The Sons Of Negus

The Sons Of Negus

Michael George Henry OD (born 1943), better known as Ras Michael, is a Jamaican reggae singer and Nyabinghi specialist. He also performs under the name of Dadawah.

Biography
Henry was born in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, where he was raised in a Rastafari community. As a teenager he moved to Kingston's Waterhouse district where he played with local Rastafari musicians. He set up the Zion Disc label in the mid-1960s, and also worked at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One as a session musician and released a number of singles. He was the first member of the Rastafari movement to have a reggae radio program in Jamaica (The Lion of Judah Time program first aired in 1967 on the JBC). His band is called The Sons of Negus and are known for their traditional Nyabinghi drumming and chanting. Tommy Cowan saw Ras Michael's group in 1974, and released an album of their music later that year as Nyahbinghi. The album did not sell well, so Cowan produced a second album, Rastafari (1975), with the group augmented by top studio musicians, including bassist Robbie Shakespeare, guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith, keyboard player Robbie Lyn, and additional guitar from Peter Tosh; Rastafari, which featured a painting of a young Haile Selassie by Neville Garrick on the cover, was more commercially successful, and was followed in 1977 by Kibir Am Lak, which increased the popularity of the group in Europe and the United States. Ras Michael contributed to recording sessions at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark studio (including sessions with Bob Marley), and he performed with Marley at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica in 1978. With the Sons of Negus he recorded an album (Love Thy Neighbor) with Perry at the Black Ark. He recorded "Give Love" with Suns of Arqa in 1984 for their album India? In all, he has recorded over 25 albums. In addition to acting as an evangelist, ambassador and diplomat for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tawahido Church internationally, Ras Michael is one of the founders and president of the Rastafarian International/Marcus Garvey Culture Center in Los Angeles, and the Fly Away Culture Center in Kingston, Jamaica. Currently he lives in Los Angeles. In August 2015 it was announced that he would be awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in recognition of his contribution to the development of the country's music.

Albums (15)

Compilations (2)

Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
A Psalm Of Praises To The Most High The Sons Of Negus A Psalm Of Praises To The Most High DSRCD 005 CD Dub Store 1967-72 2016
New Name Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus New Name RB 3007 CD Culture Press 1977 1994

Credits & Appearances (17)

Production
Producer 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
A Psalm Of Praises To The Most High The Sons Of Negus A Psalm Of Praises To The Most High DSRCD 005 CD Dub Store 1967-72 2016
Musicians
Backing Vocals 1
Movements
Dynamic Sounds • 1978
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Movements Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus Movements none LP Dynamic Sounds 1978 1978
Bass Drum 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Rastafari In Dub The Sons Of Negus Rastafari In Dub LP Top Ranking 1978 1978
Drums 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Give Thankx Jimmy Cliff Give Thankx BSK 3240 LP Warner 1978 1978
Funde 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Rastafari In Dub The Sons Of Negus Rastafari In Dub LP Top Ranking 1978 1978
Percussions 1
Africa
Jahmani • 1984
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Africa Ijahman Africa JMI 400 LP Jahmani 1984 1984
Repeater 1
Artist Album Release Type Label Rec Rel
Rastafari In Dub The Sons Of Negus Rastafari In Dub LP Top Ranking 1978 1978
17 albums
17 credits
14 labels
1974 - 2016