Aston Barrett Jr.
Aston Barrett Jr. is the son of Aston “Familyman” Barrett, the bassist for Bob Marley & The Wailers, and nephew of drummer Carlton “Carly” Barrett. He grew up in a mixed Rasta and Christian family and was taught spirituality by his mother. Growing up with music as a central part of his life, Barrett Jr. became aware of his family’s fame after watching a Wailers concert on TV at 4 and a half years old. He picked up the bass, emulating his father, who taught him to play and became his mentor. At 7, he joined his first band and later moved to the US where he joined a school jazz band and played drums. He gained professional experience playing bass for Julian Marley and later for Lauryn Hill. In 2009, he accompanied his father on Wailers tours and later became the band leader in 2016. Barrett Jr. co-produced a Grammy-winning album with Damian Marley and co-produced another album with Alborosie. He is a co-owner of BAD Lions Productions, LLC, a studio in Pompano Beach, and has played for several artists including Daniel Marley, Julian Marley, and more.
Read more about Aston Barrett Jr. at:
www.reggaeforce.com
www.astonbarrettjr.com
www.thewailers.com
Brian Newton
Brian Newton
Alaina “Bassie” Reed
One of Alaina’s first memories is sitting behind her father’s turntable at the age of 5 playing various classic rock & Irish folk music. She was always making mix-tapes and listened constantly to music her whole childhood. She was heavily influenced by Metallica & Pink Floyd & listened mostly to rock & metal music throughout her teen aged years. She played the cello & clarinet during school years & dabbled with the guitar as a teenager, but never really took music seriously until she fell in love with the electric bass.
Alaina started playing locally in South Florida at blues jams around the area in 2001. She was lucky to play with some incredibly talented musicians around the area, when she was just a a beginner. She is very grateful for all she learned at bass lessons from Jason Rosner. She took several trips to Victor Wooten’s bass camps. Victor was an incredible teacher for her & she really took his lesson 2 – 10 to heart & it became the way she learned music. Alaina evolved to play Top 40 & R&B, funk, rock, & other genres. The musical love, however, that changed her life’s direction completely was reggae.
By 2004, Reggae music & Jamaican culture had become a true obsession for her. Alaina spent countless hours studying reggae music & meeting many local reggae bands & musicians of South Florida. The realization came to her that she would never learn to feel & understand music created in another culture until she immersed herself in that culture. She started travelling back & forth to Kingston, Spanish Town, & most of Jamaica. She met so many of the greats of reggae music & visited as many studios & live shows as she could.
She has had the pleasure to work with such great artists like the Abyssinians, the Melodians, Leroy Sibbles, Tanya Stephens, Mikey Dread, Red Fox, Everton Blender, Wayne Stoddart, Troy Genius, Red Rat, Causion, Maurice Gregory, Gubu Coparchy, Squidly Cole, & many others… She is currently the bass player for Reggae Force Band. She has had the honour of learning from some of the legends of reggae music including, Aston Familyman Barrett, Aston Barrett Jr., Robbie Shakespeare, Leroy Horsemouth Wallace, Earl Chinna Smith, Benbow Creary, Dave Richards, Brian Fontenelle, Junior Jazz, Chris Meredith, and Squidly Cole.
Currently Alaina is the bass player for the reggae band Reggae Force www.reggaeforce.com) . She also can be heard playing in Catch 23, a classic rock cover band with members Dan Dratch and David Bertok. Look for her in the future with up and coming guitarist Luis Faour in Louie and the Atomics. She has also built a recording studio and owns a production company with exceptionally talented business partners, Aston Barrett Jr., and Brian Fontenelle– BAD Lions Productions, LLC.
Alaina is also a professional dog trainer, equine massage therapist, and yoga teacher.
Please visit equineshakti.com or canineshakti.com to learn more about her life with dogs and horses.
Alaina Reed
Junior Jazz (Wendel Ferraro)
Junior Jazz (Wendel Ferraro), Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies. Ferraro was nicknamed Junior in his early years and, inspired by his love of jazz, added the name of his favorite musical genre to complete his moniker. His early musical influence and experience was gleaned while performing in his local church choir. He met producer Lennie Hibbert who helped the young singer to polish his musical skills, although the duo did not record together owing to Junior Jazz’s resettlement in New York, USA.
On his arrival in the Bronx, Junior Jazz’s connection with Hibbert resulted in him being recruited to accompany visiting Jamaican artists including, Beres Hammond, Gregory Isaacs, Judy Mowatt and the Mighty Diamonds. While supporting the cream of Jamaica’s recording industry Junior Jazz resolved to perform in his own right and formed his own local reggae band. In 1991, as a soloist, Junior Jazz recorded the George Benson hit, ‘The Greatest Love Of All’, which was featured on a Japanese reggae compilation. His interpretation of the song proved especially popular in the Far East.
Through to 1997 Junior Jazz developed his career by performing at the renown S.O.B.’s nightspot, where a representative of Vincent Chin invited him to record his album debut. The release resulted in him being nominated in four categories at the Tamika Reggae Awards and global touring alongside artists such as Bunny Wailer, Buju Banton, Beenie Man and Shabba Ranks. Junior served as musical director/guitarist for Diana King. Junior also tours with world famous Monty Alexander. Junior is now the singer/guitarist for Reggae Force and The Wailers.
Junior Jazz (Wendel Ferraro)
Jeff Renza
Jeff Renza is one of South Florida’s top first-call drummers, having played with many artists including David Letterman guitarist Hiram Bullock, Buster Poindexter, Native American singer/songwriter (and Seminole Tribal Chairman) Chief Jim Billie, Brian Stoltz (The Funky Meters), Chuck Berry, and even the Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown who said, “The boy got SO much pocket, he got pocket in his SOCKS!”.
As a producer and multi-instrumentalist, he helmed the breakthrough independent release of Puerto Rican hardcore band PUYA for NoizBoiz Records as well as records by Shack Daddys and Bonefish Johnny. Jeff is a total perfectionist and is extremely passionate in making sure your music sounds the best it possibly can. He will get you the sound you are looking for!
Jeff Renza
Peter Williamson
Peter Williamson
Howard “Rex” Smith
Howard Smith “Rex”
Dave Washington ‘Lee Kelly’ Sterling
Dave Washington ‘Lee Kelly’ Sterling was born May 1st in Kingston the capital city of Jamaica, the throbbing musical center for the worldwide phenomenon known as reggae music. The year was 1990 when he and four colleagues decided to form a singing quintet, and called themselves ‘Men to Mention’. They went on to land a gig as the opening act for the legendary rocksteady reggae crooner Alton Ellis. From Negril to Montego Bay to Ocho Rios Lee Kelly owned his craft as a singer and performing artist at some of the most famous hotels and tourist attractions on the island including Pointe Village, Breezes known as Seawind, Jamaica Grande, Wyndham, Jack-Tar, and Sandals.
Next step for Lee was when he became the front man for a popular backing concert band Gumption, which was one of the opening acts for the world-famous Jamaican summer music festival Sum Fest in 1995 that was the same year he moved to South Florida. Lee had since traveled the world in Europe, the Caribbean Islands, the Mediterranean, and Japan and all over the United States, delivering reggae standards in his smooth silky style.
Along the way, he has shared the stage with many of the contemporary recording stars from the Island including Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minot, Freddie McGregor, Sizzla , Bounty Killer, Richie Stephens, Everton Blender and Marcia Griffiths just to name a few. Lee who had formed the Nubian Players while in South Florida counts as one of his most important assignment in his career. The band was invited to do backup for the phenomenal Beres Hammond. Having built his career as a stage and concert performer as a front- man delivering Jamaican music, cabaret style as he did in his years on the North Coast, Lee Kelly has always been working in the studio and is now on a mission to release some of the songs he has recorded over the years on his up-coming album.