Johnny Clarke Cooks Musical Feast in L.A. - Video

Recently, legendary roots reggae singer Johnny Clarke flew to Los Angeles from Jamaica—luckily, right before Hurricane Hilary—and, on August 19, in the calm but unsettled and highly charged atmosphere before the storm, he cooked and served a musical feast at the Dub Club.

Clarke’s assistant chefs for the night, helping him whip up a rich, righteous bounty of Rastafari-inspired tunes—with a helping of lovers’ rock—were legendary Soul Syndicate band members: bassist Fully Fullwood, drummer Santa Davis, and guitarist Tony Chin (all playing as part of the “Fully Fullwood Band,” that includes veteran master-keyboardist Michael Hyde).

Starting the evening off in style, and serving as a wonderful appetizer for the historic roots tunes the Dub Club patrons would hear from Johnny Clarke, was a local 1960s ska/rocksteady-revival band called “The Steady 45s”; funky, talented, and cool, they dedicated their set to legendary Jamaican saxophonist (and co-founder of The Skatalites), Lester Sterling, who passed in May.

Photos/Clips by Stephen Cooper
Edited by Teacher@ReggaeVibes
Video compiled by Teacher@ReggaeVibes
©2023 Stephen Cooper