Ras Michael

Ras Michael, born Michael George Henry in 1943 in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, is a prominent reggae singer and Nyabinghi specialist, also known by the name Dadawah. Raised in a Rastafari community, he later moved to Kingston’s Waterhouse district, where he became deeply involved with local Rastafari musicians. In the mid-1960s, he founded the Zion Disc label, worked as a session musician at Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One, and made history as the first Rastafarian to host a reggae radio program in Jamaica, The Lion of Judah Time, which debuted in 1967. Leading his group, The Sons of Negus, Ras Michael became known for preserving and popularizing traditional Nyabinghi drumming and chanting. Their first album, Nyahbinghi (1974), was released after being discovered by producer Tommy Cowan, followed by the more commercially successful Rastafari (1975), which featured leading studio musicians such as Robbie Shakespeare, Earl “Chinna” Smith, Robbie Lyn, and Peter Tosh. Subsequent releases like Kibir Am Lak (1977) expanded the group’s influence internationally, particularly in Europe and the United States. Ras Michael also played a key role in Jamaica’s wider reggae movement, contributing to sessions at Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark studio, performing with Bob Marley at the 1978 One Love Peace Concert, and recording more than 25 albums over his career. Beyond music, he has been active as an evangelist and cultural ambassador for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tawahido Church and has helped found cultural centers in both Los Angeles and Kingston. In recognition of his lasting impact on Jamaican music and culture, he was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 2015.