as the Chicago Reggae Awards and the IRAWMA were formalised and run simultaneously. And immediately special awards, which are still a feature today, were included, the first set going to musician Sonny Bradshaw and print journalists Balford Henry and Basil Walters.
The pattern of the awards, which continues to today, were set from early, as after the second year persons working in the reggae industry were used to select the nominees.
Martin can also claim a founding hand in another kind of award that has claimed pride of place in reggae and dancehall honours. "Two years after starting I was doing an interview on National Public Radio (NPR). I got a call from the Grammy president, who invited me to join NARAS," Martin said.
The Americans were interested in the infectious beat that was rocking the airwaves and Martin was certainly interested in getting reggae recognised as much as possible. Martin joined up in 1983 and, along with persons in Jamaica and California, pressed for a Reggae category in the Grammy Awards. That became a reality in 1985, with Black Uhuru winning for the 1984 'Anthem'.
HIT THE ROAD
While the Chicago Music Awards have stayed at home, the IRAWMA has hit the road, although not going outside the U.S. In 1987 it was held in Miami, making a repeat visit the following year before returning to Chicago in 1989. Atlanta was the venue in 1990, with the 10th anniversary show being held in Jamaica. Florida got consecutive stagings in 1992 and 1993, when the IRAWMA was held in Fort Lauderdale and Miami respectively, New Orleans being among the other U.S. cities to host the awards, that coming in 1995.
This year will not be the first trip to New York, as the awards were previously held at the Colombia University as well as the Hamerstein Ballroom. However, the Apollo Theatre is a special venue, steeped in history and enjoying a certain prestige. In addition, with Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley and Beenie Man already confirming their live performances, Martin is anticipating a very strong show.
And in its 25th year the IRAWMA is utilising technology to spread its wings, as Michelle Thomas explained to The Sunday Gleaner.
"What is unique and different about this is that for the first time we are going to do a multi-continental television hook-up led by persons in the African diaspora who love the music," Thomas said.
There will be pre-shows in Jamaica, England and Ghana, where regional winners will be honoured. These will be recorded, along with the May 6 Apollo Theatre show, and edited for a two-hour show, including advertising. Thomas says that at a recent meeting in the U.S. of National Association of Television Programmes Executives there was very strong interest in the IRAWMA, with viewing in Japan, Brazil, Venezuela, India, China, France and, though a single channel, 18 countries in Africa, confirmed.
The 25th anniversary show of the Chicago Music Awards went on December 10, 2005, and Martin's labour has not been in vain, as on November 28, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley recognised the show's date as Chicago Music Awards Day.
It has been a long road, a quarter century and many an acceptance speech for the Mayor's short statement, but for a beaming Ephraim Martin it seems to have been well worth it.
