Morgan Heritage Family on Tour in The Gambia
Posted by African Press International on February 11, 2008
The Jamaican Royal Family of reggae music, Morgan Heritage, was on Tuesday the 22nd January 2008, landed at the magnificent Banjul International Airport at about 13:30 pm from Senegal, where they held a series of concerts in the Senegalese capital, Dakar alongside Senegalese pop and reggae icons Carlou D. Fafai and Xuman. Morgan Heritage is ready to launch there new album ‘Mission In Progress’
The United States-based Jamaican world renowned reggae artists were received at the airport by the executives of the organising committee responsible for the coming Tour The Gambia Concerts, amid hundreds of reggae enthusiasts, who escorted the visiting Jamaican stars from the airport terminal through the streets of Greater Banjul Area.A line of concerts are being organised by Bright Star Production in collaboration with Jammeh Foundation for Peace (JFP). The main idea behind the programme is to raise funds to augment the resource base of JFP.
It could be recalled that Una, Peter, Roy, Lukes and Mojo Morgan are the children of reggae icon Denroy Morgan who is a pioneer of the Jamaican music industry, as he introduced roots rock reggae to New York City in the 1960s, hence named the Morgan Heritage Family. Morgan Heritage’s music is a mixture of Jamaican reggae, New York hip hop, New England pop and California punk rock, all fused together in perfect harmony.
Speaking in an interview with the Journalists at the Airport, shortly before their arrival, Ansoumana Drammeh, chairperson of the Media and Publicity Sub-committee of the organisers, said JFP is solely sponsored by President Alhaji Dr Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, noting that coming up with such an idea is one of the ways that can help strengthen the foundation.During their stay in the country, the Jamaican mega stars first held a photo and autobiographic session at the Taranga Beach Club on Wednesday 23rd January 2008 alongside Frankie Dancehall Paul, a distinguished and reputed Jamaican reggae dancehall genius, who has been visiting the country, also in full performance with other Gambian artists. On Friday 25th January 2008, was a live performance at Jokor Brikama and the main concerts was staged at the Independence Stadium in Bakau on the 26th January 2008.
This live show in The Gambia is the best of all mega shows that had been staged in the country as it serves as a continuation of the Tour on concert of the Morgan Heritage in which they are to launch their new album Mission In Progress. The new album ‘Mission in Progress’ captures the band as it tries to show the power of their live stage performance on video disc. With ‘Mission In Progress’, Morgan Heritage brings together its older and younger audiences with an album that appeal to both. ‘Mission In Progress’ is sprinkled with a heavier dose of hip-hop while still maintaining the high quality reggae rhythms Morgan Heritage is known for. ‘Mission In Progress’ will be released by VP Records on April 15th, 2008.
On Stage in The Gambia
“What we have worked on for the past three albums is to mainly bring the stage to the record, a lot of people come to our shows and they’re like, ‘Wow, you sound so much better than your record, it’s unbelievable.’ And we’re like, ‘wow, what is this difference that they’re noticing that’s not on the record?’ They say they love the records, but when they come to the concerts, they fall in love with the group all over again” – Peter ‘Jahpetes’ Morgan, Morgan Heritage lead vocalist. In The Gambia, it is different from Senegal. We speak the same language and its like the Gambian people knew our songs as they sing along with us, unbelievable. We love The Gambia, he exclaimed.
The Independent Stadium stands and the turf was jam-parked with thousands of exuberant crowd of Gambian and non-Gambian youth, Rastas, Non-Rastas, men and women reggae lovers and also Morgan Heritage Fans as they dance to the music till they were feel with ecstasy. The live concert show was graced by popular Gambian artists like Freakie Joe a.k.a. Sing-a-the, Jah youth, Njie B-the Conqueror etc.
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