Men Of Distinction: Toronto’s Gig Of The Year? All In Favor Please Rise!

Jamaican reggae lyricists extraordinaire, not one, not two, but all three! Dobby Dobson, Mr. Loving Pauper, Boris Gardiner and the one and only Mr. Ram Goat Liver himself, Pluto Shervington. Can you feel the excitement yet? These superior lyricists and grand daddies of reggae music are planning to bring the house down on Nov. 19th in Toronto, Canada. Industry insiders praised promoter Karl Haughton of Rinketh Entertainment for his brilliance and foresight in this most impressive collaboration. In fact,  pulling together the crème of the crop reggae artists analogizes “The Rat Pact of reggae,” Their predecessor, mega talents, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin were the Rat Pack of Jazz.

These three musical geniuses are three of reggae most accomplished artists all time. What separates these men from the masses is that they are not only great vocalists, but masterful lyricists as well. Dobson, aka Mr. Loving Pauper, with his distinct voice, has enjoyed a great musical career spanning over many years. It can be said that he is one of the most successful artiste to cross over from rock steady to reggae. During his expanded career, he has received numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding contribution to reggae music. Most recently, He has received the order of distinction by the Jamaican Government.

Boris Gardener is an amazing lover’s rock singer. His velvety voice combined with his culturally sensitive lyrics contributed to his huge success and longevity. He has penned some great songs but the most popular to date is, “My Commanding Wife.” I often wonder if this song’s popularity is secondary to our culture of ‘assertive women’ misconstrued as “commanding.” You know what? I will leave this question for November 19th.

Mr. Ram Goat Liver, Pluto Shervington is an amazing song writer and singer. His mega hit Ram Goat Liver is an awesome example of an artiste’s emphatic depiction of cultural sensitivity. For  example, Ram Goat Liver, this is about as culturally sensitive as a reggae song could get, …“manish water, run mi belly, a pop 2 belch and den I made a slide…… “Sherrington’s knack for comical lyrics and culturally related puns are his trademark. His mega hits such as: Dancing Mood, Dat, I Man Born Ya, Ram Goat Liver and Your Honor are some of the best reggae songs ever recorded. His distinctive style not only contributed to his success but cemented his reputation as one of reggae’s most authentic and inceptive artiste all time. He is truly incomparable.

There is also a stellar lineup of Canadian reggae artiste: Kafaye Rose, Oswald Ossie, D. Douglas, Empress Minot, Jackki James and reggae’s newest, hottest and fastest rising star, the lovely and talented Bonnie Casey. Casey is undoubtedly reggae’s next big thing. She has recently completed her European and North American tour which were very successful. She has a very busy 2012 schedule ahead of her. 

The buzz on the street is that the Men of Distinction show is the most widely anticipated show in the year 2011. It is expected to be a sold out event as ticket sales are going extremely well. This author spoke to a couple of the ticket outlets re: ticket sales and it was confirmed that it will be a sold out event. One of the outlet operators confirmed that it is advisable that anyone planning to attend the show to ensure that they get their tickets ASAP. In fact, this show is compared to Beres Hammond’s Canadian appearances which are usually sold out events.

By: Audrey Reeves