Ijahman Levi
Ijahman Levi (* 1946 in Manchester Parish , Jamaica as Trevor Sutherland ) is a roots reggae musician. His debut album Haile I Hymn was released in 1978 on the Island Records label . He got his stage name Ijahman Levi after converting to the Rastafarian movement while he was in prison between 1972 and 1974. With his works he spreads both the Rastafarian movement and the doctrine of the twelve tribes of Israel .
biography
Levi graduated from Kingston . There the singing teacher Joe Higgs took on him as a mentor. He recorded his first single, Red Eyes People , at the age of 13 with Stranger Cole for Duke Reid Productions. After merging with his band Vibrations, he performed regularly in the Q-Club. After his band broke up, he put together Youth And Rudie And The Shell Shock in 1966, with whom he performed together until the beginning of his solo career. He recorded singles for Polydor in 1967 and for Decca Records in 1968 .
His career was interrupted when he was arrested in 1970 and sentenced to three years in prison. During this time he took the name Ijahman Levi and wrote the piece Jah Heavy Load . When Levi was released from prison in 1974, he found refuge in the Rastafarian House in St. Agnes , the center of the twelve-tribes teaching. He spent most of his time there with intensive Bible study. In 1975 he recorded Jah Heavy Load for the album Man From Warika by Rico Rodrigues . This earned him a record deal with Island Records. After the success of his first two albums, Haile I Hymn and Are We A Warrior , he founded his own label Tree Roots in 1980. The following year he married his second wife, Madge. Levi is still active as a musician to this day, also in Germany, among others at the Summerjam Festival 2006, the Chiemsee Reggae Summer 2008 or the Reggaejam 2012.
music
With his music, Ijahman Levi mainly moves in Conscious Reggae and Roots Reggae, both sub-genres of reggae . He was mainly influenced by interpreters of early reggae such as Peter Tosh . In his lyrics he mainly sings about his religion and the oppression of blacks.
Discography
| year | album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Haile I hymn | Iceland |
| 1979 | Are We A Warrior | Iceland |
| 1982 | Tell It To The Children | Jahmani |
| 1982 | Kingfari | |
| 1984 | Africa | Jahmani |
| 1985 | Lilly Of My Valley | Jahmani |
| 1986 | Ijahman & Madge - I Thu | Tree roots |
| 1995 | Live in Paris | Tree roots |
| 1996 | Sings Bob Marley | Com Four |
| 1997 | Live At Reggae On The River | Ijahman |
| 1997 | Beauty And The Lion | Jahmani |
| 2003 | The Roots Of Love | melody |
| 2006 | Every knee | Kondie Awire |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Levi, Ijahman |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sutherland, Trevor (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Jamaican reggae musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Manchester Parish , Jamaica |