Jamaican reggae band Inner Circle headlined the Florida Jerk Festival in Apopka last weekend, sharing their hit songs with members of the diaspora and lovers of the Jamaican culture.

The festival was held yesterday (October 23) in honour of National Jamaican Jerk Day, a United States-based holiday that celebrates Jamaican cuisine and culture annually on October 24.

Inner Circle was very popular in the 1970s and released their debut single Why Can’t I Touch You in 1970. This was followed by more than 50 singles, the most recent, Richies Wii a Pree, released in January 2022.

In an interview with Orlando Weekly, band leader Roger Lewis shared that the team was excited to perform at the festival because Miami is familiar ground.

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“Honestly, I really don’t remember the first time we played in Florida. We used to do it a long time ago, come up from Pensacola, go up to Tallahassee,” recalled Lewis.

“Florida has always been big for reggae,” he added. “And always growing.”

The band was well received by spectators who sang their hearts out and erupted in cheer after Bonnick’s energetic performance of One Way, a song released in 1997.

They also performed their reggae rendition of Young, Wild and Free, a song by American artistes Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg.

Inner Circle thrived in the 1970s, gaining stardom akin to reggae icon Bob Marley.

However, the group fell apart after the death of Jacob Miller in 1980. They rebooted in 1986 and released the single, Bad Boys, the year after.

Since then, the groups has continued to tour across the globe, releasing new songs and spreading Jamaican culture.