January 15, would have been the 83rd birthday of slain civil rights leader and activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When it comes to influential and inspirational people throughout history, his name has to be one of the first that would come to mind. His tireless work in the civil rights movement throughout the sixties in the United States has inspired many top musicians across the globe. Over the years, many songs have been composed in tribute to Dr.King. The songs fall in various genres, including hip hop, rock and jazz. Oufah compiled a list of five (5) songs in honour of the great Dr. MLK Jr. :

1. Common – “A Dream” (2006)
2. Bruce Springteen – “We Shall Overcome” (2006)
3. Stevie Wonder – “Happy Birthday” (1981)
4. U2 – “Pride (In the Name of Love” (1984)
5. Nina Simone – “Why (The King of Love is Dead” (1968)

Now that’s something for the history books … Long live the “King” (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968).

Reggae “Re-fix” by Pop Icons …

Reggae is said to be one of the most inspiring and widespread genres in music. Producers have also creatively merged its sound with other genres much to the delight of avid followers. It is not surprising that many hip hop and pop icons have included reggae and dancehall hooks to their music to enhance its sound. Rihanna, Foxy Brown, Nikki Minaj, Beyonce and Toni Braxton have all been known to include reggae or dancehall melodies in their musical repertoire.

Did you know that musicians Eric Clapton, The Clash, Simply Red and Boy George have “re-fixed” some of reggae’s most popular hits? This is something to marvel about, check it out…

I Shot the Sheriff (Original) by Bob Marley
I Shot the Sheriff (Re-fix) by Eric Clapton

Money in My Pocket (Original) by Dennis Brown
Money in My Pocket (Re-fix) by Simply Red

Police and Thieves (Original) by Junior Murvin
Police and Thieves (Re-fix) by The Clash

This week in music history…

January 15

• 1967: The Rolling Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and at Sullivan’s request, changed the title of their hit “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “Let’s Spend Some Time Together”.

• 1949: Ronnie Van Zandt of Lynyrd Skynyrd was born.

January 19

• 1981: Chris Wright, then chairman of the British Phonograph Industry, predicted that the cassette format would cause the death of the vinyl.

• 1943: Janis Lynn Joplin (American singer and songwriter) was born in Port Arthur, Texas.