Beres Hammond added to 20th Festival of Life/31st IRAWMA celebration

INTERNATIONAL REGGAE ICON BERES HAMMOND, ONE OF JAMAICA’S GREATEST PRACTICING SINGER-SONGWRITERS WILL OPEN UP THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF LIFE JULY 4TH WITH HIS SMOOTH SOULFUL REGGAE SOUNDS. AN AWESOME MUSICAL TALENT, HAMMOND IS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THE MIGHTY LEGACY OF SOULFUL REGGAE MUSIC.
For 30 years Hammond has poured his smoky–sweet voice – an instrument of subtlety and power reminiscent of Teddy Pendergrass – over every kind of riddim track‚ from the funked up reggae jams of the ‘70s fusion band Zap Pow to the lush instrumentation of his 1976 album ‘Soul Reggae’; from the spare digital beat of his 1985 dancehall breakthrough “What One Dance Can Do” to modern classics like the strugglers’ anthem “Putting Up Resistance” and lovers’ laments “Come Back Home” and “Double Trouble” and the rub–a–dub groove of his hit single “They’re Gonna Talk.”
Hammond headlines the opening day of the 5-day music, food and culture fest taking place July 4th – 8th at 55TH Street west of Cottage Grove in Washington Park. In addition, for the first time in its 31 year history, the International Reggae & World Music Awards (IRAWMA) takes place in conjunction with the festival, rolling out the Red Carpet to Reggae royalty and their guests at 5 p.m on Thursday, July 5th. Festival hours are 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm daily, except July 5th and 6th from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
Also headlining are Richie Stephens (July 4), Mutabaruka, Tarrus Riley (July 6), Queen Ifrika, Ken Boothe (July 7), Third World, Enchantment (July 8). More than fifty other acts will perform on two stages at the weekend celebration which is dedicated to “Health Awareness” and in honor of Jamaica 50 Years of Independence.