Reggae Culture Salute celebrates 40 years of the Mighty Diamonds

The Mighty Diamonds, the only Jamaican group to boast the same members after forty years, will be honoured at Reggae Culture Salute 2009, scheduled for the Performance Centre at Nazareth Regional High School in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, November 1.

The Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music will use the platform to have a twin celebration - the 40th anniversary of the Mighty Diamonds and the 79th anniversary of the coronation of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Mennen of Ethiopia.

Performances will come from Warrior King, Everton Blender, the Mighty Diamonds, the Ethiopian World Federation Nyahbinghi Drummers along with Dub Poet Infinity and roots singer, Ossie Dellimore.

The Mighty Diamonds ranks high among the pioneers in the pantheon of reggae music. Their name is synonymous with Rastafari and Roots Reggae and the trio has been entertaining and educating the world for years with their sweet harmonies, conscious lyrics and polished performances.

The annual Reggae Cultural Salute is a multimedia presentation which highlights the unique relationship between Reggae, Rasta, Selassie, and Jamaica and is also a benefit concert for the Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music (CPR) Community Conversation Series.

Reggae Culture Salute is a family-friendly, first-class showcase of the best of Roots Reggae suited for reggae aficionados as well as newcomers.

The New York Times called the 2006 staging of Reggae Culture Salute "a celebration of reggae's old -fashioned family values". The fifth annual Reggae Culture Salute will continue the tradition of presenting diverse stages of the genre's evolution.

The event also features a full screening of Stephanie Black's film, Africa Unite, about the 2005 Marley family concert held in Ethiopia in honour of Bob's 60th birthday. It was premiered at Reggae Culture Salute 2007.