Adrian Frater, News Editor

Edge Michael caught in a dancing mood during his performance at 'Tribute to Peter Tosh' at Independence Park, Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, recently. - File

Western Bureau:

Had his parents moved a little faster, promising reggae singer Edge Michael would probably not have been around two Fridays ago at Independence Park, Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, to perform on the annual tribute to his late uncle, reggae icon, Peter Tosh.

Back in 1987 the young Edge Michael, born Oral Mark Durloo to Tosh's younger sister Melzeta McIntosh, was becoming quite a teenaged terror. In an effort to cure him of his wayward ways, a decision was taken to send him to live with his stickler-for-discipline uncle, the no-nonsense Peter Tosh.

Preparations to live with him

"When he was killed my parents were making final preparations to send me to live with him at the very house in which he was murdered," said Edge Michael. "I was quite a troublemaker at the time and they saw him as the rod of correction to straighten me out."

Seeing that he could well have been in Tosh's Plymouth Avenue, Barbican, St. Andrew, house on the night of September 11, 23 years ago when the legendary Wailer and his close friends, radio personality Jeff 'Free I' Dixon and noted herbalist Doc Brown, were shot dead, Edge Michael considers himself a fortunate man.

"Fortunately for me, I was not there that night," said the reflective singer. "Maybe if I was there I might have been killed or who knows, I might have slid under a bed or something, who knows."

Edge Michael, who was very distressed in the immediate aftermath of his famous uncle's killing, took a decision that he would seek to honour Tosh's memory by pursuing his own interest in becoming a singer. He promptly shed his wayward ways, but, instead of pursuing his parents' desire of becoming a lawyer or doctor, he chose to make music his life.

"I started performing in school concerts and then later graduated into performing with various bands," said Edge Michael. "I recorded my first song in 1994 and since then I have record numerous CDs and have toured Mexico, Brazil, North America and several countries in Europe, including Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, Holland and Germany."

After spending the 1990s honing his skills as lead vocalist for the Jah Children Band, which afforded him the opportunity to perform alongside established acts such as the late Dennis Brown and Sanchez, Edge Michael chose Europe to launch his musical assault on the world.

"We decided to focus on Europe because that is where my type of music, which is roots, rock reggae, is getting the greatest acceptance," said the singer, who has also had tours of Africa. "We are not into any foolishness; we are into creative structures in music and I am happy to see that things are now changing in Jamaica and people are now accepting the more authentic stuff."

Attitude towards roots reggae

With the new attitude towards roots reggae in Jamaica today, Edge Michael recently took a break to set up the Savanna-la-Mar based radio station Linkz FM, for which he is a part owner. With that project behind him, he is again ready to rumble musically.

"I have a album just drop, it's name, Rebel with a Cause and it is aimed at the United States and Caribbean markets and we working on another album entitled In My Search, which is for the European market," said Edge Michael. "We putting in some serious work so a lot of material should be out there by early next year."

Edge Michael does not believe that Tosh has been accorded the type of respect he deserves, and as a consequence, he said he is eternally grateful to promoter Worrell King for putting on the annual 'Tribute to Peter Tosh."

"I give thanks to Worrell King for keeping the banner flying, because a lot of time him don't make any money out of it.It is just about love and respect," said Edge Michael. "Because Peter Tosh was radical and straightforward and chat what come a him mouth no matter what, a lot of people never like him, so they try to distance themselves from him and never gave him his just due."