Step Lively Productions, Inc. was founded  by Diane Gurwitz,  a protégé of pioneering Jamaican filmmaker, Perry Henzell (The Harder They Come). As video editor on Henzell's second film, No Place Like Home, tasked with updating its musical soundtrack, Diane spent three years immersed in reggae music and culture before and returning home to New York to produce the  television series  "Reggae Strong " with  Jamaica playwright, actor and director, Stafford (Ashani) Harrison, in 1984.

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In the early 80's, an unprecedented

number of Jamaican and international

reggae artists were touring the world with

little mainstream radio or television

promotion. Reggae Strong was designed

to bridge that gap as a 30-minute weekly

series produced out of New York City,

an essential stop on every touring

artist's itinerary.

 

Conceived by Ashani as a "cultural video magazine",  the Step Lively  crew

began shooting content for  Reggae Strong whenever the opportunity, crew and equipment could be found.  Directed by Ashani, and produced and edited by Gurwitz (later dubbed 'Strong'), Reggae Strong was the first reggae television series  to be  broadcast internationally via satellite and cable, in 1987.

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The crucial decade that followed the passing of Bob Marley in 1981, was dominated by roots reggae bands who toured extensively and carried reggae music and its cultural message from Jamaica, a small but mighty island in the Caribbean to the four corners of the world. Reggae bands and singers emerged in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America and New York City, with its large Caribbean community, wealth of venues and world-class recording facilities, was at the center of that musical expansion.

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The Reggae Strong series and the Step Lively archive  document this exciting era in the music's development through original interview, concert , news and cultural vignettes. Shot on location throughout the tri-state areaa as well as  in Jamaica and England, the series is hosted by artists such as Black Uhuru, Third World, Lucky Dube, Alpha Blondy, Ziggy Marley, Maxi Priest, Burning Spear, Majek Fashek, Jimmy Cliff and Sly and Robbie. The original News and Reviews sections by veteran radio personality, the Night Nurse (Amy Wachtel), shot on locationa at various Brooklyn and Manhattan venues, are included in the remastered programs offered here— a unique time capsule into a vibrant time and place in reggae musical history.

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Distinguished by its rotating roster of musical hosts and by its unique and lively format, high-quality interviews, concert footage, and cultural authenticity,  Reggae Strong was videotaped at New York's premiere world music venues, including S.O.B.s, the Ritz, the Beacon Theater, Kilimanjaro, Wetlands and Bay Street (Sag Harbor).

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The groundbreaking series also went on location to England for a special program with Maxi Priest in 1990, covered notable events in Jamaica, including the celebrations for Bob Marley Day and the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, and was the broadcast launching pad for the debut of South African superstar, Lucky Dube in 1989. (Lucky subsequently wrote and recorded the hit song, "Reggae Strong," in tribute).

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                           BROADCAST HISTORY

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In the spring of 1987, Reggae Strong debuted on Tempo Television Satellite Network and received letters from viewers in over 40 markets across the US and Caribbean. and from as far away as Panama and Guam. In New York City, the program also established an enthusiastic broadcast base on both Paragon and Manhattan Cable.

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In 1988, Reggae Strong began airing on ITN (International Television Network), another satellite broadcaster, and with a small sponsorship from R.J. Imports, the importers of Jamaica's Red Stripe Beer, continued airing via ITN through June, 1989. The success and popularity of those broadcasts attracted advertising support from Schanachie Records as well as New York clubs, S.O.B.'s and Bay Street, and in August 1989, Chris Blackwell of Island/Mango Records, put his company's sponsorship support behind Reggae Strong, enabling Step Lively to lease air time from WNYC, Ch. 31, a station with a potential market of 16 million viewers. With sponsorship and advertising support from Island Records, R.J. Imports, Ginseng-Up, West-Indies Express, and various local music venues, Reggae Strong was broadcast over WNYC from 1990-91, and from 1991-1992,  in Jamaica on JBC.

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In 1992, the original production team parted ways and Reggae Strong was broadcast in Jamaica and England, with new episodes produced by Ashani's company, A+  Video. The original team's last video collaboration in New York City, was for Nigerian artist, Majek Fashek ( Majek Fashek inna New York). Diane continued producing and directing music videos for Sister Carol, Steel Pulse, Burning Spear and Capleton with her company Step Lively Video.

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Stafford Ashani passed away in 2009, leaving an indelible mark on the Reggae Strong series as well as on Jamaican cultural history. His legacy is preserved here with deep respect and appreciation.  R.I.P. and love Stafford.