"Herb and Legends" Preview

The ties Righteousness govern the world.

Broadcasting live and direct from the rolling red hills on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica, from a magical place at the intersection of words, sound and power.

The red light is on.

Your dial is set, the frequency in tune to the Roots Land podcast stories that are music to your ears.

Entertainer and reggae star Bob Marley, Rita Marley, and the manager of the Whalers, Don Taylor, are now patients in the University Hospital after receiving gunshot wounds during a shooting incident which took place at Marley's home at 56 Hope Road.

Tonight, how long shall they kill our prophets while we stand?

The passing of another Jamaican superstar, reggae dynamo Peter Tosh, one of the original Whalers.

And passed away by the gun, by.

The.

Glory to John, let him be Praise.

Because his righteousness govern the world.

What was the real cause of Bob Marley's death?

Who is behind the assassination of his bandmate Peter Tosh?

And where in the world is Ms.

Jean?

Missing wife of late reggae icon Bunny Wailer and the rightful heir to his massive fortune and music catalog.

I'm Henry Kay, host of the one music history podcast, Roots Land.

I want you to lean in close and listen to what corporate media outlets only hint at, what the popular websites dance around, but never fully illuminate.

On our new limited series, Herb and Legends.

We're not just exploring murders and connecting missing pieces.

We are preserving cultural mythology, capturing the oral traditions that ripple through ganja filled recording sessions and street corner domino games like late night ghost stories.

After spending three decades living and working in Kingston, Jamaica, hearing these elaborate tales from some of music's most revered pioneers, I've learned there's a heartbeat beneath every song.

The pulse of an untold story.

Living archives of whispered secrets, unresolved tensions, and, yes, urban legends just waiting for someone to pull back the curtain and listen to what's been said.

Maybe you're like me, drawn to the spaces in between the notes, the pregnant pauses where unspoken truth is revealed.

Some mysteries were never meant to be solved.

They're meant to be felt to resonate in that liminal space between shadows and light, between truth and legend.

Urban legends.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Fire.

Fire.

Available on all podcast platforms.

January 2025.

Yes, Roots Land gang, welcome to a new year, new show, new vibe.

Happy 2025, everyone.

Wishing you all the best, your best year yet.

Oh, and happy birthday, Henry.

Yep, that's true.

It is my birthday.

Wishing you so much success, prosperity and good health.

Thank you, thank you.

That's very kind of you.

Well, I guess I'm old enough now that my advice can be considered ancient wisdom.

Yeah.

So everybody better pay attention, listen close.

And speaking of new Sia, what's your take on our new show, Urban Legends?

What do you think of that preview?

You know, I love all those kind of shows.

Cold case, unsolved mystery, 24 hours.

No, that's not the name.

I think it's 48 hours.

Yeah, 48 hours.

But you have no patience, so you expect it in 24.

And what about that show you love where the husbands and wives take vengeance on their cheating spouses?

Or kill them for the insurance money?

Oh, dear.

Yeah, Snap.

Yeah, that's.

That's it.

Snapped.

Yeah.

Yeah.

No wonder you can't sleep at night watching those shows before going to bed.

Never mind about me losing sleep, Henry.

Aren't you nervous about digging up all this dirt on Peter Tosh's killers?

You're gonna have to go around watching your back.

No, I'm not worried, actually.

Some of the most dangerous people, they're not behind your back, they're right in front of you.

I think it's both.

You gotta watch your back and you gotta watch your front.

No, you watch your front.

You're gonna need to ask a Jamaican what that means.

I got to pick my.

Myself start all over again.

So, as you know, Sia, back in October, I was honored to attend the Peter Tosh Fest in Westmoreland, Jamaica, the birthplace of the reggae superstar.

The event was held on what would have been his 80th birthday, if he wasn't murdered back on that fateful day on September 11, 1987.

Didn't you drive from Kingston with the twins?

Yes, I drove with the twin of twins.

And the entire way from the rolling red hills on the outskirts of Kingston to the sea drenched shores of Belmont, we talked about the murder of Peter Tosh.

How nobody on the streets of Jamaica, including us, ever bought into the mainstream media's narrative that his murder was some kind of robbery gone wrong.

The twins grew up in the Chisholm Avenue garrisons of Kingston 13, where that ghetto grapevine, along with the Rastafari elders, had plenty to say about the subject.

And I remember the stories and urban legends that I heard in late night ganja filled recording sessions from musicians that told me what they really believed happened to Peter Tosh, Doc Brown and Free Eye Dickson.

And you know something?

By the time we reached Manderville, there was this majestic cloud of mist covering the mountains.

As if the island was trying to say something.

We realized that the true story behind the killing of one of Music's most revolutionary voices was covered in the same haze as those misty mountains never fully revealed.

Little slices selectively handed out, just enough to cloud and confuse to create this move on, nothing to see here attitude.

And to the credit of Peter Tosh, along with his childhood friend, fellow whaler Bob Marley, prophetically sang the words that not all that glitters is gold.

Half the story has never been told.

They both understood that the truth was ugly and dangerous and does not fit into neat little boxes.

And people, for the most part, as the cliche goes, no, they can't handle the truth.

Yet the truth is one of my musical heroes, Peter Tosh, didn't deserve to die like he did.

And where is the justice for a man who spent his life fighting for equal rights and justice for others?

I think it's time that the Jamaican government reopen the Tosh files, disclose to the public whatever pertinent information they've been hiding.

Because until they do, all we really have are these urban legends.

And all I can do is keep telling them and rootsland family, I hope you keep listening.

So for me, new years are always about new beginnings, renewed dreams, second, third chances.

Thanks, mom and dad.

And yet some people find it challenging, even impossible, to move forward.

Unable to let go of the past of loss, of pain, trauma.

And I know this past year has been very difficult for one of our own.

Right, Sia?

Yeah, it's been really tough.

You lost one of your closest friends recently.

One of my closest friends, Ann.

I know how much it hurt left you.

Asking how such a beautiful woman of faith who had so much to live for, so much to look forward to, could be taken away so soon, so young.

And you're not alone.

We have listeners also struggling with loss.

And not to put you on the spot, but I was thinking on behalf of everyone who lost someone they love, maybe if you said a few words about your friend Ann, it would connect with them, help your healing process.

To talk about your friendship and what Anne meant to you.

What do you think?

Hmm.

She was truly a great friend.

She meant the world to me.

A lot of times you don't realize how much someone means to you until you lose them.

I always knew she was special to me as I was to her.

So to say I'm devastated would not even do it justice.

I'm heartbroken.

At first, I was just in shock, numb, couldn't move.

But I'm very spiritual, and so was she.

And that is how I've begun to heal.

Understanding that at the end of the day, God is In control.

And that I look at it as he wanted her home with him, even though I wanted her here.

But it's helped me because I know that she's in a good place because of how she lived her life.

She's just exceptional.

She was always there when I needed her, and I miss hearing her voice.

That is so beautiful.

Siya, thank you so much for sharing.

I told you.

While I was working on the new show, I spent many hours listening and re listening to Peter Tosh songs.

The one that really stood out on constant repeat has become my official anthem for the new year.

The song Pick Myself Up.

I was actually surprised you didn't remember hearing that growing up in Jamaica.

How do you like it?

Oh, I loved it.

It was beautiful.

Yeah, I'm glad.

Really, what I needed to hear.

That song is so honest, so heartfelt.

Written at a time when Peter was experiencing deep financial troubles, suffering the physical and emotional scars of police beatings, of a debilitating car accident that killed the woman he loved.

And yet, in this sweet and simple letter that he wrote to himself, he showed signs of hope even in his darkest hours.

When he sings, I've gotta pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again, it's not just about getting back up on your feet.

He's giving permission to feel sorrow and hope in the same breath.

It's about remembering and honoring those who are no longer here with us by fully living our lives.

Peter Tosh, who lost so much, wasn't suggesting that we forget our losses, but rather we carry them with us with grace while we continue our journey.

You know that old Jamaican expression, rain I fall, but dutty tough.

Yeah, yeah.

The rain falls sometimes hard, but the ground remains tough and strong.

And, Siya, you are solid ground, forever weathering that storm.

And I hope from the depths of my heart that in this new year, you and the entire Rootsland family remember when you pick yourselves up, it's not a solitary act.

You're never alone.

We have a community here, always ready to listen.

When you dust yourself off, you also polish the legacy of the ones who made you what you are by never forgetting them.

And when you start over again, no, you're not starting from scratch, but from a place enriched by their love.

And while it's true that you may never find another friend like Ann, you can always be a friend like Anne.

Absolutely.

The rock, the giver, the listener, the protector that she was.

A giver and a protector, a confidant.

I'm going to end the show by playing a beautiful rendition of the Peter Tosh song Pick Myself Up.

This version performed by the group Jacoostic, which features Donald waugh, Surette small and good friend to our show, Mr.

Wayne Armand from the group Chalice on lead vocals.

Everyone, please listen to the words.

Get lost in the music.

Concentrate on how you're gonna make this next year the most uplifting, positive and productive year of your life.

No, not tomor right now.

Good thoughts right now.

Keep good thoughts.

Keep it positive.

Sitting in the morning sun Watching all the birds passing by oh, how sweet they sound oh, how I wish I could fly and I try oh, I try Judge I try Yes, I trust But I got to pick myself up and dust myself off and I start all over again Yes, I got to pick myself up industrial myself and I start all over again Sitting in the midday sun Wondering why my life is so hard not even little bread fetang not even little food I cry oh, I cry But I try Lord, I trust Still I got to pick myself up and dust myself up and down Start all over again Yes, I got to beating myself up and dusting myself up and I start all over again sa Sitting in the evening sun Watching all the birds passing by oh, how sweet they sounded oh, how I wish I could fly and I try oh, I try Giant oh, I try Yes, I try But I got to pick myself up and dust myself off and I start all over again oh, I got to pick myself up and dust myself off and I start all over again.

All the best to everyone.

I hope you are as blessed as I am to have a friend like I did.