Mykal Rose backed by Sly & Robbie

Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass), the arrangers, producers, songwriters, session musicians and developers of raw talent, are widely acknowledged as 'the world's greatest rhythm section'. 'The Riddim Twins' have been together for 40 years....between them they are estimated to have played on or produced over 200,000 recordings. Their list of collaborators is a veritable who's who. There is every prominent Jamaican artist from Beenie Man to Sean Paul to Peter Tosh, Don Carlos, Michael Rose, Junior Reid, Shaggy, Cherine Anderson, Bitty Mclean, Black Uhuru, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and Ini Kamozeand. They have played with and produced artists such as Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Paul McCartney, Carlos Santana, Sinéad O'Connor, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, UB40's Al Campbell, Joe Cocker, No Doubt, the Fugees, Michael Franti and countless others.

For over 30 years, Mykal Rose has been recording and performing his brand of militant, hardcore Jamaican reggae to the delight of fans and music lovers around the world. Worldwide, Mykal Rose and Sly & Robbie are household names. Mykal is an exceptionally talented vocalist and performer. He has an original style and sound that was quickly embraced worldwide. Mykal Rose is the favored voice of Black Uhuru, with his Waterhouse slurs, effective songwriting, militant dancing and vocals.

Perhaps Mykal's highest profile recognition came in 1984, when he and the other Black Uhuru members (Duckie Simpson, Puma Jones, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare) won reggae's first Grammy award for the album, Anthem. Black Ukuru with Mykal Rose and Sly & Robbie became the best-known reggae act since Bob Marley. Even today, Island continues to capitalize on the group's success by re-compiling and re-releasing the group's Island years material.

Sly and Robbie, affectionately known as the Riddim Twins, are perhaps the premiere architects of the modern sound of Jamaican music. Building on the cornerstones of Studio 1 and other early pioneers of the Jamaican recording industry, Sly and Robbie became the driving force behind the fabled Channel 1 sound that dominated reggae throughout the late 70's and early 80's. Subsequent work, most notably with Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru, set the pace for the changing sound of reggae in the post-Bob Marley era.

Sly and Robbie have an extensive tour history on the world stage. Their group the Taxi Gang includes a horn section and features an ultimate lineup of top Jamaican recording musicians. Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang have recently been top performers on the Tribute to the Legends, the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Reggae in the Desert, Reggae on the Mountain, Reggae on the River and the Jamrock Reggae Cruise in the US. They regularly tour North America, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and China. When Sly and Robbie and the Taxi Gang perform live, their music is far outside of the box - jazz Reggae - very courageous and experimental. Theirs is reggae music at its highest heights.

Mykal Rose has recently released a lot of new music. His latest album released in 2018 is called Healing of the Nations. This project was produced in California. The album before that is called Tragedy of Rome. Tragedy of Rome was produced in Europe. The album before that released in 2016 was called Rasta State. Also released in 2016 was the album Sidewalk Steppa produced by Foreign Key Records. A single of Sidewalk Steppa,was also released at the same time. He also put out another popular single in collaboration with Melloquence and Cutty Ranks called Hot Water. Hot Water was produced by Pascal who is based in Germany. He released a single collaboration with Al Barose called Want the Herb. Mykal Rose has been very prolific in recent years.

July 2017 Mykal Rose headlined Reggae On The Mountain in Los Angeles backed by the legendary Sly and Robbie. Early September, 2017 Mykal Rose with Sly & Robbie headlined a major international festival in Argentina. December 2018 they headlined the Jamrock Reggae Cruise. They give their audiences the true favored original Black Uhuru sound. Mykal Rose continues to headline many of the best reggae festivals in the world and he has been touring North and South America and Europe steadily.

Mykal's story doesn't begin with Black Uhuru. In 1976, Michael Rose was already a seasoned performer, having honed his skills by performing on Jamaica's hotel circuit. When an early incarnation of Black Uhuru (Ducky Simpson and Errol Nelson) approached Michael to join the group, he already had several solo singles to his credit. These include the original "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" and "Clap the Barber," both recorded for producer Niney The Observer, and "Running Around" for Winston Campbell.

Black Uhuru's first full length album was released in 1977 and called Love Crisis. This was produced by King Jammy (then Prince Jammy), and the big hit of the album was "I Love King Selassie." But it was not until the Showcase album was released in 1980 with a new lineup of Michael Rose, Duckie Simpson, and Puma Jones that Black Uhuru reached their creative peak. Heartbeat reissued the set on CD (Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, HB 18), which includes the massive 12" singles "Shine Eye Gal," "General Penitentiary," "Plastic Smile," and "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner." At the forefront of the recordings and live shows was the charismatic Mykal Rose who had incredible stage presence and a vocal style all his own. So popular was Mykal Rose's trademark sound that singers like Don Carlos, Junior Reid, Yami Bolo and others also embraced the style which is called the "Waterhouse" sound.

Throughout the first half of the 1980s, Black Uhuru continued their success with albums on Island Records - Sinsemilla, Red, Chill Out, and Anthem, along with compilations, dub albums, and live albums. They became the best-known reggae act since Bob Marley, and won the first reggae Grammy for Anthem in 1984. Even today, Island continues to capitalize on the group's success by re-compiling and re-releasing the group's Island years material.

With lead singer Mykal Rose seemingly at the top of his game, he parted ways with Black Uhuru, with the intention of redefining his musical direction as a solo artist. In the early 1990s, Mykal Rose appeared on the scene with new material including Jamaican singles produced by Sly & Robbie ("Monkey Business," "Visit Them," "One a We Two a We"), and three albums (Proud, Bonanza, and King of General) released in Japan.

As a solo artist, Mykal regularly tours the world and he has maintained his Jamaican fan base with hit singles on the island and abroad. Mykal is a modern roots singer who fits perfectly into the modern scene. His recent video remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with Taurus Riley has gone viral. With a glorious past and a wide-open future, Mykal Rose is truly a reggae superstar.