Garnet Silk lives on
Garnet Silk lives on . Garnet Silk lives on
The Jamaica Observer
Garnet Silk.

A reluctant star of the roots-reggae renaissance of the early 1990s, Garnet Silk amassed a formidable cache of hit songs in less than five years of recording. His promising career ended with his controversial death on December 9, 1994.

Just 28 years old, he perished when a propane cylinder exploded at his mother’s home in Manchester, where the Rastafarian singer was born. There has been speculation, much of it unfounded, as to the circumstances that sparked the deadly inferno that also killed Etiga Gray, Silk’s mother.

On December 14, his legacy will be celebrated at Zion In A Vision, an event staged by his younger brother Paul “Lij Amlak” Cassanova at Silk Kulcha Yaad in Hatfield district, where the artiste was from.

Aaron Silk, another of his younger siblings, is not surprised Silk’s songs still resonate throughout the reggae sphere.

“Garnet had the ability to create a hit song out of what we would see to be a simple conversation..translating the love, the spirituality or the serious interpretation of a simple conversation,” said Aaron Silk, who is also a singer. “His songs will live through generations to come…the sincerity in his voice, the words, and the melodies stays relevant.”

Born Garnet Smith, Garnet Silk started his music career as Bimbo, a deejay, on Manchester sound systems such as Destiny Outanational. With a change of moniker he was part of a Rastafarian movement in his home parish, neighbouring Clarendon, and St Elizabeth that also included Tony Rebel, Yasus Afari, Uton Green, Kulcha Knox, and Everton Blender.

Their uplifting messages transformed the tone of dancehall music, which was dominated by outrageous deejays since the early 1980s.

Garnet Silk reeled off a flurry of hit songs, among them Zion In A Vision, It’s Growing, Moma Africa, Lion Heart, Love Is The Answer, Kingly Character, With Your Mercy, and Fight Back — which was recorded with singer Richie Stephens and they performed it at Mirage nightclub in Kingston three days before the artiste died.

“Garnet Silk was a very talented and humble person. He was extremely talented in the way he writes and delivers music with a certain amount of passion and conviction that I think goes directly to people’s hearts. His music was very compelling and that is why he got popular so quickly,” Richie Stephens told the Jamaica Observer.

Throughout his brief career, Silk recorded for the top producers in Jamaica, including Bobby Digital, Donovan Germain, Richard Bell, and Sly and Robbie.

One year before his death, he started work on an album for Atlantic Records with musician/producer Mikey Chung. That set was released as The Definitive Collection in 2000.
Jamaica
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https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/12/09/garnet-silk-lives-onzion-vision-event-continues-celebrate-legacy-30-years-artistes-death/
2024-12-09
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Garnet Silk lives on
Garnet Silk lives on