The 2026 Vermont Reggae Fest

The Vermont Reggae Festival presented by True 802 and ElmThree

Lineup:

Richie Spice

Sister Nancy

The Abyssinians

Marlon Asher

With Roots Alley Collective and Inna Higher Heights Band

Windjammer Hotel Partner Deal Link: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.46013.html?groupId=1T9HS5Y6

RICHIE SPICE

Born Richell Bonner in the Kingston, Jamaica suburb of St. Andrew, Richie Spice hails from a musical family that includes his older brother Pliers, singer Spanner Banner and deejay Snatcher Dogg. 

He is a member of the Rastafari movement. Some of his most famous songs include, “Brown Skin”, “Youth Dem Cold Rel Bad”, “Grooving’ My Girl”, “Earth a Run Red”, “Marijuana” ,”The Plane Land” and “King and Queen” (which he did with Barbadian Queen of Soca Alison Hinds).

SISTER NANCY

Sister Nancy (Ophlin Russell) broke ground as Jamaica’s first internationally recognized female dancehall deejay. Her 1982 hit “Bam Bam”, recorded at Channel One Studios and released on Winston Riley’s Techniques label, sits atop the Stalag riddim, a groove as eternal as reggae itself.

The chant “bam bam” dates back to Toots & The Maytals (1966), connecting Nancy’s version to a deeper Jamaican lineage of rhythmic call-and-response. Her interpretation, however, is wholly her own: fierce, confident, and declarative.

Born Ophlin Russell on January 2, 1962, in Kingston, Jamaica, Sister Nancy grew up in a large family of fifteen children in a deeply religious home where her father was a revivalist pastor. Despite the conservative environment, music called to her early. Inspired by her older brother, Brigadier Jerry, one of Jamaica’s most respected deejays, she began performing on local sound systems as a teenager, including Jah Love and later Stereophonic alongside General Echo. In a time when the dancehall scene was almost entirely male, she broke barriers by grabbing the mic and commanding he crowd with confidence, wit, and rhythm. Her first single, Papa Dean, was produced by Winston Riley of the Techniques label in 1980, marking the start of a new era for female voices in reggae.

Two years later, her debut album One Two (1982) made history with the track Bam Bam, recorded over the legendary Stalag 17 riddim. The song’s infectious groove and bold lyrics became a worldwide anthem, later sampled hundreds of times across hip-hop and pop — from Lauryn Hill to Jay-Z. Though she received no royalties for decades, Sister Nancy’s perseverance and eventual legal victory symbolized a reclaiming of artistic ownership. Now celebrated as the first woman to rise in the male-dominated dancehall world, she stands as a cultural icon whose voice and message continue to echo through generations of reggae and beyond.

Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story won Best Music Documentary at the World Music and Independent Film Festival and was also nominated for Best Feature Documentary Direction.

Billboard Reggae Albums Chart: Sister Nancy’s ‘One Two’ Debuts At No. 3 Following Vinyl Reissue

Sister Nancy’s iconic 1982 debut album One Two has made its debut on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, landing at No. 3 on the chart dated April 26, 2025. The milestone comes after the album was reissued on vinyl for the first time in over four decades as part of Record Store Day on April 12.

THE ABYSSINIANS

The Abyssinians, formed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1968, are a legendary roots reggae vocal trio celebrated for their deep spiritual themes, striking harmonies, and Ethiopian Amharic lyrics. Founded by Bernard Collins, Donald Manning, and Linford Manning, the group remains one of the most influential acts in Jamaican music history. Known for their heavenly close harmonies, dark melodies, and Rastafarian messages, the group helped define roots reggae. Their impact crosses genres

MARLON ASHER

21 years after releasing his hit Ganja Farmer, Marlon Asher returns with an oeuvre called Safe. While this is exciting news, even more thrilling is the name of the producer behind the twelve tracks (plus the short interlude On My Way): Donovan "Don Corleon" Bennett, the mastermind of the early 2000s who has kept a low profile in reggae music recently.

Listening to the opener Give Praises, a reduced Nyabinghi piece featuring "the Messenjah" Luciano, we encounter two more outstanding characteristics of the release. For one, the consciousness and spirituality of the lyrics, coupled with deep faith that is mirrored in the final King's Highway and in the title track, Safe. On the other hand, there is an impressive list of featured artists, most of which have accompanied Marlon Asher for years on his journey.

Thus, Sizzla is not only a respected colleague, but also a brotherly mentor who helped Asher with practical advice and even took him on tour to Japan recently. Together the two singers step boldly onto the laid-back, bassline dominated Never See Us Fall, encouraging us to "fix our crown" and keep pushing whenever obstacles come up. Equally powerful, Tarrus Riley and Capleton lend their well-known voices to Diamonds & Gold, a song complaining about the gangsterism that sweeps islands like Jamaica and Trinidad. "Why are their hearts so cold?"

Not cold but warm has been the welcome that US-band Slightly Stoopid has given Marlon, making him an honorary member of their group. Here, they join him on the melodious I&I, another song giving praises to the Most High. While J Boog is an obvious choice for the love song Call Me, the final feature is a surprise given the deep, slow reggae sound of the instrumental that's so different from his usual output. Masicka is, however, a perfect addition to the meditative In The Hills, a description of how weed should be enjoyed far from city-life bustle as there's "no interruption, nobody to kill my vibe."