King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land

The Roots and Routes of Canadian Reggae

Jason Wilson

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Hardback

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English

University of British Columbia Press
14 February 2020

Reggae; Social discrimination; Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies

When Jackie Mittoo and Leroy Sibbles migrated from Jamaica to Toronto in the early 1970s, the musicians brought reggae with them, sparking the flames of one Canada’s most vibrant music scenes.

In King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land, professional reggae musician and scholar Jason Wilson tells the story of how the organic, transnational nature of reggae brought black and white youth together, opening up a cultural dialogue between Jamaican migrants and Canadians along Toronto’s ethnic frontlines. This underground subculture rebelled against the status quo, eased the acculturation process, and made bands such as Messenjah and the Sattalites household names for a brief but important time.

By looking at Canada’s golden age of reggae from the perspective of both Jamaican migrants and white Torontonians, Wilson reveals the power of music to break through the bonds of race and ease the hardships associated with transnational migration.

By: Jason Wilson
Imprint: University of British Columbia Press
Country of Publication: Canada
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 760g
ISBN: 9780774862271
ISBN 10: 0774862270
Pages: 362
Publication Date: 14 February 2020
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction: King Alpha’s Song 1 Hybridity and Jamaican Music 2 Music of the Black Atlantic 3 Jamaica to Toronto 4 Place and Meaning in Toronto’s Reggae Text 5 The Bridge Builders 6 Blackness and Whiteness 7 In Search of the Canadian Sound 8 A Strange Land Notes; Bibliography; Index

Jason Wilson is a bestselling author, two-time Juno Award nominee, and winner of a Canadian Reggae Music Award. He is the author of The Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club: Official Centennial Publication, 1917–2017 and Soldiers of Song: The Dumbells and Other Canadian Concert Parties of the First World War. The latter was turned into a play that toured across Canada. Wilson’s life story has been featured in documentaries on CBC’s The National and BBC Radio. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Guelph.

Reviews for King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land: The Roots and Routes of Canadian Reggae

...maybe the most comprehensive focus on reggae and Jamaican culture in Canada's most populous city. -- Howard Campbell * Jamaica Observer * King Alpha's Song in a Strange Land is a vital contribution to scholarship on reggae and Canadian music and culture... Wilson disrupts many notions asasociated with reggae, leaving readers with a deeper appreciation for the music in Canada and all over the world. -- Ty Hall, Carleton University * CAML Review *