www.i-taweh.com Biography 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 spent most of his childhood farming alongside his father and four siblings. As a young child he played music on handmade instruments crafted together from bamboo and sardine tins. Realizing her brother’s love for music, his sister with combined efforts from their mother, saved her money to buy him his first guitar. For high school he moved from the country to St. Ann’s Bay, where he lived on the same street as Burning Spear, and enlisted in the Ocho Rios High School band. They came second in the All Schools Competition in Kingston, giving him the confidence to move to the city to pursue music. It was the move to Kingston in 1992 that jump-started his musical career. 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. This 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 this time he was rarely seen without his guitar, and 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. In 1998, I-taweh became the youngest member of The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Jamaica’s most influential Nyahbingi and cultural group. With Brother Sam Clayton as the leader, they toured Europe extensively until 2007 presenting traditional Jamaican music and educational workshops. While in France, he collaborated with reggae group Broussai, which led to recording sessions for tracks that he later used on his first album Overload. Not only was I-taweh in demand for live performances, his incredible versatility and precision on guitar, vocals, and bass also kept him in high demand in the studio. As the guitarist for Everton Blender’s, Blend Dem Band, he traveled to the U.S.A. where he went on to be the bassist for the Yellow Wall Dub Squad. He quickly gained popularity opening for artists such as Sister Carol, Prezident Brown, the Abyssinians, Half Pint, the Mighty Diamonds, the Melodians and many more. In 2009, after seventeen years of being a supporting musician, I-taweh took a hiatus from the road and in 2011 he began his own singing career. He independently composed, produced and launched his debut album Overload in Jamaica, and released it under his label Tap Nat Muzik. Selections from the album and the Overload single have received significant airplay on stations in Jamaica and became a 2011-2012 hits, reaching #1 on the Hot 102 FM chart. In the U.S. the Overload album has been 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. I-taweh released his second album, Judgement, in Kingston, Jamaica in February 2017. The single Never Fade Away, and the album charted on Jamaica’s Top 10 reggae charts. Following the album release, I-taweh 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 in Austin, Texas. He was invited to perform at the historical Nelson Family’s Arlyn Studio, for an intimate Tribute to the Legends, where he shared the stage with the legendary Billie Joe Shaver, and Marcia Ball. I-taweh took his solo acoustic act to Europe and the UK in the fall of 2017 where he captivated audiences with his moving lyrics, confident stage presence, and phenomenal talent. His unique and original sound comes from his Jamaican roots influence combined with inspirations from his travels abroad. His music is diverse and reflects his passion for human rights and social justice. Whether performing acoustic, or with his full band, he wins the hearts of his listeners everywhere and continuously leaves his audience wanting more. I-taweh has released several singles from his upcoming album RELOAD which is set to release September 20th 2019 through Zojak Worldwide. No Mediocre Vibe was released in June 2018 and took #1 on Jamaica’s Top Reggae Singles and remained on the charts for several months. Danger Zone, a tribute single in honor of one of his Elder, Brother Sam Clayton from the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, was released in October 2018. Another great single from his upcoming album, Rolling Stone, was released in November 2018, and the Reload single was released in March of 2019. The four singles have been on heavy rotation with Irie FM, and other major radio stations in Jamaica, and two have reached the top 25 reggae singles chart by Richie B. Sunshine In My Eyes is the latest single released in June 2019, and I- taweh will be releasing one more single, Not Just In Memories, before the album release on January 3rd 2020 through Zojak Worldwide. A recent album review, by John Masouri, for UK’s Echoes Magazine, gave the Reload album a five star review and featured Reload as Reggae Album of the Month for June 2019. I-taweh is planning a European summer tour, followed by a U.S. tour. Make sure you don’t miss a chance to see and listen to I-taweh, look out for his upcoming album and a show near you! Past and Upcoming shows https://www.bandsintown.com/en/a/3221968-i-taweh Social Media https://www.instagram.com/itaweh_official/ https://www.facebook.com/i.taweh https://www.facebook.com/tapnatmuzik/ Press/ Reviews RELOAD album review for Reggaeville (page 165) https://www.reggaeville.com/festiville- 2019/?fbclid=IwAR3wEfi2iInVhRBcFUBhGoIBCAoK55YFEvL47dnym9qERYsPVJBQNEysKdI Review for La Grosse Radio France- https://www.lagrosseradio.com/reggae/webzine-reggae/interview-reggae/p25623-rencontre-avec-i-taweh-le- 15-mai.html Review for Arverne Reggae Festival France https://www.lagrosseradio.com/reggae/webzine-reggae/live-report-reggae/p25336-arverne-reggae-festival-4- 03-et-04-05-2019-brassac-les- mines.html?fbclid=IwAR2m2GlDvwBPRZj0FlD8yjYyc0XcfIXDpeLxp8nlGX3CDPGVEC-iIr4c2wc RELOAD album review by John Masouri for UK’s Echoes Magazine Review for La Grosse Radio France- https://www.lagrosseradio.com/reggae/webzine-reggae/interview-reggae/p25623-rencontre-avec-i-taweh-le- 15-mai.html Review for Arverne Reggae Festival France https://www.lagrosseradio.com/reggae/webzine-reggae/live-report-reggae/p25336-arverne-reggae-festival-4- 03-et-04-05-2019-brassac-les- mines.html?fbclid=IwAR2m2GlDvwBPRZj0FlD8yjYyc0XcfIXDpeLxp8nlGX3CDPGVEC-iIr4c2wc Le Creusot France Interview for Night Beat Magazine Island Stage Judgement album review – Onstage TV Jamaica with Winford Williams – Jamaica Observer February 8 – Jamaica Gleaner – United Reggae Judgement album review – World A Reggae Judgement album review – La Grosse Magazine review https://www.lagrosseradio.com/reggae/webzine-reggae/video-reggae/p22343-i-taweh-no-mediocre- vibe.html?fbclid=IwAR056huB58atUGwkPeyvCAHvEkzSTO775muqzmvYNDCIy-h-i9MfrNMCbCE This record deserves its chart success – United Reggae Favorite Albums of 2011 https://reggaemani.wordpress.com/tag/lists/ United Reggae Overload Review http://unitedreggae.com/articles/n842/122611/i-taweh-overload Overload Review http://www.reggae-vibes.com/rev_sin/overload.php Interview I-taweh United Reggae http://unitedreggae.com/articles/n807/120311/interview-i-taweh A delightful surprise from I-taweh Reggaemani https://reggaemani.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/a-delightful-surprise-from-i-taweh/ 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 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?v=SYNH8th0Njo Never Fade Away Official Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peD3wpoJ1SA Overload Official Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1HDhUC13OQ#action=share Live Performances Reload tour shows https://youtu.be/1T5eURkZf-M https://youtu.be/VD_CGfTOEKM https://youtu.be/ipz8XMMBnxI https://youtu.be/TXziATm0PCs Live 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 entire performance https://youtu.be/nZHwu7zaGSE Make It (Rainy Day) featuring Nambo Robinson Live in Eugene www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhikP47KDts 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?v=aK57iB1Pzd4 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 Albums .