"Let us talk about Joe Higgs, a brother, a talent, almost a spirit whose
voice finds it's way to the heart for all times and whose message has kept alive hopes that would otherwise surely die." -
Ronnie Burke
JOE HIGGS singing "THERE'S A REWARD"
Who is JOE HIGGS and why was he dubbed
"FATHER OF REGGAE?"
- Marcia Higgs
According to reggae music history, in the early 1950s through 1960s,
when it was virtually impossible for the residents of TRENCH TOWN and other neighboring communities to even be considered
for "menial" jobs in Jamaica's main-stream work force, it was JOE HIGGS that these "other" underprivileged ghetto outcasts
would ultimately turn to for musical guidance. Though a youth himself at the time, this self-taught musical prodigy was said
to have converted his 19 THIRD STREET, TRENCH TOWN, tenement backyard into a sort of musical training camp, where he would
teach his peers some of the lessons
he had learned. These music lessons, or "jam-sessions"
as they were commonly called, were often rigorous in voice technique, breath control, harmony structuring, effective song-writing,
and of course, learning to play the "box" guitar.
The JOE HIGGS album "LIFE OF CONTRADICTION" is, without doubt, one of the most
seminal reggae records of all time. This album is a true classic and has been a huge influence on everybody at Pressure Sounds.
You may order YOUR copy of this Joe Higgs classic.
In a 1980s interview with Roger Steffens, JOE HIGGS explained,
"We basically did everything by ear or sound, as I myself did not know anything about music notes at the time. I didn't know
"C" from "D" from "G" but I was very much aware of sound." HIGGS would later educate his students on the laws of copyright
as well. Most of HIGGS' students went on to become musical giants, each in their own respect, some of whom have later accredited
him for their musical success.
Among his students were BOB MARLEY, BUNNY WAILER, PETER TOSH, JIMMY CLIFF, DERRICK
HARRIOTT, JUDY MOWATT, WAILING SOULS. His most successful student to date is the Internationally Acclaimed
"KING OF REGGAE," HONORABLE ROBERT NESTA (BOB) MARLEY, O.M
