Surforeggae interviews Reggae Angels, the group that recently released an album produced by Sly & Robbie!

Reggae Angels is a veteran California Reggae group known for maintaining the roots of Jamaican music and bringing conscious messages. In April 2021, Reggae Angels released their new album “Remember Our Creator”, in collaboration with the duo Sly & Robbie. The double album also has DUB versions mixed by Jim Fox, from Lion & Fox Studios, known for having worked with icons such as Gregory Isaacs, Israel Vibration, Culture, Bunny Wailer and Groundation. “Remember Our Creator” is one of the last recordings by legendary bassist Robbie Shakespeare who recently passed away. We spoke with Peter “Fenton” Wardle, lead singer of the group, about the trajectory of Reggae Angels.

THE INTERVIEW

After so many years in the music industry, can you translate into one sentence what Reggae Angels is about? Reggae Angels brings true words and music about knowledge and wisdom to live in love, goodwill and unity. What can people expect from a Reggae Angels performance on stage? Reggae Angels' performance on stage is full of joy and intense rhythm with beautiful subtle melodic transitions and inspiring words of upliftment and encouragement to serve our Creator in unity. How did you become interested in singing and why Reggae? I was first introduced to Reggae Music when a friend of mine played Bob Marley for me when I was in high school. I started exploring the genre by listening to different artists and developed a love for Reggae. At Dartmouth, New Hampshire, where I went to college, I had a reggae radio show and started a reggae band called Ily. I was the vocalist, wrote songs and performed in the region. This was in the early eighties. From then on I stuck with reggae to this day. I have a concert agency called Kings Music International where I work with big names in World Reggae. Do you intend to collaborate and record with artists from other countries? So far I have recorded 15 albums and have had artists contributing backing vocals on some of my songs. There is currently nothing planned, but I am open to the idea of ​​developing these partnerships. Do you know any Brazilian reggae bands? What is your opinion about the sound of Brazilian reggae? I've been listening to Brazilian reggae and it sounds great because God and humanity are one, but as I don't understand much Portuguese, it's a little difficult for me. The message in Reggae music is very important, so I mostly listen to Reggae in English as it is my first language. How do you think Roots Reggae can regain its space in markets like the United States? Reggae is music with a mission and a purpose and a solid foundation so that it will always have a place. The people who love him are very passionate about him. Its popularity will wax and wane, but it will be more widely adopted where there are more people connected to its roots. The better and truer the music is, the more it will be loved and appreciated and will grow in popularity. Can you talk about two great moments you experienced with Reggae Angels? I've experienced many great moments playing big shows over many years, but one of the biggest shows I've experienced was a show in Kenya where I performed in front of 150,000 people. I have also toured extensively with many legendary reggae artists, but some of my best tours as an artist were the 5 US tours I did performing my own songs, supported by Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang. We had a consistently large crowd and were one of the headliners at many festivals. Sometimes we were announced as the lead singer at Sly & Robbie shows. They have given me so much love and support as an artist at live shows and in the studio. We heard that you are willing to perform in South America. Is there any special reason for this? I'm willing to tour South America because I know my music has a true message and has something real to contribute. Everything we do, we want to do well. Our expansion into South America would be progress for us and we know we have a positive mindset and message to share with people. A lot of music these days isn't really uplifting, so we want to contribute something really good. I've come so far with music that I know the foundation is strong, sincere and positive. Reggae Angels' music is a source of benefit and upliftment for people. The further, the better. God willing, this will happen. Leave a message for people in Latin America by reading this interview and learning more about your work. Reggae Angels' music is a song of one love, joy and spirituality. We are here to set an example of righteousness and sing poetry about righteous living. Righteousness is the answer for all humanity, which is why we seek to learn well the criterion between good and evil, live it and exalt it as a contribution to help make the world a better place. We will not change our condition until we change the way we think. We have to purify our thoughts to live positively. Reggae Angels' music is a catalyst for positive transformation.

LISTEN TO A PREVIEW OF THE ALBUM