Formed in 1968 in their native Jamaica, Inner Circle are still recording music and touring the world. This year, the Bad Boys of Reggae have performed in the United States, Europe, Africa and Central America.
In early October, Inner Circle were headliners at Festival Da Reggae in Flores, Guatemala. It was the band’s third time in that country.
“They love reggae, especially old time culture and lovers rock. It’s close to Belize, so nuff Belize people came,” said guitarist Roger Lewis, who co-founded Inner Circle with his brother Ian 56 years ago.
Their previous gigs in Guatemala were in Guatemala City in 1995 and Puerto Barrios six years ago. That first show took place at the height of Inner Circle’s popularity, thanks to the global hit singles, ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘Sweat’.
Those songs are from the group’s 1993 album, ‘Bad Boys’, which won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Ian Lewis on bass and keyboardist Bernard “Touter” Harvey are survivors of the Inner Circle lineup that had a number of hit singles in the 1970s when their lead singer was Jacob Miller. He died in an auto accident in 1980.
This year, Inner Circle have been busy on the road, playing solo shows as well as sharing bills with The Legendary Wailers and UB40. On December 14, they are scheduled to play the Elegance United Banquet Hall alongside The Legendary Wailers in Hartford, Connecticut.