Taj Weekes & Adowa

About

Reggae was created and taken around the world by outspoken iconoclasts. Taj Weekes is right at home in that tradition as he upholds the music’s deep roots while expanding its topical reach. The prolific songwriter and activist’s goal is “to make music for you to dance to while we’re telling you something at the same time.” 

The reggae beat, slow and steady like the human heartbeat, has roots in Jamaica’s indigenous folk percussion and the religious drumming known as nyahbingi. Reggae also drew from mento, a Jamaican folk music closely related to Trinidadian calypso, and from two popular homegrown dance styles, ska and rock steady, both influenced by American R&B and jump blues. In the volatile political climate of the 1960s, these musical antecedents fused with the social activism and spiritual consciousness of Rastafarianism to produce reggae. Rastafarianism developed among the island’s poor beginning in the 1930s. Rastas believed in the divine nature of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, and revitalized Pan-African nationalism throughout the island. 

Weekes grew up on the island of St. Lucia, started singing in church at the age of five, and by eleven was writing his own songs. Music was ever-present at home, with the radio a source of untold treasures, playing country, R&B, soul, jazz, and more. “Those are all rooted in storytelling,” points out Taj. His brother’s immersion in Rastafari inspired a similar spiritual awakening in Weekes, and a move to New York City introduced him to that city’s active reggae scene. 

Taj has attracted notice for his unique, ethereal voice, and for lyrics that address topics rarely heard in modern reggae: respect for the LGBTQ community, environmental issues, and Native American rights. “If we’re taking a holistic approach, if one of my brothers is affected, so am I,” he explains. An unwavering humanitarian, Weekes founded the They Often Cry Outreach charity to improve the lives of disadvantaged children around the world, and was appointed as a UNICEF champion for children for his efforts. 

After moving to New York City, Weekes formed his band, Adowa, named after an 1896 battle where Ethiopians defeated an invading Italian force. Performing with Taj in Lowell are bassist Burt “Rads” Desiree, guitarists Wayne “Adoni” Xavier and Jafe Paulino, keyboardist Ayo Kato, and drummer Baldwin Brown.

Taj Weekes & Adowa unite a vibrant diversity of sounds with thoughtful, lush arrangements and a finely honed penchant for telling poetic tales of hardship and hope. "I don't sit down and write socially conscious songs. I write songs about where I place my focus," Weekes explains. "I grew up listening to the power of the music, the lyrical content. That's what matters to me." Though long hailed by reggae fans, Weekes defies simple genre formulas. His intuitive, intense songwriting ties together the many threads of his Caribbean heritage and honors his unflagging engagement with the world as a musician, philanthropist, and lecturer.