From The Gleaner

Jamaicans are all set to experience a one-night musical extravaganza this Christmas season when rhythm and blues meets reggae.

Legendary R&B vocalist, Percy Sledge, is to be joined by some of the greatest names in reggae music on the grounds of Jamaica College, St Andrew.

The December 28 concert, dubbed R&B Reggae Showcase, is being promoted by Reggae R&B Promotions in association with one of the most enduring and sought-after bands in reggae music, Fab 5.

The concert boasts Percy Sledge, John Holt, George Nooks, Leroy Sibbles, A.J. Brown, Merritone Music, along with Digicel Rising Stars alumni Noddy Virtue, Jodi-Ann Pantry, and Nikiesha Barnes.

special treat

According to the promoters, this special treat is designed as the ultimate family showcase for the holiday season.

Sledge will make Jamaica one of the stops on his Caribbean journey, which sees him performing in St Lucia at Love Fest 2013 and the Cayman Islands Jazz Fest.

A favourite among Jamaicans, both the young and not-so-young, Sledge has had his songs covered by reggae and dancehall acts and has previously proven his mastery of the stage to local audiences.

Possessing an extensive and timeless catalogue, the When A Man Loves A Woman singer has had a wonderful year touring the world and is looking forward to his Jamaica reunion.

R&B Reggae Showcase is being positioned as the concert to close 2013 on a musical high, and all the acts are highly anticipating the event.

Interestingly, both Nooks and Holt are also performing in concert with Sledge at Love Fest in Castries, St Lucia.

According to his biography, Alabama-born Sledge had a somewhat unusual introduction to the music business.

Working as an orderly in a local hospital, he was touring with a local band called the Esquires Combo on weekends and working at the hospital during the week. A former patient at the hospital who knew both Sledge and local record producer Quin Ivy introduced them to each other.

Ivy was impressed with Sledge’s emotional style of singing and signed him to a recording contract. Sledge hit it big with his first record, the classic, When a Man Loves a Woman, released by Atlantic Records, which went on to become a worldwide hit (and, incidentally, the first Atlantic record to go gold).

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