Get To
Know,
Mystic
Bowie

2010 SoNo Arts Celebration
HEADLINER
Friday August 6th
9:00pm - 11:00pm
Since the
age of seven, Mystic Bowie has performed professionally worldwide and
recorded with some of the music industry's hippest melody makers...
Born Fitzroy Alexander Campbell in St. Elizabeth in Maroon Town, a
descendant of the Maroon Tribe — the only remaining unified tribe in Jamaica
— he was given his tribal name, Mystic Bowie, by elders based on powers they
sensed in him. Mystic became a singer for the Jamaica Tourist Board as a
child, performing as many as 2-3 times a day all over the island at
different resorts. Between the ages of 9 and 14, Mystic made three (3)
recordings for Jack Ruby Records ("Back to Jamaica, "Happy Hut," "Whiny
Whiny"). He was 13 when he first left the island to perform abroad, and 14
when he left his tribal home and family, moving on his own to Negril. Then
as now, he continued to obey the core tribal rules and values — no alcohol,
no drugs, no impurities polluting the body. At the age of 17, Mystic moved
to Birmingham, England to study at the University of Birmingham. Upon
completion, Mystic then moved to the United States.
Winning an award for acting and
drama in 1982, he was also the winner of Jamaica's Pop and Variety
Festival music competition in 1986. Mystic went on to perform at the
1987 Lima Festival (Peru), the Junkanoo Festival (Bahamas) two (2) years
in a row, and 1998's Rock in Rio (Brazil). He made the circuit of
resorts under the Superclubs emblem (Hedonism, Sandals, Beaches), and
has taken his act to Cats(Cancun) for annual spring break and summer
visits as well as the clubs of South Beach such as Clevelander, Mango's,
Ocean Promenade, and Tropics on the Beach. He also made five consecutive
appearances headlining Blockbuster Bowl festivities (1987— 92). Mystic
Bowie (2005 & 2006): winner of the Grand Band Slam as Best Reggae Band
by the Fairfield County Weekly.
Once a member of
Stanley and the Turbines, Mystic has been a featured solo artist for
Reggae Sunsplash, eventually going on to open for a heavy-hitting lineup
of reggae greats including Toots & the Maytals, Burning Spear, Yellow
Man, Buju Banton, and Jimmy Cliff as well as for Latin pop diva Gloria
Estefan.
All of his hard
work through these years culminated in the release of his first album,
"Funky Reggae" (1992).
Well-schooled in
the world of reggae and other Caribbean musical genres, it would be a
performance in 1991 that opened a new path for him, a collaboration that
would shape his future in more ways than one. Scheduled to perform on
the Mardi Gras Fest bill at Tramps (NYC), Mystic had the opportunity to
perform with the founding members of the Tom Tom Club as his backing
band. Thanks to his performance with Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz
(Talking Heads), it evolved into a partnership that has lasted to this
day.
Mystic has worked
steadily with the Tom Tom Club since 1992. With the release of their
album,"The Good, The Bad and The Funky" (2000), featuring his vocals on
the dub-heavy tracks "Time to Bounce" and a remake of Lee Perry's "Soul
Fire," Mystic Bowie emerged as a force in his own right as their lead
singer. Touring worldwide with the Tom Tom Club since 2000, Mystic's
performances have been praised for his seemingly ceaseless supply of
energy and the excitement he generates with crowds everywhere. The
irresistible vibe of this tour, and Mystic's performances, has been
captured magically on the Tom Tom Club's "Live at the Clubhouse" CD
(2002). Songs from this period also appear on the Tom Tom Club's DVDs,
"Time to Bounce" and "In a Bootleg Style."
Mystic's work has
crossed over both into film and advertising. Covering Jimmy Cliff's
"Many Rivers to Cross," he sang co-lead vocals with Tina Weymouth on the
Tom Tom Club's remake of the world-renowned hit for the movie"The Long
Kiss Goodnight", starring Samuel Jackson and Geena Davis. Later, the
track "Who Feelin' It" from "The Good, The Bad and The Funky" was used
in the urban thriller, "American Psycho." Mystic's voice has also been
put to good use in commercial sessions at Bigfoot Studios (NYC).
His most recent
work with the Tom Tom Club appears on the Vanguard Records' release,
"Creole Zydeco," a tribute album featuring, among others, Cyndi Lauper
and Taj Mahal. Released in 2004, the CD includes their cover of the
Keith Franks' song, "Only the Strong Survive." In a review from New
Orleans' Offbeat Magazine — considered the authority on all indigenous
Louisiana music — Dan Willging says, "Perhaps the award for the hippest
track goes to the Tom Tom Club who waxed Keith Frank's 'Only The Strong
Survive' in their own inimitable, relentlessly pounding fashion."
Mystic has enjoyed
the fruits of countless collaborations far beyond his reggae roots,
having performed with a variety of funk and rock units. During the
heyday of Jamband scene — whether at Sierra Nevada Music Festival, the
Gathering of the Vibes, Camp Creek, or appearing at the Jammies at
Roseland Ballroom — he has performed onstage with the likes of the
B-52's, Trey Anastasio (Phish), members of Widespread Panic, and Warren
Haynes, a small but diverse sampling, and testament to his drive to
bridge musical genres. Mystic has been a frequent onstage guest of
funk-rock unit Deep Banana Blackout over the years, and recently
collaborated with the Bomb Squad featuring Jen Durkin on the song, "El
Stinko," from their upcoming CD.
Mystic's interest
and efforts in working with musicians from all backgrounds is best
exemplified in his most recent CD, "Rebirth," (2002) an album resulting
from his collaboration with musicians blending styles from the heart of
Jamaican and Caribbean music with compatible New Orleans funk and zydeco
elements. Thanks to the Marley Family, in July 2006, Mystic launched his
new label, FunkySka Music, LLC, with the release of his singles "Sixteen
Dimples" and "My Way" on vinyl, distributed by Tuff Gong International.
In 1999, with encouragement and support from Tina and Chris, Mystic teamed
up with a pair of New Orleans musicians playing in the Northeast. Other New
Orleans musicians joined the effort to make a new "music" from these
respective, but no doubt related, traditions. Musicians who have
participated in this project since its inception hail from a diverse mix of
ethnic, geographic and musical roots, combining talents in funk, jazz and
rock with those of forming the rich Caribbean tradition that runs north to
New Orleans. Mystic continues to bring together musicians who create music
that truly possesses a hard-rocking, deeply funky reggae foundation.
Mystic's popular
single, "Mama", was recorded at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Studios in
Kingston, Jamaica and was released in December 2006 on Tuff Gong
International Label.
In October
of 2009, Mystic released his latest, much-anticipated full length CD, "Nevah
Kiss & Tell"... which was a culmination of
years spent developing all new material - both in the studio, and via
live performance. 16 original and inspired tracks comprise over an hour
of music, that has been gaining critical acclaim and increasing radio
play in his home country of Jamaica, since its recent launch. Mystic is
currently touring multi-nationally to promote his latest offering, with
official release concerts/parties scheduled for November 2009 (Jamaica)
and December 2009 (United States & Canada).