Isaac Haile Selassie

In the annals of reggae music and its devotion to Emperor Haile Selassie, one thing becomes striking by its absence: the lack of Ethiopian voices giving thanks and praise to His Majesty. Now, from Addis Ababa, by way of Southern California, comes a striking new voice whose direct links to the King of Kings are stronger than any other singer and player of instrument this century has known.

If that seems hyperbole, consider the fact that Isaac Haile Selassie not only carries the Imperial name, but was, in fact, raised under the supervision of His Majesty. "I have been blessed, " recalls the singer from his cozy hillside cottage in Los Angeles, "to have been raised in the care of His Imperial Majesty personally, at his boarding school a few miles from the Palace. I sued to see him at least once a week throughout my childhood. Recently I received a photograph from one of my old school mates. It shows my crying my eyes out during a visit from His Majesty when I was about four years old."

Such memories are precious. "I recall that once he came and talked to me during dinner, and I rose form the table. But he pushed me back down and said, "The food is more important than me, and you can sit down and talk to me." I only knew him as a father, not as a leader. My being raised by him gave me an experience of wisdom and understanding and loving everyone the same way I want to be loved."

When Selassie was deposed, Isaac recalls sadly, "I felt like I was cut into halves, and I had no place in my own land. War and destruction surrounded me. So I decided to walk out of my country through the desert of Eritrea, all the way to the Sudan. It took me many weeks. My companions and I slept in the daytime, and walked in the night, hiding like hyenas, avoiding the planes dropping bombs. I eventually found my way to Khartoum, Sudan, and one day I encountered a group of Ethiopians who were lying in the 120 degree heat under a fan in a small room, listening to Bob Marley on the radio."

This initial encounter with Jah music came as a visceral revelation. "His voice sounded like truth, although none of us could understand what he was saying. I'd never heard of dreadlocks or Jamaica or Rasta. I never knew there were these people abroad who loved Selassie I. But the spirit of this man just hit me like he hit the rest of the world. That's why I wrote a special tribute to him on this album."

After 2.5 years in Khartoum, Isaac traveled to Egypt, Italy and eventually arrived in Dallas, Texas in 1980. Here, racism was revealed to him for the first time. "I thought, how strange a thing it is for one man to hate another just because you are a different color. I had never had that experience in my life."

By 1983, he had reached LA where he began performing publicly in an Ethiopian restaurant, singing Ethiopian songs and reggae in both English and Amharic. He then formed a band called Jahnoi in Oakland, where he really learned how to reach a crowd. Returning to take up residence in LA, Isaac began playing at popular venues like the African Market Place, Beach Fest, clubs and many of the local universities.

Among the many prominent musician who offered their help on "UNITE" are the Nyahbinghi specialist himself, Ras Michael, Jamaica's premier roots master; Carlton "Santa" Davis, longtime Soul Syndicate drummer, who played Peter Tosh's world-touring Word Sound and Power Band, who is heard on eight songs here; Richard Hardy of the Dave Matthews Band on flute; and Fishbone's Spacey Singleton.

Isaac says, "This album was born between friend who know me, know my heart, who believe in my music for its positive message. Ethiopia's entire history is a struggle towards unity during the past millenium. I dedicate this music to Ethiopians at home and abroad who starve for peace and unity and for Africans and the rest of the world who pray for happier times to come for all of us."

Courtesy of Isaac Haile Selassie.