A reggae man called Black Amber

He is a journey man as far as  music is concerned, having lived and worked in places like  Egypt, Japan, Canada  and Thailand but reggae artiste Black Amber knows home is always where the sweetness is and she cannot be forever shunned when she keeps beckoning.

Real name Anthony Appiah King, Black Amber does not define sweetness only in terms of good times. He regards challenges and provocations as inevitable situations  that must be dealt with at home and he is using his involvement with music to tell positive stories and inspire young people.

The singles he has put out recently include Reggae on the High Street, Give I Your Loving and Pain In My Heart. They are part of two albums and his Black Amber Recording Label to be launched by mid-December.

“I love to do conscious music about love and unity,” says Black Amber who describes himself as a nationalist and Pan-Africanist.

His music is a cross between roots reggae, lovers rock and soul. To him, people need to tap from their roots to be able to move on. They must also bond together in love as a form of social protection.

Recorded with some of the young, brilliant instrumentalists around like guitarist Dominic Quarchie and drummer Francis Osei, Amber’s songs capture a passion for reggae bloom and for young people to be given the chance to express their talents.

“The target of what I’m doing in music is the youth. We have young talents here. There are great instrumentalists but they are not getting the opportunity to excel,” Amber says.

The urge to help young people express their abilities is what has driven him to start the Black Amber Recording Label. He has already produced albums for some young people and there are others waiting for their turn.

A singer in church choirs from an early age, Amber was a member of the Drummers Inc. band led by Oloquaye Commodore before leaving for Egypt in his early twenties.

“It has been hard work all my life. I have worked at one job to another and from one city to another across the world.  Life is not sitting on the fence and expecting Jah to bless you,” Amber states.

It is that sense of hard work that he is trying to instil in the young artistes on his label and believes he is succeeding.

For now, he wants more people to hear his style of reggae and know about the reggae man and producer called Black Amber because that could open doors for his young protégés as well.

Graphic Showbiz/Ghana