Burning Spear

As both a band and the artist moniker of Rastafarian singer and songwriter Winston Rodney, Burning Spear has left a profound mark on roots reggae with spiritually intense songs that confront oppression and social injustice. Born in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, in 1945, Rodney began his career with a 1969 trip to Kingston spurred by reggae icon Bob Marley, who told him to take his music to the head of the country’s renowned Studio One, Coxsone Dodd. Following the group’s time with Studio One, which resulted in singles like the worshipful “Door Peep” and a debut album, there came a run of records in the latter half of the decade that would prove to be foundational to the reggae genre, mixing deep grooves and uplifting funk with lyrics about faith and tribulation. The essential Marcus Garvey kicked off the streak with powerful songs about its titular Jamaican political activist and slavery (“The Invasion”), and in 1977, Live exposed listeners to the group’s fiery performances. Beyond his ‘70s heyday, Rodney continued to release music at an impressive clip well into the late 2000s, spreading the Rasta word with passion and conviction.