Who is David Cairol?

David Cairol, currently on tour in Japan, is an esteemed performer in the reggae scene.  He is currently under consideration for a Grammy nomination and was introduced as the lead singer to the Bob Marley tracks project by Judy Mowatt, the backing vocalist of Bob Marley. He has already recorded 30 songs including live unreleased versions and unfinished songs from the legend.

 

How did he end up here? Like many of us as we grow, David’s life is forged by accidental moments, the people around him, and manifested into a reality through the courage to take a risk and follow through.

At the age of 14, his life and musical interest took a turn when a friend accidentally passed him a Bob Marley cassette when he asked for his Lenny Kravitz cassette back. Upon first listen, he fell in love with his music and many more reggae cassettes and vinyls later, he decided to invite his grandmother to his room to listen to his first original song. 

Encouragement of those around us build the necessary confidence needed to pursue a passion. David’s grandmother acted as his bedrock, believing that he had something special in his voice from that first song and continuously encouraged him to pursue his musical dreams. She lives on forever tied to David, as Cairol is not his surname, but her name, and she is always up on the poster with him.

25 years later and his music took him from his home in Bask, to the heart of Reggae. It’s here in Jamaica that he lived the dream of any reggae performer, playing with the greatest talents on the island from Sly Dunbar to Earl Chinna Smith. As found in the lyrics of his song ‘Music’ his artistry has been his passport to the world; traveling China, Japan, and Tahiti on this trip alone.

His final show in Japan is on October 14th at Kagurane, with Robert Taira Wilson and the young up and comers The Bagpipes. If you haven’t had the chance to catch him yet, I highly encourage it.