A Living Legend " Rocky Dawuni "

Cumbancha released Dawuni's sixth album, Branches of the Same Tree, on March 31st, 2015. It promises to bring him an even wider international audience. Reflecting his maturity as an artist, the album highlights Dawuni's ability to communicate a universal, uplifting message that crosses borders and reaches out to the hearts of millions. The first single for the new album "African Thriller" is making waves around the world with the amazing dance video.

While still a student, Rocky Dawuni burst onto the African reggae scene in the early 1990's as the lead singer of the Ghanaian reggae group, Local Crisis, at the Pan African Music Festival held in the West African country's capital of Accra. In their debut performance, Dawuni's mesmerizing stage presence and powerful songs secured the group hero status. “My first band was an accident,” said Rocky. “In my first year, I met these four guys who were students there and musicians. Everyone was saying, ‘Why are we in the University if we want to be musicians? Why don’t we form a band?’” In 1996 he produced his first album, The Movement, backed by members of Local Crisis and other Ghanaian reggae stars. The Movement became a major success in Ghana with a number of hit singles including “What Goes Around” and “Sugar.” But Dawuni continued to believe that his music could serve as a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world. His first international exposure came through the 1998 Putumayo collection Reggae Around the World, which featured his song "In Ghana," alongside tracks by Lucky Dube, Burning Spear, Ernest Ranglin and others.

In the United States, The Movement received critical acclaim and glowing praise. Mesa/Bluemoon Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, licensed "What Goes Around" and its video for release throughout the U.S. on Strictly Underground: Reggae's Next Generation, propelling the video to climb to #3 on the Reggae Video Charts in January 1997 and introducing Rocky's music to U.S. reggae radio. In spring 1998, Aquarian Records / Who Dun It Records released Rocky's second recording, Crusade, written, arranged and produced by Rocky Dawuni. The album is a sprawling philosophical journey into rhythm and soul with songs of pain, spirituality, love, revolution and redemption. From the nyabinghi tinged tropical jam, "Sweet Bright Day," which Dawuni describes as "an invocation of the perfect day when all elements fall into place in our lives," to a hauntingly powerful piece entitled, "Conqueror," which highlights a traditional African kora player, Crusade is Dawuni's musical and spiritual war promoting love, justice and righteousness. "It's about hope in the human spirit and allowing God to empower us to attain the unattainable."

Crusade's first single, "In Ghana," achieved international hit status on both radio and TV with the tune's arresting video. Inspired by Ghana's 40th Anniversary Celebrations, Dawuni describes the song "as a celebration of 40 years of independence...as the first black African country to attain independence, it's a personal ode to the individual's continuing search for freedom." Putumayo World Music subsequently licensed "In Ghana" for their Reggae Around the World compilation CD that also includes tracks from Lucky Dube, Burning Spear and Majek Fashek. "In Ghana" was recently voted "Reggae Song of the Year" at the Ghana Music Awards 2000. The July 1998 release of Crusade was, and continues to be, enormously successful, with tremendous media coverage throughout the African continent. In the spring of 1999, Rocky began a summer festival tour of the United States, which culminated with a knockout live performance at the Vermont Reggae Festival to a capacity crowd of 35,000. Rocky also put in extraordinary performances at the UCLA Jazz/Reggae Festival and Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, establishing himself as one of the premier live reggae artists.

Rocky Dawuni, appeared live in concert at the La Pleasure Beach in Accra on Ghana's Independence Day, March 6th, 2001. Under the auspices of Aquarian Productions and Ghana Tourist Development Co Ltd., the first annual "Rockys Dawuni's Independence Splash" was a hit with an estimated crowd of over 20,000. Rocky opened the show with the ever popular "Inside Your Head" with the crowd singing along to every word. The stage was a virtual war-zone with fans fighting with security personnel to get to Rocky during his two-hour plus set. "Rocky Dawuni's Independence Splash" ended with a stunning rendition of Rocky's "In Ghana, "which has become the unofficial national anthem of the country. As the sun set, Ghanaians and foreigners alike sang in unison to celebrate Ghana's 44th year of independence from colonial rule. In 2003, Dawuni teamed up with Sullivan and KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole to create Afro Funke', a regular musical event in Los Angeles dedicated to African music, culture and art and it's far-reaching legacy around the world. Afro Funke' presents international guest DJs, live performances, guest musicians, dancers, cutting-edge films, record release parties, fundraisers, fashion shows, art installations, crafts and more. It has built a dedicated following, attracting celebrities such as Prince, India.Arie, Queen Latifah and Stevie Wonder.

In November of 2004 Stevie Wonder made a surprise appearance onstage at Rocky Dawuni's concert performance at Zanzibar in Santa Monica, California. Wonder wailed on harmonica and dug into the crowd-inspired call & response vocal gymnastics on Dawuni's Afro groove track, "Wake the Town," from his fourth album Book of Changes. 2007 proved to be a year of tremendous action for Dawuni, who completed a successful tour of Israel where he performed with the country's star Mosh Ben Ari. In March, his annual '7th Rocky Dawuni's Independence Splash' concert celebrating Ghanaian Independence Day, attracted over 40, 000 people at La Pleasure Beach in Accra, Ghana and Rocky also traveled extensively with UNICEF to the northern part of his homeland to bring attention to the pressing need for clean water and sanitation.

In June 2007 Rocky and supermodel Elle MacPherson completed a June 13 -15 humanitarian tour of Ghana as spokespersons for (RED) and the Global Fund to announce the grant of 6.4 million dollars to provide HIV / AIDS treatment. (RED) was founded by U2 front man Bono and Bobby Shriver to harness the power of some of the world's most iconic brands in the fight against HIV / AIDS. “I have always used my concerts as a platform to engage social issues,” he says, “and not only as a spokesperson. I personally organize local musicians to work with communities and help them find sustainable solutions to problems on the ground.” In 2010, Dawuni contributed a cover of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining" to the Putumayo album Tribute to a Reggae Legend.In 1998, Dawuni released his second album Crusade, followed by Awakening in 2001, Book of Changes in 2005 and Hymns for the Rebel Soul in 2010. Each album brought him greater acclaim and wider recognition both in Ghana and abroad. Today, Dawuni is a household name in his native land, and widely considered one of Africa's most recognized international stars.

The year 2010 began with Rocky performing at the Vatican sponsored “Journey of the Spirit Festival” in mid January in Rome. From there Rocky took off for his homeland of Ghana to release his genre-bending fifth album titled "Hymns for the Rebel Soul" at a launch party at Citizen Kofi in Osu, Accra. “First, I am Ghanaian,” Dawuni explains. “I harness local elements into a whole organic form, while the arrangements overall use a contemporary global palette." Dawuni's music has been featured in numerous television programs, including ER, Weeds and Dexter. In 2010, Dawuni's song "African Soccer Fever" was included on the FIFA World Cup South Africa video game from EA Sports, one of many times Dawuni's songs have been included in EA video games. Dawuni's cover of John Lennon's "Well Well Well" appeared on the digital bonus version of the Amnesty International benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur, which was released by Warner Brothers in 2007 and featured appearances by U2, R.E.M., Aerosmith featuring Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Black Eyed Peas and others. Dawuni has also participated in the 2009 Playing for Change album, singing along with Bono on "War/No More Trouble" and Keb Mo' on "Biko."

Rocky’s recent performances include appearing in front of 18,000 people in Toronto, Canada alongside Somalian superstar K’Naan and at the Freedom Awards in Los Angeles with pop sensation Jason Mraz. In July 2011 he performed at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl with the legendary Stevie Wonder during a night of "Global Soul” and appeared at France’s Les Estivales de la Perriere in August of the same year with Shaggy, Monty Alexander and Diana King where they joined together on a magical rendition of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry." In March 2012, Rocky headlined the Balispirit Festival in Bali, Indonesia for the second time in three years and received a glowing feature in Rolling Stone Indonesia. In July 2013, Rocky appeared at Switzerland's renowned Montreaux Jazz Festival.