Taj Weekes and Adowa win best reggae album at The Independent Music Industry Awards in Nashville, TN

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Reggae music was created when musicians, in particular Bob Marley, were listening to the faint sounds of Motown and funk and jazz and rhythm and blues as beamed across the Caribbean and into their AM radios. They blended these sounds with the music of their own island homes and created a whole new style that not only was beamed itself around the world, but also has been emulated by everyone from white college kids to English blues guitar legends to African bands re-mixing these sounds into new and wholly different musical styles.

 

Taj Weekes was no different. He grew up on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, and his sound is legitimately roots reggae. No interpreter or mixer of sounds, the music he produces is genuine and heartfelt, and sounds truly like someone dropped a needle on a record 30 years ago in Kingston. His gentle voice is in a high register, and the band emotes a truly rock solid roots sound that is essentially impossible for American bands to emulate.

 

His lifelong work in the production and promotion of reggae music was finally rewarded in Nashville a few weeks ago with the award of "Best Reggae Album" at the Independent Music Industry Awards. The Just Plain Folks music award for "Best Reggae Album" was given to Weekes and his band Adowa for their sophomore effort, DEIDEM. While at the awards ceremony, the band performed the song, "Angry Language" which was well received by the audience. This win follows a 2007 JPF "Best Reggae Song" Award for "Scream Out Mellow" off their debut album, Hope & Doubt.

Just Plain Folks (JPF) is an organization of over 51,500 songwriters, recording artists, and music industry professionals and hosts the largest independent music awards in the world. Their members include Grammy, Emmy, Country Music and Academy Award winners. Each year, JPF screens more than 350,000 songs and over 25,000 albums in 70+ genres from 100 countries to honor the very best works of its members and the independent music community. Volunteer judges include industry professionals, peers and music fans.

The award comes after a brief summer tour of Mid-western cities including Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland and Kalamazoo. The band is currently in the studio recording their much-anticipated third album, A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen, set for release in early 2010.

 

Taj Weekes and Adowa, while mostly entrenched in the studio recording, will be escaping for a few shows in the coming weeks including college shows in MA on September 26 and October 3.

 

For more information about the band check out their website.

 

As if this weren't enough, Taj Weekes has a serious charitable side to him. His songs include a a great song about Katrina called "SIPPI aka Louisiana" that evokes the spirit of that broken city without ever delving into Cajun or classic Louisiana sounds. His works have often been charitable, and he recently announced that he is teaming with Valparaiso University and their men’s soccer team for an effort called "Sneakers not Wheelchairs."

 

The charity is focused on children, and is called TOCO, or They Often Cry Outreach. The "Sneakers Not Wheelchairs" campaign - a public health initiative targeting the diabetes crisis in St. Lucia occurred when Valparaiso hosted a fundraiser during their season home opener game against the University of Michigan on September 6, 2009. 

 

Valpo men's soccer coaches, Andy McCaslin and Jeff Oleck, spearheaded the event in effort to raise funds for TOCO HEALTH to purchase supplies for a November mission trip to St. Lucia to introduce its "Sneakers Not Wheelchairs" campaign. November is recognized around the world as Diabetes Awareness Month and TOCO's mission trip will bring blood glucose meters, test strips, educational and nutritional materials as well as several volunteer doctors to St. Lucia for a national health fair. The campaign has set a goal to get 5,000 school children to participate in the Annual Diabetes Fun Walk to promote health and exercise. Valpo and Michigan soccer enthusiasts are encouraged to make a donation to TOCO, knowing that they can enjoy supporting their favorite team while making a contribution to a worthy cause at the same time.

 

TOCO, a U.S. based not-for-profit organization founded by Taj Weekes, is dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged, at-risk and orphaned children in the Caribbean through sport, enrichment, educational and wellness programs. TOCO HEALTH's "Sneakers Not Wheelchairs" campaign was initiated to address the growing diabetes epidemic in St. Lucia where there is reportedly an estimated two amputations per week due to diabetes-related illnesses. Many become shut ins because they are wheelchair bound, so the "Sneakers Not Wheelchairs" campaign encourages St. Lucians to get up, put on their sneakers and exercise rather than become part of this statistic. Alarmed by the escalating rate of diabetes in his homeland, Weekes saw a natural connection between the healthy exercise offered by playing soccer and its positive benefits in helping to prevent Type 2 diabetes amongst the youth.

 

For more information on They Often Cry Outreach, please visit their website.