Dubbed the greatest show on earth, Reggae Sumfest continues to turn heads with its stellar lineup
each year.

Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Cham, Mr Easy, Frisco Kidd, Spragga Benz and Wayne Wonder, are the dancehall heavyweights that will be headlining a special Madhouse Records tribute to legendary producer Dave Kelly on festival night 2 at this year’s staging of the much-anticipated event.

Downsound Entertainment’s decision to honour the iconic dancehall music producer and songwriter seems to be a move made to appease the musical taste buds of fans for some authentic dancehall, who have been yearning for the influential sounds of the 1990s and juggling rhythm, for which Dave and his Madhouse record label are well-known.

He began his music career as a sound engineer in the late 1980s. But later began working with Donovan Germaine on the Penthouse label before later starting his own label, Madhouse, in 1991 along with his business partner Janet Davidson.

He went on to become one of the most successful dancehall producers in Jamaica, recording numerous songs that topped the local and international reggae charts, such as Action by Nadine Sutherland and Terror Fabulous in 1994 or Look by Bounty Killer in 1999.

Kelly ruled the 1990s and is labelled one of the greatest dancehall producers of all time, who crafted scores of famous and influential riddims. Through his Madhouse label, he has released some of the most popular riddims such as Joyride, Showtime, Fiesta, and 85 and Bruk Out—from which the majority of dancehall hits were birthed.

He produced  Beenie Man’s international hit Dude featuring Ms Thing in 2003 on the Fiesta riddim, which was featured on Beenie Man’s album Back to Basics. He is also the man behind Baby Cham‘s major hit Ghetto Story, on the 85 riddim, which was the title track of Baby Cham‘s 2006 album that he also produced.

Kelly is also the producer for Buju Banton’s 2020 track Blessed. Most of his lyrics and rhythms echo the social and political realities and stories from the times they were created.

Although over the years Kelly has kept a low profile and is not one for the spotlight, his contribution and influence on dancehall music are indisputable.