Get Into Reggae, Cowboy

Don’t let the wild, wild west garb fool you, the Reggae Cowboys are more than just a novelty act. They blend roots-based reggae with soul, blues and, yes, elements of country and western. The Cowboys rely on slide-guitar as heavily as traditional bass lines to create a truly unique sound within one of music’s most enduring genres.

The Reggae Cowboy’s posse first united in 1993 in Toronto, Canada, of all places, when childhood friends from Dominica, Stone Ranger (lead guitar, lead vocals) and Click Masta Sync (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), recruited Cherokee Lindo for drum duties and let Marshall JP slap the bass strings.

The Reggae Cowboys not only have a true appreciation for cowboy music and history but also a deep respect for the role blacks played in shaping the west. On the cover of their latest cd, Rock Steady Rodeo, there is an action photo of Jesse Stahl, a pioneering black cowboy and rodeo champ.

Rock Steady Rodeo is an eclectic blend of originals and a pair of covers: a one-of-a-kind bouncy take on Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” and a stirring instrumental version of the Bob Marley standard, “Redemption Song.”

  • The Reggae Cowboys will be performing Wednesday Oct. 10 at Skipper’s Smokehouse. For tickets/info call (813) 971-0666