MESSENJAH Releases New Single "NO MORE" After Four Decades
Founded by Rupert Ojiji Harvey and Errol Skippah Blackwood, the band became Canada's first major-label reggae act.
45 years after they first plugged in, Messenjah is not slowing down. The group has released 'No More,' a new single that finds Canada's reggae originators sounding as fierce and vital as they did the day they started.
Formed in Kitchener, Ontario in 1981 by Rupert 'Ojiji' Harvey and Errol 'Skippah' Blackwood, Messenjah became the first Canadian reggae band ever signed to a major label, breaking down doors that had never been opened for the genre in the country. Their debut, 'Rock You High,' and its follow up, 'Session,' turned them into pioneers, and 'Jam Session' became a bona fide national anthem. They performed at Jamaica's Reggae Sunsplash, appeared in the Hollywood film Cocktail, and in 1998 played for Nelson Mandela at Toronto's SkyDome the same year they took home a Juno Award.
'No More' picks up that legacy and pushes it forward with urgency. 'No More shall we settle for less than the highest height, like a lion who trods in the darkest night, with no fear in our hearts cause we know Jah light,' the band declares. The chorus lands with the same resolve: 'No More messing around, No More wearing no frown, No More believe in what they say, No More giving things away.'
The song's bridge names the band directly: 'Messenjah flag bearer, storm and thunder society teacher, Messenjah truth giver, sent to Earth to set the people free ya.'
Today's lineup carries that legacy forward with founding member Rupert 'Ojiji' Harvey still leading from the front, along with Carl 'Carlos Bandana' Harvey of Toots and the Maytals on lead guitar, Charles 'Tower' Sinclair on bass, Orville 'Wyz' Malcolm on keyboards, and newest member Sammo 'The Genius' on drums. 'No More' was written by Harvey and composed alongside Malcolm and Sinclair, with Malcolm producing and Sinclair co producing.
Warner Music Canada's re release of the band's classic catalogue introduced their music to new generations, and a 2014 reunion performance at a Toronto Bob Marley tribute confirmed the fire had never gone out. 'No More' stands as the latest confirmation that more than 40 years after their first note, Messenjah remains a working band, still writing, still performing, and still leading.
