Nasio Fontaine, also known simply as Nasio, is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

artist from the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Biography

Nasio is the youngest of seven children born to a Kalinago mother and father of African descent, in the village of Carte-Bois.Hamilton, Andrew
Nasio Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2011-02-27 When he was eight years old, Nasio began singing in the Bagatelle school and the village Catholic church choirs. Nasio had a habit of making instruments out of everything he could find. His father, Atto, made his very first instrument, a piece of board with fishing lines for strings.Jebbinson, André (2007)
Caribbean Flavour Series - Fontaine's natural rhythm unbeatable
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Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 4 February 2007, retrieved 2011-02-27 He was inspired at an early age by calypso artists and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

musicians such as Curtis Mayfield,

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

, and

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

. In 1981, he moved from Dominica to the island of

St. Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...

where he became influenced by

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

and reggae artists such as Joseph Hill, Burning Spear, Jacob Miller, and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

, to whom he is often compared. He recorded his first 12-inch single "Born to Be Free" in 1986, which sold over 5,000 copies in St. Maarten (the island's biggest ever selling single), and followed it with the EP ''Babylon is Falling'' in 1990. His first full-length CD ''Reggae Power'' (1994) was followed by ''Wolf Catcher'' (1997) and ''Revolution'' (1999). ''Living in the Positive'' was released by

Ras Records RAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label. History RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid-1980 ...

in 2004. In 2005 Nasio recorded the album ''Universal Cry'' at Long View in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

's Real World Studios in the UK; collaborating with producer Richard Evans. ''Universal Cry'' was released on the Greensleeves record label in the summer of 2006 to critical acclaim. Fontaine's popularity has spread to Africa, where he performed in 2006. He also performed at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

in the UK in 2007.Glastonbury announces full line-up
, ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', 4 June 2007, retrieved 2011-02-27 A compilation of material from his earlier albums, ''Rise Up'', was released in 2007.Cooke, Mel (2007)
Easy rebellion from Nasio Fontaine
, ''

'', 11 July 2007, retrieved 2011-02-27

Discography

*''Reggae Power'' (1994), Reggae Power *''Wolf Catcher'' (1997) *''Revolution'' (1999),

Import An import is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. In international trade, the importation and exportation of goods are limited ...

*''Living in the Positive'' (2003),

Higher Love "Higher Love" is a 1986 song by English singer Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, ''Back in the High Life'' (1986). It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood. The ...

RAS Ras or RAS may refer to: Arts and media * RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label * Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service * Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station * Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...

*''Universal Cry'' (2006), Greensleeves ;Compilations: *''Rise Up'' (2007)

References

External links

br>(official site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Nasio Dominica emigrants Immigrants to Sint Maarten Dominica musicians Dominica people of Carib descent Reggae musicians