Ras Michael was born George Michael Henry in Kingston, Jamaica. He grew up in the Rastafarian communities of Salt Lane, Dungle, Oxford Street, Pink Lane, Matthew's Lane, Trenchtown, Rosetown, Clock Circle, Water House, Back a Wall, Cockburn Pen, in the ghettos of Kingston. His mother Mercideth (known as Mercy)was a devoted Christian, she was born in the parish of St. Mary, she left there and moved to Kingston where Ras Michael was born and raised, where he learned hand drumming and eventually became an internationally acclaimed master-drummer. The legendary musician is known throughout the world as a reggae vocalist and Nyabinghi "burra" drum specialist whose style is roots, rock reggae.
"Nyabinghi" means righteous vibrations stretching all the way back to the Motherland. Within the world of reggae, at whose core is the celebration of African roots and culture, the name Ras Michael has long been synonymous with the traditional drumming, dancing and chanting of the Nyabinghi Rastaman, the man who answers to no man but that of Jah who lives within his heart. "Wadada" - Amharic for love - is Ras Michael's favorite word, and Wadada is what the music of Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus is all about. Ras Michael is a true patriarch of reggae, among the purest of its sources, a constant conscience and keeper of the culture.
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