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  1. Concert Planned To Honour Dr. No's Byron Lee

    By Devin Zydel on 2007-06-06

    According to a report from The Jamaica Observer, a concert honouring Byron Lee is set to take place in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday, 30 June 2007.

    James Bond fans will best know Byron Lee and his band, the Dragonaires, as performers of the song ‘Jump Up’ in Dr. No, which can be heard during the scene at Puss Feller’s early on in the film.

    The over 50 years of service to popular music put in by Byron Lee, popularly known as ‘The Dragon’ will again come into focus with the staging of the Honour the Dragon concert, conceptualised by the Friends of Byron Lee Committee. The event will take place on the Lawns of King’s House on Saturday, June 30, 2007, beginning at 9:00 pm.

    “Byron Lee has demanded international respect for taking Jamaican/Caribbean culture to musical heights, a man of this cultural stature must be recognised with performances in his honour,” said member of parliament and member of the Friends of Byron Lee Committee, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.

    Top artistes from Jamaica and the Caribbean region will honour the pioneering role that the legendary band, Byron Lee and the , played in establishing Jamaican musical talent to the world.

    Lee played a pivotal role in the explosion of Jamaican music in the 1960s and 1970s. From the band’s formation in 1956, their international break followed with a performance in the James Bond Film, Dr No (partially filmed in Jamaica); to the stir they created in 1964 at the New York World Fair, where the sound of Jamaica, ska, was taken beyond our shores. Artistes such as Jimmy Cliff, Ken Boothe, and Desmond Dekker accompanied the band. Lee also brought international acts to record in Jamaica, including Jeff Beck, the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon, through his position as head of the Dynamic Sounds studio and the associated label.

    Despite his ongoing battle with cancer, Lee (who spoke by telephone to this writer during the 2007 Jamaica Carnival season), says he remains committed to the music and the entertainment industry.

    Ticket information and artiste line-up will be announced shortly.

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