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Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land

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2024 5 episodes
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At the height of the golden age of reggae, some of Jamaica’s brightest stars left their homeland behind to shine their light in an unlikely hub of Caribbean creativity: Toronto.

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Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land
  • Roy & Yvonne
    Roy & Yvonne
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    Graeme Mathieson  &  Chris Flanagan 2024 15 min
    Roy Panton and Yvonne Harrison made history as one of the first Jamaican ska duos. Decades after going their separate ways, the pair rekindle their magic—this time, 3,000 kilometres north, in Scarborough, Ontario.
  • Nana McLean
    Nana McLean
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    Graeme Mathieson  &  Chris Flanagan 2024 15 min
    Against the changing face of Toronto’s Little Jamaica, where she established some of the city’s landmark reggae record stores, singer Nana McLean challenges outdated stereotypes and establishes her reputation as the queen of Reggae in Canada.
  • Johnny Osbourne
    Johnny Osbourne
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    Graeme Mathieson  &  Chris Flanagan 2024 18 min
    Before gaining international recognition as the “Dancehall Godfather,” legendary singer Johnny Osbourne was at the forefront of a revolution that transformed Toronto into one of the most influential reggae communities in the world.
  • Leroy Sibbles
    Leroy Sibbles
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    Graeme Mathieson  &  Chris Flanagan 2024 17 min
    In Trench Town—the birthplace of reggae—Leroy Sibbles rose to stardom as the lead singer of The Heptones and the undisputed king of the reggae bassline. Then, at the height of his career, he left it all behind to create a new legacy for himself in Toronto.
  • Jerry Brown’s Summer Records
    Jerry Brown’s Summer Records
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    Graeme Mathieson  &  Chris Flanagan 2024 15 min
    Jerry Brown’s Summer Records was one of the first recording studios to give Canadian reggae artists a voice. Four decades later, never-before-seen footage lets us meet the man behind the mixer for the very first time.

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Details

Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land follows the journeys of these icons. Through rare archives and infectious beats, this captivating five-part anthology series takes you from Kingston to Kensington Market to see and hear how reggae made roots in Canada against all odds.

Music Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism All subjects
Spotlight on Canadian Musicians All channels
  • director
    Chris Flanagan
    Graeme Mathieson
  • producer
    Sherien Barsoum
    Lea Marin
  • executive director
    Anita Lee

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