I-TAWEH
Donavan I-taweh Cunningham was born in the hills of St. Ann, the same parish in Jamaica where the great Marcus Garvey, Burning Spear and Bob Marley all rise from. Like most successful artists, he comes from humble beginnings. Raised in the farming community of Prickly Pole, just a few miles from the home where Bob Marley grew in Nine Mile, he spentmost of his childhood farming alongside his father and four siblings. As a young child he andhis siblings played music on handmade instruments crafted together from bamboo and sardine
tins. The guitar was his first love, which he learned to play by ear, with the combined efforts of his mother and sister to buy him one. In 1992 a move from St. Ann to Kingston, jump-started his musical career where he began playing guitar with the legendary backing band High Symbol. Struggling to survive, and living between the communities of Mall Road, Grants Pen, Portmore, Rockfort, and Duhaney Park, I-taweh found comfort in the ghetto at the Community
Center of the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari. He quickly became the youngest member and bassist of the group, which was extremely influential for his music and his mission, where he was amongst some of the greatest musicians in the industry including, Dizzy Johnny Moore, Earl Chinna Smith, Nambo Robinson, and Bongo Herman.
During these formative years, rarely seen without his bass or guitar, he was given the nickname Danny Gitz. Along with the name, his skill and reputation as a musician began to grow, and the legendary Sugar Minott took him under his wing as his guitarist and harmony singer. I-taweh toured with Sugar until he passed in 2010.
Learning from the best, his precise musicianship and versatility on guitar, vocals, and bass kept him in high demand for live performances and in the recording studio where he recorded with Grammy Award winning artists such as Morgan Heritage, and Sade.
After seventeen years of touring, I-taweh independently composed, produced and
launched his debut album Overload. He released it under his own label Tap Nat Muzik. The album and the Overload single received significant airplay on stations in Jamaica and became a 2011-2012 hits, reaching #1 on Richie B’s Reggae Chart. In the U.S. the Overload album was very well received at traditional reggae radio, college and syndicated programs, and was selected as part of the Direct TV cable network’s menu of reggae material for regular rotation. Overload has become popular with people of all ages, and continues to be a cultural anthem
for the struggle for liberation. Roger Steffens stated, “I-taweh has produced a roots album for the 21st century, combining a modern interpretation of all that is good and instructive and honest about the music of the Golden Age of Reggae”.
Judgement, his sophomore album released in 2017. The single Never Fade Away, and the album charted on Jamaica’s Top 10 reggae album charts for many weeks. Following the album release, he performed on Europe’s Arverne Reggae Festival and Nomade Reggae Festival, played California’s Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Austin Reggae Festival, and was one of seven international reggae acts chosen to showcase their talent at one of the largest music industry conventions in the world, the South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference. At SXSW he performed three shows including Tribute to the Legends, at the
historical Nelson Family’s Arlyn Studio, where he shared the stage with the legendary Billie Joe Shaver, and Marcia Ball, and Playing For Change.
Reload, his third album and most significant body of work to date, was released on
January 3rd 2020 through Zojak Worldwide. The extremely talented, multi-instrumentalist, plays five instruments on the album which also features Jamaica’s top session musicians. “Even so, the consequence is a record that feels deeply connected to its creator, yet never indulgent or without the nuance and influence of his band” -Reggaeville Magazine.
Several singles on the album received significant recognition prior to the album release. No Mediocre Vibe, took #1 on Jamaica’s Top Reggae Singles and remained on the charts for several months. John Masouri reviewed the album for UK’s Echoes Magazine, and gave the Reload album a five
star review and featured it as “Reggae Album of the Month”. Island Stage Magazine stated “I-taweh has given us a reggae album that will become a staple in any reggae connoisseur’s collection and is a definite contender for next year’s Grammy Nominations”.
I-taweh’s latest collaborations have been with Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, and Playing For Change, (a multimedia music project, co-founded in 2002 by American music engineer/producer Mark Johnson and film producer/philanthropist Whitney Kroenke.) PFC recently produced a version of his original song Rolling Stone, titled Rolling Stone/Prisoner, and featured I-taweh in one of their Around the World versions of Peter Tosh’s Mama Africa. Since the onset of the pandemic and the cancellation of his Reload tour, he has been working on his fourth album Musically Speaking, which is preparing for the release June 28, 2024.
I-taweh intends to tour the album Muusically Speaking in the U.S., Jamaica, and Europe. I-taweh’s unique and original sound comes from his deep Jamaican roots, combined with inspirations from his extensive travels. Music takes you places. His music is rich with diversity and reflects his passion for human rights and social justice. Whether this singing bassist performs with his full band, or acoustic with his guitar, he wins the hearts of his listeners and continuously leaves his audience wanting more. Don’t miss a chance to see I-taweh live. I-taweh is a musical gem.
Reggaeville RELOAD album review
https://www.reggaeville.com/
This record deserves its chart success –OVERLOAD United Reggae
OVERLOAD Favorite Albums of 2011
https://reggaemani.wordpress.
United Reggae Overload Review
http://unitedreggae.com/
Overload Review
http://www.reggae-vibes.com/
Interview I-taweh United Reggae
http://unitedreggae.com/
A delightful surprise from I-taweh Reggaemani
https://reggaemani.wordpress.
ROGER STEFFENS TALKS ABOUT I-TAWEH’S NEW ALBUM OVERLOAD
“I-taweh has produced a roots album for the 21st century, combining a modern interpretation of all that is good and instructive and honest about the music of the Golden Age of Reggae”
– Roger Steffens
Music Videos
“Mama Africa” Playing For Change
https://youtu.be/Bqc0FXiazQM
Sunshine In My Eyes
https://youtu.be/jMu7FKLozVg
Reload Official Video
https://youtu.be/FiPJOrg6pTI
Rolling Stone Official Video
https://youtu.be/p2jt39S-jyM
No Mediocre Vibe Official Video
https://youtu.be/wfEJCNvq5q0
Herb Treez Official Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Never Fade Away Official Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Overload Official Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Live Performances
Reload tour shows
No Mediocre Vibe live in Napa, CA @Jam Cellars Ballroom
https://youtu.be/VJyBIeopJjE
Judgement Day live with Mystic Revelation of Rastafri
https://youtu.be/X7MEtBfZqAY
Another Bram Bram live in Pacifica, CA
https://youtu.be/GCUbzwcSORg
Reload album launch Santa Rosa, CA
https://youtu.be/TXziATm0PCs
Reggae Lion @Hopland Hop festival, CA
https://youtu.be/UDVxKeij9Kk
No Night Live w/ Mystic Revelation of Rastafari at Redbones Blues Cafe in Kingston, Jamaica
https://youtu.be/x5D80y4EdYc
Live show Arverne Reggae Festival France
https://youtu.be/63SzZ4_hLpU
Never Fade Away live at the Arverne Reggae Festival France
https://youtu.be/MOxG5M-3V6E
No Night acoustic at the Chateau de la Verrerie, France
https://youtu.be/yrBlXk4IVQU
Rolling Stone acoustic at the Le Sirius, Lyon France
https://youtu.be/V53aT27TIUw
United We Stand performance
https://youtu.be/nZHwu7zaGSE
Make It (Rainy Day) featuring Nambo Robinson Live in Eugene
www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Under the Guinep Tree at Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
https://youtu.be/_DxkOPjeGIE
Live Graceful at the NW World Reggae Festival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
On The Road Again live in Austin SXSW @ Willie Nelson’s Arlyn Studio
https://youtu.be/vBmNM1wm2JQ
Battlefield live at Beneficial Reggae Festival
https://youtu.be/Tm9aSAQKjlk
