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September 4, 2021
LIBERTY STAR NEWSPAPER
ENTERTAINMENT
McGregor Headlines Sound Chat Radio’s NY Celebration By Flair Lindsey
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ound Chat Radio commemorated its 10th Anniversary in fine style this weekend in New York, culminating with an appearance by The Captain of the "Big Ship" Freddie McGregor OD on their soldout "Reeewind Sundays on the Ocean" All White Cruise.
Freddie McGregor was recently honored by the City of Hartford, CT. for his contributions to reggae music, with the city declaring Aug. 14 Freddie McGregor Day.
The exclusive Sunday, August 29 event came fresh off the heels of the famed singer being honored with an official "Freddie McGregor Day" by the city of Hartford, Connecticut. The Grammy-nominated Freddie McGregor has been serving up musical greatness for more than six decades and was the ideal artist to headline the milestone occasion for Sound Chat Radio, one of the world's largest online Caribbean radio stations. The legendary act joined an all-star lineup of Sound Chat Radio "Reeewind Sundays" personalities including Bobby Channel One, Carl
B Moxie, Supa Fridge, Nexxt Level, Jah Wise, Johnny Guard and Kulcha Kartel. "It's truly a blessing to have sustained Sound Chat Radio for 10 years," said Bourne before the event kicked off. "We are proud that Freddie McGregor will be on deck to celebrate this accomplishment with us, as we have built a great relationship with the legendary entertainer over the years and our listeners love him." Launched by Garfield “Chin” Bourne of Irish and Chin, Sound Chat Radio is syndicated in more than 30 markets and has amassed millions of listeners. Bourne credits the success of the Sound Chat Radio sound system-driven talk show for catapulting Sound Chat Radio into an expansive network. “The journey has had challenges, but it’s rewarding to see the growth and even more humbling to see the overall influence the platform has had on media,” Bourne said. “Sound Chat Radio has provided a blueprint for sound system based talk programming, spawning scores of shows taking on its format.” Consisting of more than 40 programs with top sound systems, DJs, radio personalities and esteemed journalists, Sound Chat Radio offers
an interactive radio experience to a wide audience, ranging from 28-71 years old. The station is a conduit of the global Jamaican Diaspora, connecting them with timely, important and substantive content. Topics span entertainment, politics, business, sports, economics, health, spirituality and more. “I believe that Sound Chat Radio’s diverse and insanely talented roster and unorthodox style of radio are the main ingredients in its winning formula. We took a chance and broke the monotony of traditional radio, incorporating sounds as radio personalities, unique topics and audience involvement. It worked! You’ll never hear the same show twice,” said Bourne enthusiastically. Over the course of his incredible career, the internationally acclaimed Freddie McGregor has made unmatched contributions to Reggae music. The singer, record producer and famed “Big Ship Captain” is a cultural icon and premiere voice and face of Jamaican music. Recording since seven years old as “Little Freddie,” the Clarendon, Jamaica born entertainer continues to deliver impeccable, soulful records. His sons, producer Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor and artist Chino, are boldly carrying the McGregor musical legacy.
Jamaican Actor Plays MLK in Aretha Franklin Biopic By Stephanie Korney
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ilbert Glenn Brown is an actor, writer, and director born in New York City in a hardworking and family-oriented Caribbean home that emphasized love for the Jamaican heritage of his immigrant parents. Brown’s latest role is playing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the new Jennifer Hudson film, “Respect,” which follows the life of superstar singer and cultural icon Aretha Franklin. While Brown had originally auditioned for another part in the film, he declined that role as it didn’t feel right to him. He received a call a week later, on his birthday, asking him to audition for the role of Dr. King, and after about two weeks, he was offered the part. Brown shared that he had played the role of Dr. King in other productions and had already done considerable research to prepare for the challenge. His previous portrayals of King were presented in a staged reading of the play “Mountaintop” before it appeared on Broadway, participating in the national tour of the show, and then starring in the show in its production in Los Angeles in 2019. Describing the greatest challenge in taking on the role of the historic and iconic Dr. King and participating in the film project, Brown noted the scope and size of the overall vision involved in
telling Franklin’s story and the difficulties of including all the important and amazing figures in history connected to her life in a two-plus-hour film. Telling the singer’s story was “not a simple feat,” he said, adding that it was also humbling and slightly intimidating to share the experience with actors and artists he had always admired. Brown described Dr. King as a “wonderfully complex and powerful person.” For the actor, the role did not involve focusing only on his vocal intonations and the ability to deliver his speeches, but also to show that the man was a “living, breathing human being who was deified, but who never saw himself that way.” Dr. King always viewed himself just as a man working for the people who had the same hopes, doubts, fears, and aspirations. “I wanted to present him that way,” Brown added. Brown first became interested in acting as a profession when he saw Sidney Poitier on screen. In high school, some of his teachers introduced him to Broadway theater, and he was especially inspired by a production of “The Tempest” starring Aunjanue Ellis and Patrick Stewart and decided he wanted to be a part of the theater world. He joined the Mind Builders Creative Arts Center Positive Youth Troupe, a group focused on issues facing young people, and saw for the first time that people like him could talk about their own challenges and issues. At the age of 15, Brown went on tour with the troupe to Detroit, and the trip showed him that his love of theater could open doors for him that he had never thought possible. This was when he realized he could make
Gilbert Glenn Brown
acting his career. Now a seasoned performer, Brown has succeeded in many performing genres, including stage, television, screen, voiceover, writing, directing, producing, and as director of photography. Among his many accomplishments are originating the role of R&B singer “Jett Slade” on “The Young & The
Restless”, recurring as “Dean Evan Foley” on the Emmy-Winning “The Inspectors”, and appearing with Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell in “Best of Enemies” as “Howard Clements.” He recurs as “James Michael Chapel” in DC’s “Stargirl” and appears as “Dr. Riley” in Walter Mosley’s “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” with Samuel L. Jackson.
