WHILE not much has been heard of the very talented group ‘First Born’, recently, word has just been received that the group is poised to release four hot new singles on a mini album which will reportedly ‘set Guyana on fire’.

In a recent interview with their music partner and associate, Walter Fraser, it was disclosed to this publication that the four songs are very deep and stirring, and deal with everyday issues surrounding the lives and very existence of locals.
The reggae-laced selections are said to be ‘I fell Asleep’; ‘Africa is calling’, which is a riveting selection that speaks of the African roots and culture; ‘Give a helping Hand’, also another soothing single that speaks volumes of the will and need to help others and the less fortunate; and ‘I am not Afraid’, which depicts the human will to be bold in times of adversity, and encourages and restores a broken soul with the liquid lyrics that make up the song.

Who is this Firstborn?
Out of Guyana, the Land of Many Waters, comes First Born – a group which began with eight young Guyanese men and gradually became five members, and is now down to three.
Guyanese by birth and Rastafarian by choice, Troy Azore, Trayon Garrett, and Rolston Richmond are grounded in the roots reggae culture of Jamaica.
This group delivers a strain of reggae music that exudes spirituality, culture, tremendous brotherly love, and originality. Originally conceived as an acappella outfit in the 1990s, they achieved a breakthrough in 1997 with a live showcase at the Freddy McGregor Concert at the Guyana National Park, promoted by Walter ‘Wally’ Fraser’s Vizion Sounds Records.
First Born’s performance at the event so impressed Wally and the late, great Dennis Emmanuel Brown with their unique originality, that Wally immediately signed them to his Vizion Sounds Records Company, and Dennis Brown offered his special vocals on their debut single, ‘Repatriation Time’.
‘Repatriation Time’ featured prominently on their acclaimed debut album, ‘Exodus Chapter XIII Verse 2’, which was recorded at Leggo’s Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, with saxophone contribution and musical direction by player extraordinaire Dean Fraser. The album earned the group two Guyana National Awards for Best New Artistes and Best New Group.
Since joining the Guyana and Jamaica-based Vizion Sounds Records family, the group has produced five albums, namely, Exodus, Exodus Remix, Wake Up Call, Confident, and Iritis. First Born’s talent, craftsmanship and presence both in studio and on stage have blossomed and matured almost beyond belief; and in November 2002, they were invited to Jamaica to participate in the celebration of the coronation of His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie I, which was attended by the grandson of His Imperial Majesty.
The group was deeply honoured when asked to perform the National Anthem at the Guyana Miss Universe Pageant and the annual Boxing Day Boxing Championships of 2002. They culminated that year’s home front engagements with several performances at the flag-raising ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Guyana’s Independence. In September 2002, they travelled and opened for international reggae dancehall artiste Shaggy in Suriname.
Barbados was their next port of call, in March 2003, when they opened for Sizzla at the Block party concert, leading into Sizzla’s ‘Rise to the Occasion’ birthday celebration in 2004 at Caymanas Park, Jamaica where they shared stage with Coco Tea, Beres Hammond, Sizzla, Marcia Griffiths, Richie Stephens, Chezidek and many others.
Since first hitting the streets, First Born has indeed been making some serious strides, with its members not letting up on their goal to make a name for themselves as a prominent reggae band. And, with their hardworking manager Walter ‘Wally’ Fraser, they have been making serious inroads into the world of Caribbean music.
Their 2005 single ‘Irits’ has been getting good airplay on the airwaves, peaking at number 4 on the Mega Jamz Reggae Chart. The singles ‘How Are We Gonna Survive’ with Buju Banton and ‘Muzik Is The Rock’ done with Gregory Isaacs are also in heavy rotation. Also released in 2005, the singles ‘Early In The Morning’ (remix), ‘Love Trap’ and ‘War I See’ are growing in popularity.