GROUNDATION
Groundation formed in 1998 when Stafford began a roots reggae/jazz fusion group with bassist Ryan Newman, keyboardist Marcus Urani, and drummer James Stafford, all of whom were in the same Jazz Performance program at Sonoma State University. The group’s first 2 albums (Young Tree and Each One Teach One) established their unique roots sound, while also beginning the band’s long affiliation with foundational reggae artists, as Each One Teach One features vocalist Marcia Higgs and drumming master Ras Michael. Stafford’s deep knowledge of the reggae genre led to him developing a course he taught at Sonoma State called “The History of Reggae Music,” where legends like Joseph Hill of Culture and historical icons like Abba Melchezadek (Haile Selassie’s private secretary) would come to share their personal experiences.
In 1999, while in Jamaica, Harrison met the legendary engineer Jim Fox, who was involved with the production of many of RAS Records’ most iconic releases. Fox remastered both Young Tree and Each One Teach One and recorded Hebron Gate (2002), the album that launched Groundation to international acclaim. Fox has continued working with the band on every subsequent release, helping to shape their sound on We Free Again (2004), Upon The Bridge (2006), Here I Am (2009), and Building An Ark (2012), creating a catalog of genre-bending, deep, progressive roots reggae music. Similarly, Groundation’s artwork had a consistent look and feel, in collaboration with Stafford’s childhood friend, Giovanni Maki, creating all visual designs from the very beginning.
Through the years, Groundation has performed in over 35 countries on 5 continents. The band, which had number of personnel changes over the years, but always built around Harrison Stafford’s leadership, continued to bring reggae into new worlds, with their last studio album, The Next Generation (2018) opening with a full jazz big band (featuring 12 horn players). This album beat out Ziggy Marley and others to win Reggae.fr’s “Best Roots Reggae Album of 2018,” voted on by over 16,000 media members, musicians, producers, and fans. The band has extensive tour dates and festivals set up for the coming year in Europe, especially in France, South America, and in the USA.
Look for much more news about Groundation and One Rock in the coming months leading up to the album’s release.
NEWS ABOUT GROUNDATION
DREAMING FROM AN IRON GATE BY GROUNDATION WITH BRAIN DAMAGE IS OUT NOW
GROUNDATION MEETS BRAIN DAMAGE ON DREAMING FROM AN IRON GATE Groundation is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking album Hebron Gate with the release of Groundation Meets Brain Damage – Dreaming From An [...]
THE SECOND SINGLE BY GROUNDATION “DEAF EARS” WITH BRAIN DAMAGE IS OUT NOW
GROUNDATION MEETS BRAIN DAMAGE ON THE RELEASE OF "DEAF EARS"OUT NOW ON BACO RECORDS/EASY STAR RECORDSThe second song to be released in the lead-up to Brain Damage’s highly anticipated remix of Groundation’s Hebron Gate [...]
GROUNDATION RELEASES “FORGIVENESS” WITH BRAIN DAMAGE
GROUNDATION MEETS BRAIN DAMAGE ON THE RELEASE OF "FORGIVENESS" OUT NOW ON BACO RECORDS/EASY STAR RECORDS "And I don't want just a bare dub album!" That was Groundation founder Harrison Stafford's last directive [...]
GROUNDATION RELEASES TENTH STUDIO ALBUM
“ONE ROCK” FEATURING ISRAEL VIBRATION, THE ABYSSINIANS, & THE CONGOS OUT NOW ON BACO RECORDS/EASY STAR RECORDS Groundation just released their highly anticipated tenth studio album, One Rock, via a partnership between France’s BACO [...]
