Can this man bring Lucky Dube back?
SINGER’S LEGACY PROMOTED
A BURLY Nigerian man has stepped up to the microphone to bring back the magic created by Lucky Dube.
He might sound like the late reggae icon, even sport thick dreads like him, but Ben Priest believes he is his own man.
Priest, from Abuja, said he used to mimic Dube as a young musician and now relished the opportunity to play with his band.
“I’m not trying to be Lucky Dube. I will do my best to represent him as an ambassador. I’m privileged to be here by God’s grace and I will go as far as the band wants me to go. It is my passion as well.
“I appreciate the platform this will give me here. I don’t see coun- tries, I see black people. Everyone is my brother in South Africa,” he said.
Priest, 41, will be unveiled tonight at Emoyeni Conference Centre in Parktown, Johannesburg, at the launch of Celebrate His Life, the Lucky Dube Band’s 10-track album made up of new compositions.
The band consists of members when played with the singer until his death in 2007, when he was gunned down in Rosettenville in Joburg.
Dube’s son Thokozani, 29, is pulling out all the stops for the legacy of his father and is spearheading the project.
The band is co-owned by the estate of the late Dube and Thokozani ’ s company, Different Colours Productions.
Thokozani maintained that Priest was not a replacement for his father and that he could be swapped with another singer if necessary.
“Lucky Dube is gone and we cannot try to reproduce him or get people to imitate him. What we are doing is continuing his legacy through music,” said Thokozani.
“Anyone can say they are furthering his legacy but for me, I believe it’s something that has to be from the family.”
Priest was first noticed by the Dube family when they heard his music online. He released an album a decade ago and established himself as a good reggae artist. During rehearsals yesterday, Priest sounded like Lucky. The room was full of jokes and laughter while they worked.
Singer Tonique Phala, who worked with Lucky for 17 years, said they operated as a family and aimed to take Lucky’s legacy forward.