OLDIES SUNDAY: Messenjah – Rock You High (1982)

Reggae Music has enjoyed a number of “firsts” over the decades, and there are times we forget about them. For today’s “Oldies Sunday” selection, we highlight one of them. Today, we head over to North America to check out Canadian Reggae Band Messenjah’s “Rock You High“.

Produced by Rupert “Ojiji” Harvey and released through Phonyx Records in 1982, Messenjah came to shake the nation with good music on “Rock You High”. Taking the music to a new stage at the time, Messenjah was the first Canadian Reggae Band to sign to a major label (Warner Music Canada a.k.a. WEA). The track got a lot of attention for the Band as it quickly became well known outside of Canada, and it became a part of their live shows over the years. The track was released through their Independently-released debut album of the same name, which went on to be a success.

Since the release of “Rock You High”, Messenjah went on to become one of Canada’s most popular and successful Reggae Bands. The Band went on to release more music, collect awards, toured for a number of years, and even being featured in the movie “Cocktail” starring a then up and coming Actor named Tom Cruise. Messenjah disband in the late 1990s, but reunited with some members in 2014 for a Bob Marley tribute concert in Toronto. “Rock You High” remains one of their most popular releases.