I recently played as part of the house band for the BBC's "Make a Difference Awards" in their historic Radio Theatre. This was the second year in a row I've done this gig. It's always a treat to play in such iconic venues with a crew who are doing everything to a very high standard.
This year, we were asked to support two singers doing a reggae medley. While I do listen to some reggae and dub casually, and have played a few of the hits with cover bands, I had to do a bit of homework for this one.
The opening number of the medley was "Silly Games", by Janet Lee. Janet and the drummer on the track, Drummie Zeb, like many reggae musicians, were born right here in London, the first children born of parents that came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation.
I don't know if this specific groove has a name like some of the other reggae grooves, such as the "one drop", "steppers", and "rockers", but the tune is part of the "Lover's rock" style of reggae which tends to be more female-led, and focus on more romantic subjects than other styles. There's little to no variation in the groove, so I just wrote it once, with the fills to go along with it.
