Nearly 1000 people attend Save Our Sports benefit concert at Memorial Field

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From Joe Parisi- Mt. Vernon Inquirer

On Sunday, August 24, a major benefit concert took place at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, in a continued and relentless effort by the Mount Vernon Athletic Alumni Association (MVAAA) to raise cash to reinstate the Interscholastic Sports Program for Mount Vernon students.
The old and dilapidated stadium, soon to be replaced, was nearly filled to capacity by approximately 1000 people who trekked to Memorial Field to be part of a concert that featured some of the biggest names in Reggae and Jamaican music. The stadium was so crowded that hundreds elected to stand in front of the bandstand to be closer to their favorite performers.
The gates opened at 12 noon for those wishing to patronize the many vendor stands that dotted Memorial Field, but the actual performances didn't commence until after 3:00 PM, ending at nearly 11:00 PM.
The first big name artist to be introduced was Ed Robinson, who electrified the crowd as soon as he walked on the bandstand.
Robinson has been making music since the late eighties. His success has come mostly in the US and in addition, he is probably better known as a drummer and a producer, owning his own studio facilities in both Jamaica and America. Robinson also owns E2 recordings and is involved in the management of other reggae artists and the discovery of new talent. Throughout the years he has worked with the likes of Snoop Dog and Warren G. However, reggae is where his heart lies; touring and recording with the likes of Luciano, Super Cat, Maxi Priest and the late Dennis Brown.
After he awed the crowd with his singing, he jumped on the drums and further electrified the crowd, many clad in the familiar reggae rainbow colors of red, gold, and green.
Following Robinson on the bandstand was legendary and ever popular Frankie Paul, dressed in a white suit.
Paul is often referred to as Jamaica's Stevie Wonder, and not just because of his visual impairment. Like Wonder, he is a talented multi-instrumentalist with a tremendous vocal range. From the beginning, he has been extraordinarily prolific; part of the first wave of dancehall artists, he started his recording career in earnest during the early '80s, and has since flooded the market with hits, releasing countless singles and well over 30 albums. That's made his career difficult to track for all but the most ardent fans, but it's also ensured that he's never been too far out of the spotlight on a constantly changing reggae scene.
Paul did not disappoint his many fans at Memorial Field, singing some of his popular hits to the delight of many.
The legion of people in attendance jumped with joy when a surprise performer by the name of Luciano was introduced. "I cant' believe he is actually here and performing for us," said one Luciano fan.
With the release of his landmark CD "Where There Is Life" in 1995, Luciano emerged as one of the most important reggae singers in decades and the greatest hope for reggae's survival in the digital dancehall era. Since that much acclaimed release, Luciano's music has been consistently praised for imparting sentiments of spiritual salvation, Rastafarian edification and African repatriation.
It was a star-studded event that also featured Sugar Minott, Yami Bolo, Ken Booth, Cha Maine, Crazy Due and others.
A little history about reggae music: Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based on a rhythm style characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, known as the skank. The tempo is generally slower than that found in ska. Reggae usually has accents on the 3rd beat in each bar, there being four beats in a bar; many people think it's accentuated on the 2nd and 4th, because of the rhythm guitar. Furthermore, Reggae is often associated with the Rastafari movement, an influence on many prominent reggae musicians from its inception. Reggae song lyrics deal with many subjects, including faith, love, sexuality, relationships, poverty, injustice and other broad social issues.
The event was sponsored by Linkage Radio 101.5 FM, in association with Mayor Clinton I. Young and the City of Mount Vernon.