Veteran singer believes Jamaicans still want reggae

Florida-based reggae artiste Lascelles Douglas believes that there is still a place for reggae music in Jamaica.

"Jamaican people at home and abroad are still in love with reggae music. I believe this will always be the case if reggae artistes and musicians continue to make good music. It is obvious that dancehall and its offshoot, trap-dancehall, are extremely popular in Jamaica, but reggae is still regarded internationally as the number one genre of music coming out of Jamaica," said Douglas.

The veteran entertainer, who began his career in the 1970s, is back on the scene after a long hiatus. He is currently promoting his new EP Touch Me, which was released last October.

"I have also released two singles from the project, Stop The Violence and Ready For Love, which was originally done by India Arie. I am grateful to all the DJs all over the world who are playing these songs and the other songs on the EP," he said.

The Clarendon-born singer began his career when he and his childhood friend Derrick Thomas formed a duo called Majestic Affairs. They soon became a trio when they were joined by the late Joesph Hill, who would later go on to enjoy tremendous success as a founding member of world-famous reggae group, Culture.

The trio made their recording debut under the name The Imperial Minstrel in 1972, with the release of a song titled Illiteracy Whip on the Studio One label.

After the group disbanded in the mid-'70s, Douglas migrated to Toronto, Canada, where he continued to record and perform as a solo act.

In the early '90s, he decided to pursue a career outside of music; however, he was unable to resist the gravitational pull of the music, hence his return.