Keeling Beckford has always had a following in British reggae circles, which can be traced to 1968 when he scored with the rocksteady song, Combination. He returns to the United Kingdom on August 17 to perform at the Sheffield Festival of Reggae.

That event also features fellow veterans Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Aswad, and Janet Kay, as well as The Trojan Explosion and The Marley Experience.

Beckford currently has two albums on the market — Combination and Reggae Strong. The former is a collection of his most popular songs.

Following the Sheffield Festival of Reggae, the New York-based singer/producer will perform on shows in Germany and Spain. Beckford told Observer Online that he retains an audience in Europe due to a strong catalogue of songs and his prowess as a live act.

“I’m a good performer and I have the songs to prove it, songs like Combination, Treasure of Love, Roman Soldier of Babylon and Cecilia. So, that keeps me in the game,” he said.

The St Mary-born Beckford began recording songs as a teenager during the mid-1960s. His breakthrough came with Combination, which was produced by Enid “Dell” Bennett.

Beckford also excelled as a record store proprietor and producer in New York. He produced songs by a number of pioneer hip hop artistes such as Pee Wee Mel, TJ Swann, Grandmaster Kelly P, and Lonnie Love in the early 1980s.

Those singles were released by Express Records, a label he operated with Phil Pratt and Claude Smith.

Howard Campbell