The Godiva party gets started with an array of reggae artists performing on the main stage of the festival on Friday night.
| 6.00pm | Warm up local acts |
| 6.30pm | Michael Prophet |
| 7.25pm | Ambelique |
| 8.15pm | Tippa Irie |
| 9.15pm | Inner Circle |
Michael Prophet has got one of the most distinctive and beautiful voices known in the whole reggae world. He was born in 1957 and grew up in the western Kingston ghetto of Greenwich Farm. He began his recording career in 1977 when he was discovered by the legendary producer Vivian Jackson, better known as Yabby You. Yabby You took Michael to Channel One where he voiced his debut song "Praise You Jah Jah".
After working with legendary dancehall producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes, and numerous different producers, Michael moved to London in 1988 and the hits just kept coming. He began working for the Brixton based Passion label and the tune "Your Love" (with Sir Coxsone DJ Ricky Tuffy) was an enormous number 1 hit. Other cuts like "Body Fusion" and "Cry Me A River" all hit the UK reggae top ten. The follow-up album "Get Ready", in collaboration with Ricky Tuffy ruled the charts throughout 1991. Michael then went back to producing himself and had success with two 90s albums, "Bull Talk" (Greensleeves) and "Magnet To Steel" (Jet Star).
He continues to tour the world frequently and he commands massive respect from both the roots and dancehall crowds within reggae music.
Following in the footsteps of Gregory Issacs, John Holt, Ken Booth, Beris Hammond Freddie McGregor, and Dennis Brown. Ambelique has now joined that selective group of Artists from Jamaica who sing and perform deep soulful reggae the way it should be done!
There's an old saying 'nothing happens before its time'. It could have been coined especially for Ambelique, who despite his wealth of current hits and rocketing popularity among grassroots enthusiasts, waited patiently for his breakthrough into the reggae big time. Then again, Ambelique is no ordinary singer. His tones of expressions and vocal technique are simple outstanding, and the soul in his voice so moving at times, the listener is reminded of early R&B greats such as Sam Cooke.
Anthony Henry - a.k.a. "Tippa Irie" - emerged from England's Saxon Sound International - the star-studded travelling sound system that has been at the forefront of the U.K. reggae dancehall scene for the past 25 years and helped launch the careers of artists such as Maxi Priest, Papa Levi and Smiley Culture.
Tippa Irie was part of the new generation of British MC's who developed the 'Fast Talking' style chat which today can be heard in modern day rappers like Busta Rhymes.
Tippa toured extensively with his friend and long-time sparring partner, Pato Banton, throughout the Eighties including an appearance at Jamaica's Reggae Sunsplash and their U.S. debut tours together.
Inner Circle is, of course, best known for "Bad Boys," a ubiquitous crossover hit thanks to its use as the theme song for the long-running Fox TV reality series Cops. But the Grammy Award winning band had a lengthy history prior to its international breakthrough, dating all the way back to the late '60s. They hit the big time in Jamaica during the '70s as a danceable yet rootsy Rastafarian reggae outfit, fronted by the charismatic singer Jacob Miller. Miller's tragic death in a car accident in 1980 put the group on hiatus for several years, and when they finally regrouped in the mid-'80s, they began to temper their rootsiness with elements of pop, R&B, and dancehall. Originally recorded in 1987, "Bad Boys" became a worldwide smash in the early '90s, and the group soldiered on into the new millennium amid several personnel changes.
At the peak of their early popularity in Jamaica, Inner Circle performed at the legendary One Love Peace Concert in 1978, along with Bob Marley and many others. Heartland Reggae, the film documentary of the concert, helped introduce them to international audiences, and landed them a new deal with Island Records.
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