CaribWorldNews, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 24, 2009: Haitian singer Wyclef Jean this week received the ASCAP Creative Voice Award from the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization.
Jean was among the special honorees at the star-studded 26th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards, held on Wednesday, April 22nd at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California. The event was held to salute the songwriters and publishers behind some of today's most popular music.
Special awards were also presented to Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart who were honored with the ASCAP Founders Award and Santigold who received ASCAP's Vanguard Award. Awards were also presented to the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most performed pop songs of 2008. They included Jesse McCartney and Ryan Tedder for `Bleeding Heart` and `Low` by Flo Rida.
BOB MARLEY LIVES ON
Reggae legend Bob Marley continues to live on in his music, with one of his famous songs topping a list of Jamaica's 100 best songs over 50 years.
The list, released this week by a panel of musicians and cultural officials associated with the University of the West Indies show that `One Love,` from Marley, topped the 100 list. The song scored 726 points, far ahead of the 540 points scored by second place winner `O Carolina,` which was originally recorded by the Folkes Brothers.
The panel was headed by former Finance and Planning Minister Omar Davies and included businessman Chen, musicologist Vaughn `Bunny` Goodison, Frankie Campbell, who heads the popular Fab Five band, broadcaster Francois St. Juste, journalist Basil Walters, and musician Sly Dunbar of the band Sly and Robbie fame.
The other top songs and the singers were: `54-45` by The Maytals; `Got to Go Back Home` by Bob Andy and `My Boy Lollipop` by Millie Small.
CARIBBEAN STEELBAND ARRANGER DEAD
Trinidad-born steel band arranger and guitarist Scipio Sargeant is dead. Sargeant, known as Scipio `Skip` or `Sarge,` passed away on April 21.
He migrated to us in the early 1970's and was an accomplished guitar player and music arranger. Sargeant worked with major artists including Harry Belafonte. He was one of the top musicians in his home country and according to Steel Talks, was a co-arranger for Despers USA. He also won a record five of the orchestra’s six consecutive New York Panorama Championships from 1993–1998.
