Don Letts & Turtle Bay present – Reggae 45 – Reggae Cover Versions

Reggae is a genre that’s synonymous with sweet, summery vibes, however Don Letts and Turtle Bay are here to demonstrate that it isn’t just a seasonal offering – it’s a non-stop, 24/7, all-year-round celebration. Kickstarting 2019 with a brand-new Reggae 45 podcast, the Rebel Dread has teamed up once again with the Caribbean food chain to provide insight, stories, chat and of course music in their latest addition of the acclaimed podcast – Reggae Covers.

In this episode Don goes on a personal voyage to explore the importance of covering records, and the impact it had on popular music. Expect to hear everything from Bob Marley and The Wailers covering Tom Jones, a reggae version of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake,’ and songs that you didn’t even realise were cover versions.

As Pop music and the likes of Beatle-Mania struck a huge chord across the UK in the early 60s, artists such as The Skatalites, Willie Lindo and The Paragons started to put their own take on the undeniably catchy lyrics, hooks and melodies floating across the charts, resulting in incredible success for Jamaican artists, even to the extent of Dawn Penn’s take on Willie Cobbs’ “You Don’t Love Me,” which ended up being a huge hit and is still seen as one of Jamaica’s most celebrated records.

Now in its 10th episode, Reggae 45 has proved itself to be one of the go-to sources of reggae music, facts and intuitions. Notting Hill Carnival, Bob Marley and Trojan Records are just a few of the topics overseen by cultural connoisseur and music maestro Don Letts, whose collaboration with Turtle Bay has resulted in tens of thousands of plays across iTunes and Mixcloud, as well as support on a global scale.

Reggae versions of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean,’ Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart,’ and the Batman Theme Tune are just a scratch on the surface of the delights that are to follow, so set yourselves up for a journey of musical enlightenment and discovery.

Don Letts – https://www.donletts.com
Turtle Bay – https://www.turtlebay.co.uk
Release Date: 13/02/2019
Mixcloud: https://bit.ly/2tlvEgA
iTunes: https://apple.co/2tSYjYh