‘Jahmerican’, the latest album from American singer/musician Rich Hardesty, will be released in early June. It has a whopping 50 songs, five of which are new.
Hardesty, who is from Indiana, has been a regular visitor to Jamaica since 1993. The country has inspired his music which he describes as a blend of country, reggae and rock.
Some of the songs on ‘Jahmerican’ salute Jamaican culture. One of them is the folksy ‘Jerk Chicken and Red Stripe’, on which Hardesty expresses his love for two popular island treats.
On June 2, he will be featured artist on a show at Pirates Dock Bar, a popular venue in Negril, the tourist town where he has been a fixture for 30 years. Nature Ellis will also be on the event on which Hardesty will perform songs from ‘Jahmerican’.
“I adore the island and the people of Jamaica, so this show is different. I get to show much Rich Hardesty has grown as a person and musician,” he said.
In addition to new songs on ‘Jahmerican’, such as ‘Caribbean Cowboy’ and ‘Make Love to Reggae’, Hardesty covers reggae classics such as Bob Marley’s ‘Who the Cap Fit’, Tyrone Taylor’s ‘Cottage in Negril’ and The Melodians ‘By the Rivers of Babylon’.
Strongly influenced by Jimmy Buffett, Hardesty adapted that singer-songwriter’s laid-back sound early in his career before reggae and Jamaican culture. He has worked with musicians and artists such as Sly Dunbar, Julian Marley and Bongo Herman.