– Award winning actor and playwright David Heron has completed production as the narrator of A Reggae King Rises Again, Rolling Stone Magazine’s new audio podcast tribute to Jamaican reggae legend and Grammy Award winning musician Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert.
The podcast is based on an article written by Rolling Stone Editor Jason Fine, and which appeared in the September 2020 edition of the magazine, just weeks before Hibbert’s passing from covid 19 complications.
The podcast was produced by New York Times owned production company Audm, which specializes in turning long form journalism content into audio, and is now available on Rolling Stone’s website.
AReggae King Rises Again chronicles the entire span of Hibbert’s life and career from his humble beginnings in May Pen, Jamaica through his rise to international stardom, which lead to musical collaborations with the likes of Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson among others.
For the Jamaican born Heron, who has appeared Off Broadway, regionally and internationally in such acclaimed theatrical productions as Marley-The Musical, The Emperor Jones (Irish Repertory Theater), as well as his own Love and Marriage and NewYork City and many Shakespearean roles, the experience of bringing to life the story of one of Jamaica’s greatest musical icons was both educational and emotional.
“He really planned to be around for a long time. He was anxious to put out new music and looking forward to touring again to keep his fans happy and honor his commitment to take care of his family and friends For me, it makes his passing seem so much more untimely now. It’s been a great honor of my career to be associated with this project, especially because of how I came to be involved- as if fate and destiny came together.”
Toots and The Maytals at Rudolstadt-Festival 2017 by User:Carstor
In the aftermath of Hibbert’s passing last year, Heron recalls exchanging social media messages with his friend and colleague Andrea Bullens, CEO of BullZii Marketing in New York , who had posted a tribute to Toots on her instagram.
“I was lamenting to her how much I wished I’d had the opportunity to meet or work with Toots – as she had done- and when that conversation ended, I started to try and think of a way I might pay homage to him as well.”
Literally three weeks later, Heron received an email indicating that some producers were searching for a Jamaican actor to be part of a special project. When his team investigated and got back to him, he was stunned to discover that it was the producers from Audm , hoping to interest him in being the narrator for the Toots project. He was officially hired in November.
Then, the very next day after he finished recording the production in late January, his friend, mentor and first employer – Jamaican businessman and advertising executive Ronnie Nasralla – passed away at age 90.
Ironically, Nasralla had been one of Toots and The Maytals’ very first Managers in the 1960s.
“So that brought me full circle,” Heron says, “And so, I’m dedicating my performance to Ronnie and of course to Toots. Because clearly my participation in this project was simply meant to be.”
Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who is considered to be one of the world’s greatest pioneers and ambassadors of Reggae music. In a six decade career, he became famous for major hits such as 54 – 46, Bam Bam, Pressure Drop and Sweet and Dandy among others. He won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for his collaborative effort, TrueLove. His final album, Got To Be Tough, is nominated for the 2020 Grammy Award in the same category.
The link to the podcast on Rolling Stone’s website can be found here:-
Share this post:
– Award winning actor and playwright David Heron has completed production as the narrator of A Reggae King Rises Again, Rolling Stone Magazine’s new audio podcast tribute to Jamaican reggae legend and Grammy Award winning musician Frederick ‘Toots’ Hibbert.
The podcast is based on an article written by Rolling Stone Editor Jason Fine, and which appeared in the September 2020 edition of the magazine, just weeks before Hibbert’s passing from covid 19 complications.
The podcast was produced by New York Times owned production company Audm, which specializes in turning long form journalism content into audio, and is now available on Rolling Stone’s website.
A Reggae King Rises Again chronicles the entire span of Hibbert’s life and career from his humble beginnings in May Pen, Jamaica through his rise to international stardom, which lead to musical collaborations with the likes of Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson among others.
For the Jamaican born Heron, who has appeared Off Broadway, regionally and internationally in such acclaimed theatrical productions as Marley-The Musical, The Emperor Jones (Irish Repertory Theater), as well as his own Love and Marriage and New York City and many Shakespearean roles, the experience of bringing to life the story of one of Jamaica’s greatest musical icons was both educational and emotional.
“He really planned to be around for a long time. He was anxious to put out new music and looking forward to touring again to keep his fans happy and honor his commitment to take care of his family and friends For me, it makes his passing seem so much more untimely now. It’s been a great honor of my career to be associated with this project, especially because of how I came to be involved- as if fate and destiny came together.”
In the aftermath of Hibbert’s passing last year, Heron recalls exchanging social media messages with his friend and colleague Andrea Bullens, CEO of BullZii Marketing in New York , who had posted a tribute to Toots on her instagram.
“I was lamenting to her how much I wished I’d had the opportunity to meet or work with Toots – as she had done- and when that conversation ended, I started to try and think of a way I might pay homage to him as well.”
Literally three weeks later, Heron received an email indicating that some producers were searching for a Jamaican actor to be part of a special project. When his team investigated and got back to him, he was stunned to discover that it was the producers from Audm , hoping to interest him in being the narrator for the Toots project. He was officially hired in November.
Then, the very next day after he finished recording the production in late January, his friend, mentor and first employer – Jamaican businessman and advertising executive Ronnie Nasralla – passed away at age 90.
Ironically, Nasralla had been one of Toots and The Maytals’ very first Managers in the 1960s.
“So that brought me full circle,” Heron says, “And so, I’m dedicating my performance to Ronnie and of course to Toots. Because clearly my participation in this project was simply meant to be.”
Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who is considered to be one of the world’s greatest pioneers and ambassadors of Reggae music. In a six decade career, he became famous for major hits such as 54 – 46, Bam Bam, Pressure Drop and Sweet and Dandy among others. He won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album for his collaborative effort, True Love. His final album, Got To Be Tough, is nominated for the 2020 Grammy Award in the same category.
The link to the podcast on Rolling Stone’s website can be found here:-
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/toots-hibbert-interview-reggae-king-1042219/
Follow the Buzzz on Instagram and Facebook
Photo attribution: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Share this post: