The Grammy Award winning reggae family band, Morgan Heritage, has promised fans their best music at their first ever concert in Uganda; it will be held at the Lugogo Cricket Oval on April 13.

“Our show in Kampala will be nothing short of amazing. We will go through our catalogue of hit records, the Grammy winning album Strictly Roots and new music from the upcoming album Avrakedabra,” band member Memmalatel ‘Mr Mojo’ Morgan told The EastAfrican. “We were invited to Uganda by T’shaka Roots and his team and were honoured to answer the call. Since making our connection with Jose Chameleon years ago, we have been looking forward to performing for the people of Uganda because we heard how much they love reggae music.”

Popular hits of the band include A Man Is Still Man, Tell Me How Come, Ready Or Not, Don’t Haffi Dread, Perfect Love Song, Wash The Tears, Mama and Papa, Set Yourself Free, Let’s Make Up, and Protect Us Jah. 

“When we perform in Africa it’s always a homecoming of sorts,” Memmalatel added.

The head of Buzz Events and one of the organisers, Julius Kyazze, said, “Uganda is reggae country with a celebratory spirit. Since the early nineties, we have hosted a lot of big reggae names like Lucky Dube, UB40, Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Chronnix, Konshens and many others. Morgan Heritage’s music has been a constant fixture on Uganda’s playlists for over 15 years, and their concert has been way overdue.”

Describing the type of reggae music that Morgan Heritage plays, Memmalatel said, “We play rockaz music. Reggae music with an edge.” 
He added that reggae music is growing amid competition from other genres.

“We feel reggae is going to have a big year in 2017. Especially because reggae has arrived on the main stage. When artists from other genres start to do reggae and dancehall music, it’s a clear indication of how influential our music has become.”

Kyazze agrees, saying: “Reggae music has always been embedded in our local Ugandan sound. Ugandans have been enjoying reggae for years. Our musicians have had a lot of reggae influence in their productions. Having Morgan Heritage in Uganda is like hosting the founding fathers who have influenced our sound.”

The live concert in Kampala will cost Ush50,000 ($13.6), a VIP ticket will be Ush120,000 ($32.7) and a corporate table of 10 people at Ush3 million ($817.8).