This summer celebrate Marley?s music and more at the 1st annual Bob Marley: Roots Rock and Reggae Festival.

We already heard of his performance at the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest 2004 in Montego Bay, St. James, recently, when Cleve 'Stitchie' Laing challenged thousands of spectators to revisit the way they live, dress and behave.

For local reggae fans, further proof was hardly necessary. But for outsiders looking into Japan's reggae scene, the demise of the foreign artist-centered Reggae Japansplash and the doubling in size of Yokohama Reggae Sai, which is hosted by the Mighty Crown and focuses on Japanese acts, are highly symbolic of the continuing surge in popularity of domestic reggae compared to its Jamaican parent.

Fully Loaded, held on Sunday at the scenic James Bond Beach in Oracabessa, St. Mary, was fully packed with the essential elements of a great beach party - a beautiful beach, lots of sexy people willing to show what they've got and infinite levels of energy and hype.

In the wake of a campaign by the homosexual community to stop deejays with anti-gay lyrics from performing in Europe, there was defiance from Bounty Killer and Beenie Man at Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest 2004.

On a night when the performances were more good than great, bobo soldier Sizzla Kolongi stole the spotlight on International Night I of Reggae Sumfest 2004, at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, in Montego Bay, unleashing the full range of his musical power to stunning effect.

The enduring power of roots rock reggae - vintage style - took centre-stage at the Club Inferno Complex, in Montego Bay, on Wednesday night.

Rhythm and Blues maestro Lionel Richie billed as the major attraction on this year's Sumfest showed exactly why he considered to be an international superstar.

Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest's Dancehall Night, the first of the festival's three main shows at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex, was a picture of professionalism, resulting in patrons enjoying a night's worth of top-class performances in what was probably one of the best-run stage shows so far this year.

The trademark dreadlocks may flow from a wiry nimbus of gray hair. And the bristling beard may sport more salt than pepper.