Who would have ever thought that a conversation one afternoon in an internet music discussion room would lead to a performance with the Original Wailers?

Not I, that's for sure. Yet that's exactly how it happened.

One Thursday afternoon, I was enjoying some good vibes blasting through the UK Reggae Guide internet radio station. You can check them out here. I usually spend Thursday afternoons listening to DJ Idread, who also hosts a discussion chat using MSN Messenger at the same time. This chat room usually consists of musical artists, producers, promoters, and others who may have some affiliation with UK Reggae Guide.

This afternoon, I saw a new person come through that others in the group seemed to recognize. Someone asked if this person was still doing work with the Wailers. Just so happens, the Original Wailers were scheduled to perform at one of my favorite local venues the very next week. So I felt this was something good to contribute to the discussion.

Come to find out, the new person I was talking to was the current keyboard/organ player for the Original Wailers and current tour manager of this particular US run, Christian.

Of course, the internet is full of chatty mouth people, so I didn't believe him at first, but a confirmation on his MySpace page was enough to convince me. In a highly gracious gesture, he invited me out to the local show as his guest, and arranged to have me and my Empress Desiree' attend the sound check as well.

We ditched work early that day and headed out to the venue. After some quick route assistance (guiding them in via cell phone), the Wailers pulled up to the venue at last. Here I was able to meet everyone individually which was simply an honor in itself. The Wailers, obviously known for their work with the great Bob Marley, are an inspiration to reggae musicians worldwide. I am one of those musicians.

We were blessed with the chance to spend some time with Christian and a few others before the show. Of course, the show was great. Performing a varied array of Wailers tracks, old and brand new, the crowd never stopped moving the entire night. From backstage, I could see the faces of the kids in the front row looking up at The Wailers on stage, and this was an inspiring vision to behold. It's something that I strive to achieve at every stage show myself.

After the show, I had the great opportunity to spend time with Junior Marvin, Al Anderson, Erica Newell, and the remaining Wailers. Everyone was very inviting and kind with us, which is a little more than I expected, because I'm sure they have people like me come around all the time. We talked about music, I listened to some stories from the past, and I was also able to provide a few copies of my debut album, Grass Roots, and the new GRASS DUBS album to Junior Marvin. He then distributed them to the other band members. It was a humbling experience; to see people you look up to, getting excited about your works.

Through our discussions, we found out that I would be performing on the same night as one of their upcoming shows, but over 200 miles away. I was currently booked at a Cocoa Beach venue on Sundays, and the Wailers were performing in Miami on Sunday March 22^nd as well. In looking back on it all, Cocoa Beach is really nowhere near Miami. But when Junior asked if I would be interested in linking up with them in Miami and possibly performing a tune with them on stage, no distance was too far to travel. I was committed to being there.

We left Cocoa Beach a little late, so we were now in a race against time to get from Cocoa to Miami by 9:30 pm. That was the start of the Wailers' set, and I was sure that if I wasn’t able to link them before they started playing, I would surely miss my chance to perform. We thankfully own a “spaceship” so we made it to the venue, parked, and checked in about 5 minutes till 9:30.

Most of the band was already on stage, setting things up and making sure all was well tuned. I was able to flag Christian down and he met me on the side of the stage. “So what tune would you like to get up for?” he asks. I reply, “Perhaps one of the more up-beat tracks?” “Like Jammin’, or Exodus?” “PERFECT,” I say… I had actually thought to myself, If I could perform on any two tracks, it would be those two. He said he’d talk to Junior, but to hang close to the stage in case I do get called up.

As advised, I stayed pretty close to the stage. About 10 steps from the stage stairs to be exact. This was one of the biggest moments of my life, and if it was going to go down, I wanted to make sure I was ready to go at first call.

The set seemed to last longer than usual. Songs were stretched in my head and it seemed like I had been standing in the same spot forever. Again looking back, I was probably on adrenaline overload thus throwing the space time continuum out of whack and… sorry. Yeah, I was pretty excited. And then Jammin’ started.

It still wasn’t “officially” confirmed whether or not I would be performing. It was up to Junior Marvin to call me up, but I was still just happy to be at the show. Then, it happened. The first couple verses had been completed, and Al Anderson had just performed an amazing guitar solo. Junior Marvin then stepped back up to the mic, and the rest I will never forget.

“We’d like to bring up on stage, a good friend of ours. Badda Skat!! Where are yah Badda! Badda!”

Like the start of the hundred meter dash, I was up on that stage QUICK! (Keep in mind, I’m only able to recall these next parts because they have been documented on video. It’s really a blur in my head, but visual confirmation that it all really did happen is what I use as my affirmation of these events. Check the video for yourself HERE.) I stepped through the pedal board of Al Anderson, next to the keyboard of “Jawge” the current keys man, and up to Junior Marvin’s microphone. I’m glad I didn’t pass out.

This position was once held by the great Bob Marley. I felt like I was watching a movie experience of what it would be like to perform with the legendary Wailers. It was far more surreal than I can describe with words, and everything seemed to be back in slow motion mode. I laid down a couple verses over the Jammin’ riddim and graciously stepped back from the mic. Junior then called to the crowd, asking if they wanted more. Fueled by their reaction, Junior grabs me and pushes me back up to the microphone again. A few verses later, I again stepped away from the mic, looked out onto the crowd before me, the faces of the people, the Miami skyline. I took a deep breath, and exited the stage.

After the set, I again was able to link up with the rest of the Wailers and chat for a bit. This was the last show of this current US run, so everyone was pretty tired. There were also flights to catch by some of the members, so a few people had to take off rather quickly after the show. Junior and I were able to discuss some things for the future, and really only Jah knows, but the future holds the possibility for more Badda Skat and Wailers collaboration.

This is definitely an experience I will never forget. It’s really amazing how things work out sometimes, and I can only thank Jah for the way they do. Rastafari.