'Tis the season to be reggae jolly

The vibe of reggae music is indeed what the Christmas holidays need. Since this is an occasion to be with family and to reflect on the love of Jah for humankind, what better music to play than reggae.

The reggae riddim best fits this special occasion of the year when Jah made Himself a “little lower than the angels” to announce the most beautiful news of all hard news: Our redemption!

Here is a compilation of nine Christmas reggae songs (in no particular order) which you can download freely, transfer to various storage devices available, and give as presents to music buffs:

• Have a Happy Reggae Christmas (disco medley) featuring The Reggae Carollers who are Filipino ghost singers tapped mostly for cover projects in the national scene. Lineup includes all-time fave Joy To The World, Winter Wonderland, Silver Bells, Little Christmas Tree, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Christmas Alphabet, Jingle Bell Rock, Give Love on Christmas Day and many more.

• Come All Ye Faithful by Freddie McGregor of Clarendon, Jamaica. He is a singer, musician and producer. McGregor’s career began at the age of seven. In 1963 he joined Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to form The Clarendonians and began to record for the legendary Studio One label. Freddie worked with producer Niney the Observer during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

• Christmas A Come by Eek-A-Mouse. Ludicrous, bizarre, and uniquely original, few DJs have made such a splash in the dancehall scene than Eek-A-Mouse (born Ripton Hilton). In Jamaica, he became a household name for having invented a whole new vocal style. His first foray into the music world was as a cultural roots singer.

• Reggae Christmas by Shinehead (born Carl Aiken or Edmund Aiken). He is a Jamaican singer/toaster/rapper. He began his music career by recording for different reggae dancehall sound systems in the 1980s. His recording debut was in 1986 on the African Love Music independent record label with “Who The Cap Fits (Let Them Wear It)” from the album Rough & Rugged.

• Ding Dong Bell by The Ethiopians which is a reggae, rocksteady, and ska vocal group founded by Leonard Dillon, Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris. They started recording for Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd in 1966. Leonard Dillon had previously released some mento songs under the name Jack Sparrow.

• Natty Christmas from Jacob Miller. It was through his early singles, most deeply dread in theme, that Miller established his reputation. Then, he was approached by Inner Circle on which Miller jumped on board. Inner Circle already had a few singles to their credit, and had backed several singers in the past before folding up then rising anew in 1973 as a Top 40 covers band, plying their reggae-lite arrangements around the resort circuit. And then Miller arrived, creating the heaviest frontline in Jamaica’s history, and some of the heftiest roots around.

• Africa Christmas (Reggae Christmas) from Yellowman, the stage name of Winston Foster, one of the biggest Jamaican reggae stars of the 1980s. Foster, an albino, grew up in Kingston institutions and overcame a rough childhood to become a swaggering DJ. He began recording in the early ‘80s and for the next several years, released records at a furious pace, outselling every other reggae star except Bob Marley. In 1986, Yellowman was diagnosed with throat cancer and given a dire prognosis, but he bounced back and resumed his career in the ‘90s. His songs include “Mad Over Me,” “Mister Chin” and “Blueberry Hill.”

• Do You Hear What I Hear (Heartstrings Riddim) from Sadiki. He toured with Beres Hammond on his “Music Is Life” World Tour 2002-2003. The tour took him to all major US markets as well as the Caribbean and Japan. He was signed to the Smashing Pumpkins owned label Scratchie Records under the name “Pancho Kryztal”. He has worked with only the most prestigious producers in the music business including Beres Hammond, Tony ‘CD’ Kelly, Dave Kelly, DJ Spinna and ‘Computer’ Paul Henton. He has shared the stage with numerous artists such as Gyptian, Bascom X, Buju Banton, K-C and JoJo, Ken Boothe, Bounty Killa, Marcia Griffiths, Sizzla, and Kelly Price.

• And, of course, White Christmas by Bob Marley and The Wailers. We all know Bob Marley & The Wailers was a reggae band created by Bob Marley in 1974, after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the precursor band, The Wailers.

There ya go bwoi! Backbeat wishes you an Irie Christmas and a danza New Year!