Go to most any venue or concert in town, and you may find yourself feeling some serious reggae vibes
. 
Reggae originated in Jamaica in the 1960s and has long been looked at in the U.S. as beach music typically played by Jamaican artists. But the tide is changing fast, according to Southwest Florida's reggae-inspired bands.

"It used to be that reggae was only found on the beach. But now you have bands like us trying to do something a little different on a more professional scale," said Nickardo Salmon, bass player and vocalist for NostalJah, a reggae band based in Cape Coral.

Salmon, in his thirties, was raised in Jamaica and played reggae there. He met his wife Drea, also a vocalist, in Southwest Florida, and together they started a band in 2015. Now, they play in cities between Naples and Port Charlotte as well as across the state. 

He brings reggae, a mix of music elements like rhythm and blues, jazz and Jamaican folk music. She adds a more soulful, R&B sound. And when they fuse them together, they create a sound all their own. 

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Shaggy and Sting another Reggae Team.

It's one of this year's most unlikely collaborations. Shaggy is a Jamaican dance hall star with an unmistakable voice and raunchy hits like 1995's "Boombastic" and 2000's "It Wasn't Me." Rock star Sting, his partner, is a little more buttoned-up in comparison. But despite being from two different corners of the music world, the pair's first collaboration album 44/876, out now, is a meeting of the minds — one that's so unexpected, it works in their favor.

"I think surprise is always the most important element in all music," Sting says. "You don't want to just go with people's expectations. You always want to surprise them ... I listen to music expecting a surprise within eight measures."
"We're both allergic to boredom," adds Shaggy.

Read more here: https://n.pr/2FGYsUn

Barry Brown (c. 1962, Jamaica — 29 May 2004) was a Jamaican reggae singer, initially coming to prominence in the 1970s with his work with Bunny Lee, but remaining popular throughout his career.

Barry Brown was one of a number of singers to find success in the 1970s under record producer Bunny Lee. After forming a short-lived group called The Aliens with Rod Taylor and Johnny Lee,[1] Brown went solo. Although his first release, "Girl You're Always On My Mind", had little impact, his vocal style soon found popularity, with his first hit single coming with 1979's "Step It Up Youthman", which led to an album of the same name on Paradise Records.[2] One of the most successful artists of the early dancehall era, Brown worked with some of Jamaica's top producers of the time, including Linval Thompson, Winston "Niney The Observer" Holness, Sugar Minott and Coxsone Dodd, as well as releasing self-produced material.[2] He recorded for Studio One in 1983, including "Far East".[2] After releasing eleven albums between 1979 and 1984, Brown's releases became more sporadic, although his work continued to feature prominently on sound systems such as those of Jah Shaka.

In the 1990s, Brown's health deteriorated, suffering with asthma and substance abuse problems, and he died in May 2004 in Sone Waves recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica, after falling and hitting his head.[3]

Barry Brown, a great Reggae Artist who passed on too soon.