Say the name, Rohan Reid, and almost everyone in Jamaica knows his life story.
Rohan is recognized as one of the most accomplished bassists in the Caribbean.
He was born and raised in Kingston, the third of seven children. Rohan started learning bass at the tender age of 6. His father 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, would learn and master both bass and guitar.
Everyone was astonished at his progress and would soon started asking his parents if he could accompany them. Although his Mother reluctantly allowed Rohan to begin 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 most significant records 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 travels 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.
Beanie Man, Big Mountain, Dennis Brown, Dianna King, Eric Darius, Irene Cara, Jimmy Cliff, Jessie Dixon, Leon Patillo, Maxi Priest, Najee, Sisaundra, Wayne Wonder… these are only a few of the Grammy Award-winning and Billboard charting artists that have experienced the fantastic passion Rohan brings to his craft.
