Originally posted on 07-23-18: On July 23rd, in 1892, Ethiopian Ruler, former Emperor and the deity for the Rastafarian cultural/spiritual movement, Haile Selassie I was born near Harer, Ethiopia. Without the birth and subsequent rule of Halie Selassie (original name Ras Tafari Makonnen), Jamaican music would have had a distinctly different sound and lyrical content. I couldn’t imagine a world without reggae, dub and dancehall music. Most of the Jamaican session musicians were firm believers and practitioners of the Rastafarian movement.
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On July 23rd, in 1964, Tim Kellett, the background vocalist, trumpeter and keyboard player for the band Simply Red was born in Knaresborough, UK. They had a huge hit song Holding Back the Years in 1986. He would later join a band called Olive where they scored another hit in 1997 for the song: You’re Not Alone.
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On July 23rd, in 1965, the infamous guitarist Slash was born in London, England, UK. His birth name is Saul Hudson. He’s the son of a British father and an African American mother that infamously designed and manufactured famous musicians stage outfits in the 60’s & 70’s. Slash got the nickname because he was always on the move. A former BMX biker in his teens, he went on to perform with Gun & Roses, Michael Jackson & made his own bands Velvet Revolver & Slash’s Snakepit.
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On July 23d, in 2011, the female vocalist Amy Jade Winehouse was found dead in her house in London. She was only 27 years old. It was well-known that she was having trouble with alcohol and drug abuse during the later days of her career. Authorities later determined her death to be attributed to alcohol poisoning. She worked with Salaam Remi, the Dap-Kings and many others to rebirth an old-school soul sound.
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