American musician Papa Rosko has released a new single titled, “Folsom Prison Blues” featuring the late late reggae star Toots Hibbert. “Folsom Prison Blues” will appear in Rosko’s self-titled debut album due out on October 16, 2020. Papa Rosko has combined a wide spectrum of musical genres on his debut album, fusing reggae with rock, pop, Latin, and country music.
“Folsom Prison Blues” is Papa Rosko’s take on the classic Johnny Cash song “Folsom Prison Blues,” and it is also a nod and in honor of Toots Hibbert of Toots & the Maytals, the man who gave reggae music its name. Toots famously wrote his own prison song “54-46 That’s My Number,” and Papa Rosko gives that song a shout out at the close, as he sings, “54-46” and Toots responds, “That’s my number.”
Papa Rosko is based in South Florida. He founded and fronted the band Voodoo Possum, based in Nashville, Tennessee, playing country covers reggae-style in the honky-tonks and BBQ joints of Music City (Nashville), in dive bars and music festivals in South Florida, as well as the Austin Reggae Festival.
While this mash-up of styles is a rarity, there is actually a long history of Jamaicans’ love of country music, dating back to the 1960s, and some dancehall artists, including Beenie Man, had hit singles in the 1990s that were essentially country songs.
While he enjoyed the idiosyncrasy of playing country-reggae fusion, Papa Rosko was getting stage time and finding the right sound and players for his true passion: writing, composing, recording, and performing expressive original songs in multiple genres that connect with wide-ranging audiences.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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