From left, Chris Martin and his mother, Maxine Martin; Sizzla Kalonji with his mother, 'Mama Lou', at Judgement Yard in August Town; Richie Stephens performs with his mother, 'Mama Carmen', and Cindy Breakspeare (left) and her son, Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, in performance. - Photos: Contributed, Ian Allen and Winston Sill

Reachin out to all the mothers in the world

Sometimes it's just the way things have to be (yea)

Thank you mama for the nine months you carried me through

All those pain and sufferin

No one knows the pressure you bear a just only you

Give you all my love oh yea

This is my words and my utterin

ThankYou Mama, Sizzla

On stage an entertainer is the life of a concert, the centre of attention, who seems to have the world in the hands that clutch the microphone. But before they were entertainers, they were all children with big dreams. Dreams that were often nourished by their mothers, who always gave them that extra drive.

When the tours are never-ending and that perfect song seems lifeless, it is mom to the rescue with her good advice, life lessons or home-made cooking. Some mothers act as therapists, caregivers and chefs, or take a more active role in their children's careers, but one thing remains constant - they are always encouraging.

For 'bad gal' Ce'cile, her mother was her inspiration and her introduction to music. "I remember my mother being my first musical influence. I specifically remember her never turning off the radio, listening to Staple Singers, Peter Tosh, and she especially loved Jacob Miller and Marvin Gaye. Having that radio always on in my house sure had something to do with my love of music. Plus, she was a strong woman who single-handedly reared six kids, without a man 100 per cent of the time in the house. My mother introduced me to the arts, but also (taught me) to be a strong person under any circumstance," Ce'cile said.

'Motherstruck'

Another artiste who is 'motherstruck' is up and coming star Christopher Martin, whose mother is his pride and joy, his reason for singing each day. Martin describes his mother, Maxine Martin, as his inspiration who has always put her son in front of herself. "In the likkle things I do I will always put her first. Every day mi look pon mi mother and say mi love her. Anything she wants she's gonna get it, even if that means I have to work harder. Everything I do, it's for her," he said.

Deejay Spragga Benz's mother passed away before he began to seriously sing and perform. However, her influence is still with him today, as he says "She mek sure mi get a proper education so mi can write better songs. She had identified my talentfrom early out." Sizzla Kalonji also attributes his mother's teachings to the success of his career. According to Kalonji, his mother, 'Mama Lou', always taught him cleanliness and good public relations.

Cleanliness in music

Cleanliness is also reflected in the music, for some entertainers they would never sing a song that their mother could not listen to and enjoy. Christopher Martin, walking in the footsteps of other artistes, plans to do a song dedicated to his mother. And always bearing his mother in mind affects the type of music he does. "I'm crossing over to different genres now; I wouldn't say certain things, 'cause she wouldn't want to hear it - use words she wouldn't approve of. Besides that, I have my own standards as well," he said.

While some entertainers leave their mothers in the background, some choose to highlight their influence through music. For Sizzla Kalonji, a song dedicated to his mother is one of his biggest hits to date. He told The Sunday Gleaner that the song, Thank You Mama, had a huge impact on his career, the proceeds of which allowed him to build his own studio at Judgement Yard in August Town. Every time he sings the song it always brings back good memories. "Dat's Mom, so it's natural. Whenever we sing dat song for my mother it brings back memories that my mother used to teach me whole heap of tings. Sometimes certain tings nuh dere, but you must still have respect, be kind and dress and look good di same way, so yuh neva know if we poor," he said.

Tribute to mother

Another entertainer singing their mother's praise through music is international superstar Sean Paul, whose latest single, Mother I Love You, is a tribute to his mother. Some of the lyrics are "this one comes straight from my heart/ straight from the start/for every time you've been there/ mama I love you". Bounty Killer has referred to himself as 'Miss Ivy last son'.

While some mothers are in the thoughts of their music-driven children, others are more directly involvedin the business, or make cameo appearances. For example, Rita Marley made a brief cameo in her son Stephen's video The Traffic Jam from his debut solo album Mind Control and Richie Stephens has combined with his 'Mama Carmen' for Mama's Blessing and to croon their journey to the point that "now, you're shining like a star". Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley has also admitted to the impact of his mother, former Miss World, Cindy Breakspeare. In an interview with The Gleaner late last year Damian said the annual 'Welcome To Jamrock' concert was staged through the initiative of his mother.

The 'Thank You Mama concert' has been a yearly event organised by Sizzla's mother, Mama Lou. Sizzla said, "Di last time, after releasing Da Real Thing wid Thank You Mama, I had kept a party up di top. I had been given a lot of CDs, I was signing them and eventually we keep this party going until Mama Lou eventually tek over the ting. It's 'Thank You Mama' and di mothers came in and is Mama Lou deal with dem. Mothers have their conversations, we hand it over to Mama Lou and she deal wid di ting and we support it. We provide whatever we can for it."