Twinkle Brothers at Festsaal Kreuzberg / Sunday, 2.10.2022

The Twinkle Brothers were formed in 1962 by brothers Norman (vocals, drums) and Ralston Grant (vocals, rhythm guitar) from Falmouth, Jamaica. The band was expanded with the addition of Eric Barnard (piano), Karl Hyatt (vocals, percussion), and Albert Green (congas, percussion).

After winning local talent competitions, they recorded their first single, “Somebody Please Help Me” in 1966 for producer Leslie Kong. This was followed by sessions for other top Jamaican producers such as Duke Reid, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sid Bucknor, Phil Pratt, and Bunny Lee. The band worked in the late 1960s and early 1970s on the island’s hotel circuit, playing a mixture of calypso, soul, pop, and soft reggae. In the early 1970s, they began producing their own recordings. Their debut album, “Rasta Pon Top”, was released in 1975, featuring strongly Rastafari-oriented songs such as “Give Rasta Praise” and “Beat Them Jah Jah”.

As well as producing Twinkle Brothers work, Norman Grant also produced other artists in the mid 1970s. In 1977 the band was signed to Virgin Records’ Frontline label, leading to the release of the albums “Love”, “Praise Jah” and “Countrymen”. When the band was dropped by Virgin Records in the early 1980s, Norman Grant moved to the United Kingdom, and carried on effectively as a solo artist, but still using the Twinkle Brothers name, and continued with regular releases well into the 2000s, mainly on his own Twinkle Music label. Since the early 1990s Twinkle Brothers have been regularly collaborating with the Polish band Trebunie-Tutki in which they fuse reggae and traditional music from the Tatra Mountains.

Currently lead by founding member Norman Grant – as well as legendary bass player Dub Judah, Black Steel & Jerry Lions on guitar, Aron Shamash on the keyboards, Barry Prince on drums, and their engineer Derek “Demondo” Fevrier – the Twinkle Brothers are widely considered to be one of the best live foundation reggae bands in circulation, and they continue to play regularly all over the world to a loyal fanbase.