JAHMARK & THE SOULSHAKERS present REGGAE LION vs. the CANCER DRAGON

By Ras Jahmark Tafari

A few weeks ago I discovered that my good brethren, Tony Byrd, had his normal every day life interrupted by the news that he had stage 4 lymphoma cancer. Certainly not good news to receive by any means, but we also know that at least this is one form of cancer that is treatable and beatable. I know this because my own brother had a battle with this very same beast a few years ago and vanquished him by the will of the Most High and sent him right back from where he came…

For those of you who do not know, Tony is one of Jamaica’s premier keyboard players (currently residing in Los Angeles), and even though his name did not appear on the liner notes it was he who played keyboards on Bob Marley and; the Wailers “No Woman No Cry” which was released on the 1974 “Natty Dread” album. He also did some outstanding keyboard work on our very own Jahmark and the Soulshakers 2004 “Life” album, which besides the title cut also featured songs such as “Let Your Love Flow”, “Who Tek Mi Kali”, and “Rainbow Paradise”.

Anyone who has had a friend or family member who is battling or has battled cancer knows that cancer treatment is not cheap. With all the various drugs involved, not to mention chemo, radiation, and rehabilitation therapy (as a result of the sudden onset of the disease Tony has lost all feeling in his legs and will have to go through a number of rehabilitation sessions in order to regain the muscle memory in his legs)… bottomline, we need your support!

For all those who know Tony Byrd, and for all those who know Jahmark & the Soulshakers, and even if you don’t know us and would like to support a good cause … please visit us at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, CA. on Sunday, July 29th @ 4PM … there’ll be a humongous tip jar on stage waiting to be filled with your generous donations, and of course the band will be there as always to throw down some positive soulshakin’ vibrations’, come join the Reggae Lions and help us to defeat the Cancer Dragon … Peace In!!!



For those of my friends who do not reside in the Los Angeles area, money orders, cashier's checks, and paypal donations are accepted. My paypal account e-mail address is , and be assured that any donations which may come through my paypal account will be promptly delivered to Tony. Our mailing address is: Jahmark & the Soulshakers, PO Box 7111, Northridge, CA 91327-7111 ... Checks or money orders can be made out to "TONY BYRD" (correct spelling is "BYRD" not "Bird", my bad with the prior mis-spellings of his name) ... Love 'n Blessings!