Music: Yvad The Journeyman Who Never Left, "comes forward"

He was "reggae revival" before anyone even thought of the term. In the mid-90s, when the current crop of roots ambassadors were still pups or even unborn, Yvad released a potent combo of hope and idealism in the forms of "Bright Day" and "We Need Love". The latter brought him the then Jamaica Music Industry (JAMI) Award as best produced single in 1995, and brought teams form BET and other international media eager to see and hear reggae's latest bright spark.

Already a fixture on tour with the Marleys at the time of the breakthrough, Yvad  thereafter continued to hone is chops in all departments: vocals, musicianship, songwriting and performance. He would go on to tour with other reggae heavyweights, such as Mighty Diamonds, Israel Vibration, Bunny Wailer, Andrew Tosh and the Wailers world tour. These travels also took him around the world, but at home, the public  - and even the industry - seemingly took him to be another flash in the pan and promptly forgot .

but the man born Kevin Davy soldiered on, building his own recording studio and forming his own Yvad Reggae label to facilitate the output of his own works as well as other artistes. During this time he was signed to  Dr Dread's Ras Records where he worked with founder Gary Himmelfarb to produce the album called “Reggae for Kids”, a pioneering disc of its type which garnered global recognition.  He followed "Young Gifted and Dread" the debut album, with "Justice"  "Cease Fire" and two others that did little to firm up his sanding as a reggae act whether at home or overseas.

But a another long, formative stint as the lead sinsinger form the Wailers band, beginning in 2006, did again see him racking up the miles and adding incrementally to his fan base. "Touring with the Wailers has helped make me a  much more widely appreciated artiste," Yvad said 

Mid-stream the Wailers gig, in 2008, Yvad secured a record deal with local impresario/businessman Victor Simpson and Nubeat Entertainment, in Kingston Jamaica which yielded the album “The Sojourner” with producers Clive Hunt and Wayne Armond of Chalice Band joining Simpson behind the boards as producers.

More currently, Yvad, with his own band is performing in support of "Riverton" an impassioned plea about the infamous city dump that is also the lead single off a album set to drop in January. He has done a number of lounge dates, including at the Alibi and Chris Gayle's Triple Century, and will be featured on the 20th anniversary edition of Rebel Salute.

Throughout, Yvad has maintained his unassuming off-stage persona, even as the current material suggests that his songwriting and performance powers have stepped up a notch. It may well be time for the Jamaican public to catch up to the rest of the world in re-discovering the "original roots revivalist."