Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus

Born as Michael George Henry around 1943 in Kingston, Jamaica, in the West Indies, he spent his childhood in a Rastafarian settlement in St. Mary, where hand-drumming instruction eventually led him to master the instrument. During the early 1960s he assembled the Sons Of Negus, a Rastafarian ensemble consisting of drummers and vocalists. By the middle of the decade he had established the Zion Disc imprint and began issuing 45s such as ‘Lion Of Judah’, ‘Ethiopian National Anthem’ and ‘Salvation’; these sides, typically fleshed out with guitar and bass, display an unusual level of creativity and nuance. Circa 1966 he worked as a percussionist at Studio One alongside Jackie Mittoo And The Soul Vendors, trading his services for access to recording facilities. In the opening years of the 1970s he cut Dadawah Peace And Love, expanding the ensemble with session players to fuse Rastafarian chant, reggae, southern soul and psychedelia within inventive arrangements. Nyahbinghi assembled a set of chants and hymns patterned after his Zion Disc releases. The 1975 album Rastafari again enlarged the lineup with several prominent reggae players; its concise charts and strong material placed him squarely inside the reggae mainstream, yet that progress stalled following the 1976 release Tribute To The Emperor, recorded with Jazzboe Abubaka and Freedom Sounds. He once more broadened the group for the 1978 albums Kabir Am Lak (Glory To God) and Movements, both regarded as potent collections. Rastafari In Dub appeared in 1979, drawing together choice tracks from Rastafari and Kibir Am Lak. Additional projects comprised Promised Land Sounds Live (1980) and the pair Disarmament and Revelation (1982). His final notable long-player, Love Thy Neighbour, benefited from Lee Perry’s imaginative production. Throughout the latter half of the 1980s Michael devoted considerable time to drumming instruction. He resumed recording with Zion Train (1988), an unremarkable effort made apart from the Sons Of Negus, then Know How (1990), an uninspired set that attempted to integrate world-music ingredients.