Tad’s International Record Releasing 20-Track Album 'Celebrating Jamaica 61'

With Jamaica’s independence days away, Tad’s International Record will release Celebrating Jamaica 61, a 20-song album featuring top acts like Richie Spice, saxophonist Dean Fraser, Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown.

Reggae artist HezronThe album, co-produced by Tad Dawkins and Tad Dawkins Jr, will be released on August 4, two days before Jamaica’s independence.

 “The whole idea behind the album is to celebrate the music that is authentically Jamaican, especially over the past 61 years. Our genre of music is world-renowned and every opportunity we get to share with the world the talents and unique sounds of reggae must be maximized,” he said.

Belafonte Rock, an instrumental by Fraser, is the first release from Celebrating Jamaica 61. It is a tribute to Caribbean-American actor/singer and activist Harry Belafonte who died in April at age 96.

Rasta Man by Richie Spice is the follow-up single.

Brown and Isaacs were close friends of Dawkins. They recorded a number of songs for the producer, some of which were never released. Brown, who died at age 42 in 1999, cut his song Since I’ve Been in 1995.

Isaacs, who died in 2010 at age 59, recorded his song Never Knew Love one year before his death.

Rivers of Babylon by Duane Stephenson, I Shall be Released (Hezron and Big Youth), So Nice to be With You (George Nooks) and Hide And Seek by Josey Wales are some of the other songs on Celebrating Jamaica 61.