Don Letts and Turtle Bay present Reggae 45

Episode 1 - The Roots of Reggae. In episode one, Don looks at the beginnings of Reggae, from the naming of the genre, the tracks that created the foundations, the catalysts behind the genre and even his fathers Sound System parties in South London.Don Letts is one of reggae's central characters in the UK. Dating back to the seventies where his residency at the infamous Roxy club switched a whole generation of punks onto Reggae and is still at the forefront of new music with his BBC Radio 6 show. Reggae 45 is kindly supported by Turtle Bay - the UK's finest Caribbean Restaurant chain

As the seasons begin to change and the mood turns to getting cosy by a fire, Don Letts is back in partnership with Turtle Bay for the next in the series of the Reggae 45 Podcast – a dedication to the iconic sound of Lover’s Rock.A tributary of the Reggae genre that has become the cornerstone in the story of UK Reggae’s success, Lover’s Rock was born out of the need for an alternative to the more political tones to the wider Reggae sound in the 1970's. The young and ambitious of the Windrush generation looked for a reflection of their emotions at that time... of love, romance, relationship ups and downs as well as hopefulness... and along came the perfect soundtrack to their lives.

London has always been a melting pot when it comes to music, culture and art, so there was never a more perfect place to host a carnival such as Notting Hill. An annual event in the Kensington and Chelsea borough since 1966, each year sees the streets ignited with a sense of pride, fun and inspiration, Don Letts has captured just a little taster of that famous vibe in this month’s podcast.The carnival takes place across two days over the August Bank Holiday weekend with over a million people attending from all over the world. Now it’s all about the celebration, but it began as a response to the race riots of 1959 and was originally held indoors in St Pancras and beamed across the BBC thanks to the mother of Notting Hill Carnival herself, Claudia Jones. Don Letts delves into the history of the event, how it came to reunite communities and his own personal memories from when he started attending in the 70s. From the sounds of Trinidad and steel bands, to taking the event on the road, you’ll get to listen to how it all happened. Alongside the history, expect to hear the musical timeline with some legendary tracks like “Bam Bam” from Sister Nancy, “Police & Thieves” by Junior Murvin and “Boxes and Amps” from the British Dub collective, Zion Train.

The Don Letts Reggae 45 podcast is back! To mark the 73rd anniversary of Bob Marley's birthday, Don is joined by renowned Marley author Chris Salewicz at Turtle Bay Brixton to discuss all things about the man, his music and the rise of reggae. A fascinating listen for the music fan/historian in all of us.