News : Music the 'bass' of reggae families
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:37 pm
'A wise son maketh a glad father' holds true in the world of music, where hit-making children of reggae stars are stepping into the limelight, often to the pleasure of their musical families.
Musical families are nothing new to the Jamaican music scene, what with legacies like **the Brownes, the Marleys and the Morgans** (Morgan Heritage), and the tradition carries on with father and son duos **Jimmy and Tarrus Riley**, as well as **Pinchers and Junior Pinchers**. **Queen Ifrica and Derrick Morgan** are a daughter and father combination, and there is **Freddie McGregor** and his three children, **Shema, Chino and Stephen McGregor**.
*Talent in the veins*
Talent runs rapid in the veins of these musicians and performers, who have passed on their legacies to the next generation as their children strive to create their own path.
Having grown up around music for years, these children were quick to develop a love for the whole process of creating a beat, producing a song and releasing it to the world. But while this gives the child the tools to experiment with, it is often up to them to make their own waves. For the McGregors, growing up with their own studio was an advantage in inspiring their love.
For reggae singer Tarrus Riley, coming from a musical background was never a guarantee of becoming a singer. It was an inborn love, as well as encouragement from his mother, that pushed him through to the top. Queen Ifrica, who did not grow up with her father Derrick Morgan, cites her love for music as simply natural, passed down in her blood.
Also passed down from father to son/daughter is a wealth of experience, as well as a natural hype. According to Ifrica, she has inherited a fiery passion, talent and experience from her father, which she describes as a plus.
"People love him so much. I've never seen him lose interest in music. He's always going to shows," she said.
*High expectations*
Having a famous father has both positives and negatives. On the negative side, having a parent in the business creates high expectations, and there are those who believe the child has a natural advantage since their parent has made it.
Tarrus Riley comments that "A lot of people feel you get an easy treatment. Yes, it's good in familiarity and people will want to see what you have to offer, but it's up to you to make your product better."
When that product is good, however, it can often spark a renewed interest in the career of the parent. According to a story published in The Gleaner entitled 'Son's success boosts Jimmy Riley', singer Jimmy Riley claims that the popularity of his son Tarrus has renewed interest in his career.
"Every time dem sey Tarrus dem sey is Jimmy Riley son an that helps to draw mi back out, because Tarrus is the man of the moment and so when people hear that he is my son they play my music to reintroduce themselves with me and my music. Is a blessing, man," Jimmy Riley said then.
He added: "I feel very good, because if you are a dentist and your son comes to be very good or better, it's a joy. It's like it's an inborn thing. I never in my wildest dream anticipated this. He (Tarruswas all over with me in studios and in that environment, so it became a natural step for him."
*Proud of daughter*
While interest in Ifrica has not boosted the career of Derrick Morgan, who continues to perform all across the world, Morgan is always proud of his daughter's accomplishments.
He said "Anywhere I go I'm so happy yo hear about her. I'm feeling so good. Morgan Heritage has been doing well and now I have one of my kids come out and have my name ringing same way. Any time I hear 'bout her I have to give her a call and tell her to keep it up."
While the Marleys have not had the live and direct influence of their father, a number of them continue to praise his name and pursue entertainment as their careers. Carrying on the torch, the Marley children are hosts to many Marley concerts for their father, chairpersons of Ghetto Youth International and multiple Grammy award winners.
*Making legacy*
Producer turned solo artiste Stephen Marley has seen the fruit of being in a musical family, having been involved in the business for 28 years, from a child until adulthood. He once told The Gleaner, "I don't want to be just another artiste. I want to make a statement, and to continue this legacy, this musical legacy, wid my family. Just like my brothers ... I aspire to be a reckoning force. When yuh hear my name yuh know quality comes with dat: good music, good message, good vibe."
A legacy can be a heavy weight to carry, yet many children of entertainers who grew up in and around a studio are making their parents happy that they bear their names.
Krista Henry
*source : [jamaica-gleaner.com](http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com)*
Musical families are nothing new to the Jamaican music scene, what with legacies like **the Brownes, the Marleys and the Morgans** (Morgan Heritage), and the tradition carries on with father and son duos **Jimmy and Tarrus Riley**, as well as **Pinchers and Junior Pinchers**. **Queen Ifrica and Derrick Morgan** are a daughter and father combination, and there is **Freddie McGregor** and his three children, **Shema, Chino and Stephen McGregor**.
*Talent in the veins*
Talent runs rapid in the veins of these musicians and performers, who have passed on their legacies to the next generation as their children strive to create their own path.
Having grown up around music for years, these children were quick to develop a love for the whole process of creating a beat, producing a song and releasing it to the world. But while this gives the child the tools to experiment with, it is often up to them to make their own waves. For the McGregors, growing up with their own studio was an advantage in inspiring their love.
For reggae singer Tarrus Riley, coming from a musical background was never a guarantee of becoming a singer. It was an inborn love, as well as encouragement from his mother, that pushed him through to the top. Queen Ifrica, who did not grow up with her father Derrick Morgan, cites her love for music as simply natural, passed down in her blood.
Also passed down from father to son/daughter is a wealth of experience, as well as a natural hype. According to Ifrica, she has inherited a fiery passion, talent and experience from her father, which she describes as a plus.
"People love him so much. I've never seen him lose interest in music. He's always going to shows," she said.
*High expectations*
Having a famous father has both positives and negatives. On the negative side, having a parent in the business creates high expectations, and there are those who believe the child has a natural advantage since their parent has made it.
Tarrus Riley comments that "A lot of people feel you get an easy treatment. Yes, it's good in familiarity and people will want to see what you have to offer, but it's up to you to make your product better."
When that product is good, however, it can often spark a renewed interest in the career of the parent. According to a story published in The Gleaner entitled 'Son's success boosts Jimmy Riley', singer Jimmy Riley claims that the popularity of his son Tarrus has renewed interest in his career.
"Every time dem sey Tarrus dem sey is Jimmy Riley son an that helps to draw mi back out, because Tarrus is the man of the moment and so when people hear that he is my son they play my music to reintroduce themselves with me and my music. Is a blessing, man," Jimmy Riley said then.
He added: "I feel very good, because if you are a dentist and your son comes to be very good or better, it's a joy. It's like it's an inborn thing. I never in my wildest dream anticipated this. He (Tarruswas all over with me in studios and in that environment, so it became a natural step for him."
*Proud of daughter*
While interest in Ifrica has not boosted the career of Derrick Morgan, who continues to perform all across the world, Morgan is always proud of his daughter's accomplishments.
He said "Anywhere I go I'm so happy yo hear about her. I'm feeling so good. Morgan Heritage has been doing well and now I have one of my kids come out and have my name ringing same way. Any time I hear 'bout her I have to give her a call and tell her to keep it up."
While the Marleys have not had the live and direct influence of their father, a number of them continue to praise his name and pursue entertainment as their careers. Carrying on the torch, the Marley children are hosts to many Marley concerts for their father, chairpersons of Ghetto Youth International and multiple Grammy award winners.
*Making legacy*
Producer turned solo artiste Stephen Marley has seen the fruit of being in a musical family, having been involved in the business for 28 years, from a child until adulthood. He once told The Gleaner, "I don't want to be just another artiste. I want to make a statement, and to continue this legacy, this musical legacy, wid my family. Just like my brothers ... I aspire to be a reckoning force. When yuh hear my name yuh know quality comes with dat: good music, good message, good vibe."
A legacy can be a heavy weight to carry, yet many children of entertainers who grew up in and around a studio are making their parents happy that they bear their names.
Krista Henry
*source : [jamaica-gleaner.com](http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com)*