Vinyl, Ernest Ranglin

Please join us for a very special performance by Jamaican guitar legend Ernest Ranglin with Bay Area’s own Vinyl.

Ernest Ranglin is widely credited as the founding father of Jamaican ska and he has been called "the most important musician to emerge from Jamaica" by Island Records’ founder Chris Blackwell. This special 80th birthday celebration will include performances by Ernest Ranglin, Vinyl and special guests – sure to be an extraordinary evening!

Ernest Ranglin:

Ernest Ranglin has influenced and played with many legendary musicians including Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Monty Alexander, Prince Buster, and The Skatalites. In 1958, Chris Blackwell recorded a Ranglin single which became the first Island Records release. In 1964, Ranglin with Coxson Dodd and singer Millie recorded "My Boy Lollipop" which was the first Jamaican song to achieve international success. Ranglin’s album "Below the Bassline" is considered a masterpiece by critics and his fans.

At nearly 80 years old, Ernest Ranglin continues to tour and record music all over the world. In 2012 he is part of a Jamaican Legends Tour with Monty Alexander and Sly and Robbie. In 2011, Ernest Ranglin headlined the High Sierra Music Festival with renowned Bay Area musicians, Inx Herman (Hamsa Lila, Mickey Hart Band, Paul Simon) and Yossi Fine (Ex-Centric Sound System, Lou Reed, David Bowie). After High Sierra, while recording an album in Sonoma County, Ernest Ranglin joined local Bay Area band, Vinyl, at their show in the Healdsburg.

The members of Vinyl have been influenced and have long admired Ernest Ranglin’s music and now they are thrilled and honored to be celebrating the living legend at 80 years old!

Vinyl:

Vinyl is the rare sort of band that can meld funk, Latin jazz, dub and reggae without coming across as pale imitators of the style of the moment. Instead, Vinyl can alternately sound like the best live funk, Latin, reggae or dub band you’ve heard in ages – and occasionally, all at the same time. Instead of going for flash or gimmicks, Vinyl brings it with fierce musicianship and zesty abandon, proving you can have both substance and style. It’s an approach that has made the band favorites of the festival circuit, but the best place to experience them is on the dance floor of a hot, sweaty indoor venue.