Although Pato Banton's been in the music industry for 26 years, he feels like a young kid starting his musical journey again. However, he admits that he has the advantage of a prolific legacy that he can pick up where he left it after a staggering personal tragedy.
Birmingham, England's Pato Banton has been a force on the reggae scene for almost 25 years and continues to inspire, as he proved over the course of his 10-song set.
Backed by the powerful six-member Mystic Roots Band, the talented singer/toaster sang songs geared toward having a good time, but with deeper messages centering on his religious faith, the need for world peace and the legalization of marijuana (even while discouraging the use of hard drugs during a lively "Don't Sniff Coke").
However, his hour-long appearance really captured the artistic heights of the genre during performances of "One World (Not Three)," "Good News" and a spirited cover of Bob Marley's "Jamming" that got just about everyone dancing to the beat.
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Depending on your point of view, Pato Banton's career either started or ended with a bullet. It was fired in 2000.
Pato Banton, one of reggae’s best kept secrets, used his immensely positive message to help kick off the Inaugural Chipotle Global Groove Festival on Friday night. Taking the stage just as night descended, with a band dressed entirely in a pure and innocent white motif, Pato immediately engaged the diverse crowd with call and response as only he can do,