Reggae singer, Gramps and his brother Peetah Morgan are still on a musical high after completing a very successful tour of Europe that saw them delivering spectacular performances in Zurich, Switzerland; Poland; Bersenbruck and Schlossplatz, Germany; Oslo, Norway; Uppsala, Sweden; Amsterdam, Holland; Cantazaro and Lecce, Italy.
“The shows were all well attended and everyone was very satisfied with our solo performances. A few fans even commented that they were shocked, as they did not know I could sing so good. To be honest, to hear fans sing along to songs from my debut album was refreshing, and is an endorsement of the hard work that I have put in over the last 12 months,” the reggae crooner said in an interview.
The start of the tour came on the heels of a very successful performance at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, that saw Gramps enthralling fans for well over 30 minutes with hits like Come Back To Bed, Time and Wash the Tears.
‘The beres of this era’
So well received was his performance, that fans in the second city
“Beres is a very special artiste who brings his A game whenever he performs. To be compared with an artiste of his calibre means a lot to me. We all know Beres is not just a gifted singer, but he is a talented songwriter who brings love and healing to many relationships and that is just what I’m trying to do with my music,” said Gramps.
Now that the European tour is completed, the next project on the horizon for Gramps is his new charity ‘Music Orchestrating Music’ (MOM).
“We are very excited about our new charity. We did our first live concert in Kenya earlier this year, and partnered with Hands Across Kenya to help supply medicine and other medical equipment to children in the motherland,” he said.
2010 has been a good year for Gramps, having won five major awards including Album of the Year at the Reggae Music Appreciation Awards in Toronto; Album of the Year (Excellence in Music and Entertainment awards), Best New Entertainer, Best Song (Wash The Tears) and Best Crossover (Therapy) at the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) in New York.
Not one to rest on his laurels, he is scheduled to go back on the road for an upcoming tour of the United States later this month, and will head to St Thomas, Virgin Islands for a one-off performance this month
Album doing well
“2 Sides of My Heart Vol 1 is doing extremely well so far, so the plan is to continue to work that album and possibly release a single
When asked what has been the most memorable accomplishment this year, the former football star, turn reggae singer said, “performing at the IRAWMA, Rebel Salute and Reggae Sumfest were highlights of 2010, while winning the Album of the Year award at the EME was an important accomplishment that validated the decision to become a solo artiste. I was shocked to see all who voted for my album. It gave me a lot of courage to keep on keeping on, and made me realise that reggae music is still alive and well.”
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