Wall of reggae fame
Mural honours Little Jamaica’s musical legacy,
Bob Marley, Haile Salassie and the Lion of Judah have found a new wall of fame in Toronto.
The three Rastafarian icons are part of a mural featuring local reggae legends on a wall in a laneway off Eglinton Ave. near Oakwood Ave.
The painting is part of a project that seeks to bring the music back to the lane, recently redubbed Reggae Lane to honour the neighbourhood’s history as a centre for the Caribbean music form in the 1970s and ’80s.
The initiative, led by Councillor Josh Colle, honours Toronto’s little-known role in the worldwide reggae scene and will help protect its past as it moves toward the future.
“Toronto for sure was the spot,” said Colle, who grew up in the area and describes himself as a “little bit of a music nerd.”
“With the concentration of artists living, work- ing, recording in the Eglinton West area, plus the record stores that were there, and studios … it was the stretch,” he added.
According to Colle, the neighbourhood was a gathering place where famous reggae names such as Leroy Sibbles and Pluggy Satchmo made their music.
The project, which includes the mural, a heritage plaque and new street sign, came about with the help of the Laneway Project and the STEPS initiative.
“Not many people know that Little Jamaica or the Eglinton, Oakwood neighbourhood is actually the second largest hub for reggae music after Kingston, Jamaica,” said Vera Belazelkoska, a project manager with STEPS.
By sponsoring local artist Adrian Hayles to paint the mural, Belazelkoska said, STEPS hopes to create a new cultural landmark for the community.
Michelle Senayah, co-director of the Laneway Project, said that although part of the project is complete, there’s still work to be done including better paving and lighting. “You can talk about having this as a sort of canvas for local culture or a meeting place for the community, but if there are large rats nobody is going to want to meet there,” she said. “It could do with a little love.”
Luckily, love is something that has never been in short supply when it comes to reggae.
“The message is in the music and the music is love. We are messengers of love,” said Jay Douglas, a local reggae legend whose image has been immortalized in the mural.
In a neighbourhood where just walking down the street can turn into a musical history lesson and everyone you meet is connected — at least in some way — to reggae, remembering what the music is all about is important.
With construction on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT underway, some are concerned that the neighbourhood may be subject to changes.
Colle, however, said Reggae Lane means residents will always have a path back to their past.
“I think we welcome a lot of the change, but at the same time we don’t want to lose some of the character and the history that makes the neighbourhood unique,” he said.
“I feel like we’ve just scratched the surface. It’s a really rich history.”
“The message is in the music and the music is love. We are messengers of love.” JAY DOUGLAS FORMER FRONTMAN OF THE COUGARS