Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tribute to John Lennon


30 years ago today, possibly the single most influential man of a generation was shot and killed just a few short blocks from my childhood home. Of course I wasn't born yet, but you can see that the loss is still felt today. His death at the hands of J.D. Salinger Marc David Chapman left a void in his adopted home of New York, as well as the entire world. If I had to describe John Lennon's influence on all mankind, I wouldn't even know where to start, but it ends with his message traveling over any social or geographic barriers. A great example is this Reggae output by Ranking Joe on his album Tribute to John Lennon, released in Jamaica mere months after Lennon's assassination.


The title track is far from the former Beatles' work, style-wise, in fact it's closer to Barrington Levy, but does a good job illustrating his Martyrdom amongst the downtrodden. Listen to Ranking Joe's Tribute below, then chase it with a live showing by the man himself, who in a perfect act of reciprocal synchronicity, advocates for reggae right back.


Ranking Joe - Tribute to John Lennon


John Lennon - Well, Well, Well