Say the name, Rohan Reid, and almost everyone in Jamaica knows his life story…....
...the third of seven children, born and raised in Kingston, Rohan was encouraged to start learning bass at the tender age of 6. His father, Nathaniel Reid, had him pick up the guitar to teach him a “few chords” to play along in church. Little did he and his wife know that this youngster would, in a short amount of time, learn and master both bass and guitar.
Everyone was astonished at his progress and would soon start asking his parents could he accompany them. Although his Mother, Leanna, reluctantly allowed Rohan to start traveling the world at such a young age, she knew his talent was a gift from above.
At age 10, Rohan was on the road touring internationally with one of Jamaica’s biggest record selling Gospel Groups, Grace Thrillers. After 5 wonderful years of this union, he moved on to become a member of Insights. It was during this time he began to develop his musical arranging skills under music director, Denis Hayes. In 1985 Rohan, along with Patrick Kitson and Henry Morrison formed Change, a new driving force in Jamaica’s Contemporary Gospel arena. The group fused gospel, jazz and reggae, revolutionizing a “new” sound. Change became the first and only Gospel aggregation to perform on the world’s largest reggae festival, Reggae Sun splash and was also featured in the Billy Graham Global Mission 1994, shown to over 300 countries worldwide via satellite.
Good news traveled fast and Change became the first local group to be signed to an international record label, Freedom Records (a division of Malaco Records). Rohan’s role as musical director, bassist, composer, producer, writer and vocalist helped to create many of the uplifting hit songs performed by the group.
Rohan, now known as one of the most accomplished bassist in the Caribbean, was highly requested and more than ready to take his talent abroad to the USA.
Beanie Man, Big Mountain, Dennis Brown, Dianna King, Eric Darius, Irene Cara, Jessie Dixon, Leon Patillo, Maxi Priest, Najee, Sisaundra, Wayne Wonder….these are only a few of the Grammy Award winning and Billboard charting artist that have experienced the amazing passion Rohan brings to his craft.
With two recent #1 Billboard projects to his credit, soon, the world will come to know the soul of a man who’s fingers works his instrument into a passionate fever…..ladies and gentlemen, Jamaica’s own treasure, Mr. Rohan Reid.
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