By Shelah Moody
February is Reggae Month. Yes, Reggae Month was officially declared by the Jamaican government in 2008; and now it is commemorated with a series of concerts and events worldwide. In the spirit of Bob Marley, whose birthday falls on Feb. 6, Streetwise Radio follows the journey of foundation reggae band Steel Pulse to the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Steel Pulse was recently nominated a Grammy for their socially and politically conscious album, “Mass Manipulation.” Streetwise Radio’s own Shelah Moody was asked to help coordinate their walk on the Red Carpet. Here’s a timeline of what transpired.
May 17, 2019–Steel Pulse releases “Mass Manipulation,” their first album in 15 years, on the Rootfire Cooperative label.
Nov. 20, 2019 Nominations for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards are announced in 84 categories. “Mass Manipulation” receives a nomination for Best Reggae Album, along with recordings by Koffee (“Rapture”), Third World (“More Work to be Done”) Julian Marley (“As I Am”) and Sly and Robbie (“The Final Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots Radics”). Throughout their 45 year career, Steel Pulse has received nine Grammy nominations. Steel Pulse received their first Grammy for “Babylon the Bandit” in 1986.
September 25, 2019, Grammy Awards voting opens for Recording Academy members.
Oct. 10, 2019, First round voting by Recording Academy members ends.
Dec. 9, 2019, the final round of voting by Recording Academy members begins.
Jan. 3, 2020 The final round of voting by Recording Academy members ends.
Jan. 25, 2020, 3 p.m. After landing in LA for Grammy weekend festivities, David Hinds, Steel Pulse’s lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist and his son Baruch Hinds (rapper) stop at a local mall in Los Angeles to put some finishing touches on their attire for Grammy week. David selects a slim-fitting blue suit by Ralph Lauren and shoes by Aldo and Tahari.
Jan. 25, 2020, 5 p.m. David and Baruch head back to the hotel to get ready for the Grammy Nominee celebration at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. In a sweet moment, David helps Baruch with his tie and contemplates his look for the red carpet.
Jan. 25, 2020, 6:30 p.m. Steel Pulse arrives at Grammy Nominee Celebration at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. They are greeted by their manager, Paul “Ras Pablo” Palmer, who escorts them upstairs to collect their bronze nominee medallions.
They stop to chat with Jazzmeia Horn, 2019 Grammy nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album (“Love and Liberation”). They also meet up with Reid Foster, general manager of Rootfire Cooperative.
They stop to chat with Jazzmeia Horn, 2019 Grammy nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album (“Love and Liberation”). They also meet up with Reid Foster, general manager of Rootfire Cooperative.
Jan. 25, 2020, 7:00 p.m. David and Baruch, joined by Steel Pulse’s sound engineer, Scorpion Omari, check out the fancy vittles at the buffet and discover some nice vegetarian and seafood options. They run into 2016 Grammy-nominee Rocky Dawuni, an acclaimed reggae artist from Ghana.
Jan. 25, 2020, 8:45 p.m Throughout the evening, David and Baruch meet and greet Recording Academy trustees and governors from San Francisco and Washington, DC. They also mingle with 2019 Grammy nominees from classical, jazz and Hawaii music genres who are also Steel Pulse fans. Among them are Catherine Russell (nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album, “Alone Together”) and Kimberly Kauikeolani Miner (nominee for Best Regional Roots Music Album, “Hawaiian Lullaby”). As an activist for native Hawaiian sovereignty, Miner is impressed when David tells her that he has been to Mauna Kea.
Jan. 26, 2020, 11:30 a.m. David, Baruch, and Scorpion joined by Steel Pulse band members Selwyn Brown (keyboards, vocals, melodica), Amlak Tafari (bass) David Elecciri (guitar), Stephen Bradley (trumpet), former member Sidney Mills (keyboards) and several friends and family members of the band gather outside of the Microsoft Theatre in LA, where the award for Best Reggae Album will be announced at the Grammy Premiere Ceremony. But on this exciting morning, Elecciri seems sad and distracted. He says, quietly, that he has heard that NBA star Kobe Bryant has been killed in a helicopter crash. What? This cannot be true! People in the crowd begin to check their cell phones.
Jan. 26, 2020, 12:30 p.m. The Premiere Ceremony begins. Amidst the festivities; the mood is somber. The horrifying story is confirmed. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among eight people killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, CA. Host Imogen heap asks for a moment of silence.
Jan. 20, 1:29 p.m. Suspense builds as Grammy-winning jazz musician Esperanza Spalding announces the nominees for Best Reggae Album. “Koffee, Rapture.”
Everyone claps as Koffee makes her way to the stage and the musical director Cheche Alara and his band play riffs of “Amen,” a composition by multiple Grammy winner Ziggy Marley.
History is made as Mikayla Simpson, aka Koffee, a 20-year-old dancehall sensation from Jamaica becomes the first woman and the youngest reggae artist to receive a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. https://youtu.be/qy3QQvLSqLg
Amlak Tafari Congratulates Koffee
“Blessings, blessings everyone,” Koffee begins. “Thank you so much. I first would like to thank the producers and everyone who helped to make ‘Rapture’ what it is today. I would also like to pay my respect to Julian Marley, Steel Pulse, Sly and Robbie, and Morgan Heritage for the impact they’ve made in the industry and the music. I’ve learned a lot from them and from other older people in the industry, and that’s why I’m here; that’s what brought us all here. So I just want to say that this one’s for all of us; this one’s for reggae, these ones for Jamaica. Thank you very much.”
Jan. 26, 2020, 4:30 p.m. After watching Premiere Ceremony performances by Angelique Kidjo; Yola and other artists, the Pulse start their procession to the Grammy Red Carpet tent, where they will pass media outlets such as CBS, People magazine, Rolling Stone, Essence.com, Blacktree TV and more. It’s. frenzy. The Pulse strolls the red carpet at the same time as industry giants and influencers such as Smokey Robinson, Keith Urban, Yolanda Adams, Quavo, John Legend, and Chrissy Teigen. The Pulse grabs a fab. photo op on the red carpet with rap legend Flava Flav and his crew and David Hinds gets a hug and photo op from Cyndi Lauper.
Jan. 26, 2020; 5:30 p.m. The 62nd annual Grammy Awards televised ceremony kicks off at the Staples Center and Steel Pulse and their entourage take their seats in the VIP section. The venue has become a shrine to fallen hero Kobe Bryant. Fans in Lakers jerseys gather outside of the Staples Center to mourn and leave flowers and candles. Glowing banners and photos of Black Mamba appear throughout the building as well as luminous images of his jersey numbers, 8 and 24. It is surreal.
Jan. 26, 2020 9:30 p.m. Eighteen-year-old Billie Eilish has walked away with the final Grammy award of the evening, for “Bad Guy.” Steel Pulse heads to the annual Grammy after-party at the Staples Center. As the band members wait in line, Koffee and her team are seen leaving the after-party. Wait! “Will you take a photo with Steel Pulse?”
Grammy Winner Koffee Surrounded by Steel Pulse
“Yes!” Says the tiny winner of the night, smiling with a mouth full of braces. Her energy is warm and loving and she hugs a woman who had just lost her elderly father that morning.
The band surrounds Koffee for an epic photo, and kind words and congratulations are exchanged by all. Connections are made. Generation gaps are bridged.
Follow Steel Pulse on tour this spring, steelpulse.com.
Check out their latest video, “Higher Love,” featuring Mykal Rose and Inner Circle: https://youtu.be/upV2ZY-_bHMhttps://youtu.be/upV2ZY-_bHM
For continued Grammy coverage, go to Grammy.com.
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