LUCIANO, THE REGGAE STAR, HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR 30 YEARS.
Luciano has secured his reputation as one of the most successful and consistent reggae recording artists of all time after thirty years and more than 60 albums.
Luciano has received numerous awards, including the Key to Kansas City in 1999 and the Order of Distinction in the rank of officer for outstanding service representing Jamaica in the field of entertainment in 2007, as well as being nominated twice by The Recording Academy for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Since the start of his career in 1992, he has been dubbed ‘The Messenjah’ because he is one of the most modest artists on the road as a musical messenger.
“Three decades of experience have taught me a great deal. “I had no clue how much of an impact I would have on people’s lives when I first started singing and traveling the world,” Luciano remarked in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner.
His first two Island Records albums, 1995’s Where There Is Life and 1996’s Messenjah, yielded some of his most popular singles. In 2001 and 2015, The Recording Academy named A New Day and Zion Awake as nominees for the 44th and 58th Annual Grammy Awards, respectively.
BEFORE HE BEGAN HIS MUSIC CAREER
Luciano was sewing tapestries and constructing magnificent pieces of furniture before music was woven into the fabric of his life and the cultural tapestry of Jamaica. He said that singing was only a pastime.
He explained, “I had been working as an upholsterer for a while before deciding to go into music.” After working at Campbell’s Upholstery on Law Street in Kingston’s downtown, he then moved on to Masters Upholstery on Norman Road in the LOJ Complex. “A bredrin who I built a sofa for has notified me that they still have it.” And just the other day, I got a settee, and it busts out – individuals who aren’t doing anything because they love it or aren’t devoting enough time to their products. It has prompted me to contemplate returning to the upholstery and furniture-making industry.”
The 57-year-old entertainer’s candid look back provides insight into the lives of other musical legends. Bob Andy, Dennis Brown, Admiral Tibet, Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert, Robbie Lyn, Jacob Miller, Sugar Minott, Beres Hammond, Sly and Robbie, and Dean Fraser are some of his favorite musicians.
“The fact that I’m meeting some of the world’s most outstanding musicians, as well as vocalists, has been a surprise to me as a country kid.” Although many of them have died away, they continue to inspire me and others. I had heard Bob Andy’s music before, but it wasn’t until I met him that I understood how brilliant he is and how similar we are. A statement made by Luciano reads, “I am a philosopher, and that man was one as well.”
“There have been a number of people who have influenced the guy and musician that I am and have become.” Oh, God… meeting Dennis Brown was another humiliating experience. Imagine seeing this icon in the studio when I was in my twenties. I kept asking if he wanted water since he was leaning his elbow on the wall. I recall rushing to the shop to acquire room temperature water, and when he received it, I was overcome with sympathy. “I wanted to be like him and sing like him because I never saw him lose his cool,” he concluded.
MOST REMARKABLE ACTIVITY
The most memorable moment in his career, according to him, was performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Holland in 2014, as well as a previous appearance on Live At Brixton Academy in 1996. While he relishes the opportunity to kick off his shoes and prance across a stage, Luciano has spent the past two years in his native Brazil, “focusing more on recording new music and doing dubplates rather than touring” in order to avoid contracting COVID-19, though he is unsure if he has ever contracted the virus.
“I may have gotten it,” he claimed, “but I never went to a doctor to receive a diagnosis.” I’ve always depended on my natural herbs for any stuffy feeling or sniffles, drinking a mixture of bissy, aloe vera, medina, and ginger, as well as a concoction called bissy-vera, which is a blend of bissy, aloe vera, medina, and ginger. I also believe that hard work and staying active keeps me effective and helps me stay youthful.”
Luciano is scheduled to perform in 2022, according to certain programs, but he “remains in limbo, not wanting to rush into anything like that.”
The singer-songwriter cracks up at the mere notion of going barefoot on stage, as anybody who has ever been in the crowd of one of his shows will attest. After 30 years of performance, he says, “that’s another thing I’ve learned.” “To put shoes on.”
There was a moment when I was washing my car without any shoes on, and I may say that I’m a Rastafarian and don’t mind roaming around barefoot. In Half-Way-Tree, Mister Sly (of Sly and Robbie) quickly turned his head as though something had just passed through his mind as I was washing the vehicle.” He told Dean Fraser, ‘Me saw yuh singer outta ‘Trees’ barefooted,’ and you never know what effect you make on someone. Even after that, I learned to be cautious since I preferred to act without shoes, and I had the unfortunate experience of walking on some metal shavings on stage and had to stop playing to remove a piece from my foot. With a grin, Luciano recounted, “I have so many lessons and experiences to relate, from almost falling off a box to flipping off a platform and ending up in a culvert under a stage.” “It’s for this reason that soundcheck is so important to me.”
Before returning to the present, he takes a big breath. Many singers are accustomed to deep breathing, but when the Mandeville-born and raised entertainer breathes before speaking, you can hear the passion and devotion that he has managed to deliver in his music, and it is the same deep breath that he took three decades ago when stepping out of his home and into the world of music.
As a dancehall and reggae performer, I’ve had the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives. There’s no denying that music has always been and will continue to be a gateway for many individuals to find work, travel the world, and meet new people. I’ve met a lot of people, even performing for individuals at the highest levels of government in other nations, and it’s taught me a lot. I’ve grown up with music, and it’s taken me places and allowed me to broaden my horizons. At the same time, I’m pleased to be a messenger of conscious music, and there’s more music on the way this year, namely this month. Fans of my music should keep an eye out for an album,” Luciano said.
