Benjy Myaz - File photos

SINCE BREAKING through in 1995 with Love You Higher, most local fans have identified Benjy Myaz with the lovers rock genre. But, he is quick to point out that being a musician is more important to him than singing.

Myaz, a bass player, gets an opportunity to show his musical chops on Friday with the 'Benjy Myaz and Friends' show at the Redbones Blues Café in St Andrew.

"It's a space for me to release my musical energies and stay away from the Top 40 stuff," Myaz told The Gleaner. "I can also present myself to a wider audience."

Latest gig

Myaz has been doing intimate live shows since 2005 when his first 'Friends' show was held at the Village Cage, also in St Andrew. The latest gig sees him sharing the bill with Latin-style singer Charmaine Lemonius and Alisa, another vocalist, who performs on the north coast.

In addition to Love You Higher (originally done by American smooth jazz singer Randy Crawford), Myaz has scored with songs such as Time Together, Show Your Love and Long Story Short.

Despite the chart success, he is wary of being labelled a lovers rock singer.

"I make commercial songs but I have never been a pop artiste in spirit," he explained. "Even the songs I cover, I always look at how well they are composed."

Largely inspired by cutting-edge American bass player Jaco Pastorius, Myaz started out as a musician on the north coast hotel circuit, playing with the Tony DaCosta Band. Later, he toured with reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff and has also played on hit songs by Freddie McGregor, Buju Banton, Morgan Heritage and Sizzla.

Leroy Sibbles

Sing, Mr Bassie, sing

Leroy Sibbles was lead singer for The Heptones, but also played bass on some of reggae's biggest hit songs including The Abyssinians' Sata Masa Gana, Horace Andy's Mr Bassie and Rocking Time by Burning Spear.

Boris Gardener

Boris Gardener also excelled as a bassist/vocalist. He played bass on The Heptones' Party Time, Equal Rights and Heptones Gonna Fight; and Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves. He had hits as a singer with The Meaning of Christmas, It's So Nice (To Be With You) and I Wanna Wake Up With You.

Lloyd Parkes was a member of The Professionals, the house band at producer Joe Gibbs' studio, before forming the We The People Band. In the early 1970s, he had a hit song with Slaving and later sang lead on We The People's big hit, Officially.

Lloyd Parkes