Morgan Heritage
Brooklyn, New York
This Brooklyn-based group was founded by the children of veteran reggae performer Denroy Morgan, formerly of the Mad Creators and Black Eagles. Originally, all eight Morgan siblings--drummer Denroy Jr., guitarists Jeffrey and Nakamyah ("Lukes"), vocalists/keyboardists Una, Roy and Peter, bassist David and percussionist Memmalatel ("Mr. Mojo")--were in the band, which formed while the Morgans were still school-age. However, this roster fell to five by 1997, with Peter, Una, Gramps, Lukes and Mr. Mojo remaining.
As children, the group would perform and practice on weekends in their father's 71 studio. By 1991, the band was ready to record and released their debut single, "Wonderful World," produced by their father; later that year, they released the R&B-inflected album Growing Up.
1992 saw Morgan Heritage make great commercial and creative strides. Their first appearance at Sunsplash created a huge buzz around the group, resulting in several record contract offers and the release of their performance of "Bad Boy" as part of a live album, Reggae Sunsplash Live. Other appearances at prestigious venues like the Apollo Theatre, Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music cemented their reputation as a group of talented musicians with a strong family bond. In 1994, Morgan Heritage released their second album and their debut for MCA records, Miracle, which featured songs produced by Sly & Robbie and by the group themselves.
The group continued to perform live regularly, appearing at Sunsplash in 1995 and making their first trip to Jamaica to perform at the Reggae Sumfest that summer. While there, Morgan Heritage made important contacts with the Jamaican reggae scene, including Bobby "Digital" Dixon and King Jammy. The group spent much of early 1996 recording with these two producers, resulting in two albums, Protect Us Jah and One Calling, released in 1997 and 1998 respectively. 1999's Don't Haffi Dread reunited Morgan Heritage with Dixon for another album of spiritual, urban reggae.
-- Courtesy ( -- Heather Phares, All-Music Guide) -- |
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