Royal Deb displays her Jamaican roots new reggae single “Somebody For Everybody”

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Since Royal Deb was just a child in St. Ann, Jamaica, she has been immersed in the reggae music scene. Now the eccentric, joyful artist from the Caribbean is taking that inspiration and making her own music, with her newest single “Somebody For Everybody.”

The song touches on how whether you are big, small, fat, skinny, tall or short- there is someone out there for you. It was a collaborative effort between Royal Deb and renowned producer Andre Betts, who not only worked with her on the lyrics, but also on making the beats and directing the music video.

“No matter what is going on in the world, no matter what you look like, or the size you are, or the color, no matter who you are- there’s Somebody For Everybody,” she said. “There are people who are single that are hearing this, and telling me, thank you. They say, I want to go out and find me a mate, find me a partner. I say, go out and find your somebody.”

Royal Deb said the video was the perfect way to show all the love and fun she has. She is a big fan of dressing up in different outfits and getting into different characters, and this was her shot to do just that.

“I just feel it,” she said. “I just love to express myself like that. And I feel it when I’m singing, when I’m dancing.”

Royal Deb was born and raised in the Parish of St. Ann, and growing up she was enthralled by reggae legends Bob Marley and Gregory Isaacs. She still remembers crying when Bob Marley’s casket was taken into the street, and said that it is just more than music. It is a way of life and a mantra. Sean Paul is also her cousin, so the musical prowess is part of her overall being.

The sounds of reggae not only filled the dance halls, but it also made its way into the streets for massive all-night dance parties. This kind of life is what inspired her dream of performing on a large stage in America.

“The music has always been in my soul,” Royal Deb said. “I grew up a farm girl, but at night when I’d hear that sound system in the street, I’d be out of the house. I’d be out there dancing every damn night. Then when I was in school I used to go on stage, and I said, ‘one day I’ll make some reggae music.’”

Royal Deb moved to the US in the 1980s and married her “rock” Larry Barr, who has supported her in every step in her music career. They both train together as martial artists, and she is a clerk during the daytime. She has also raised two daughters and two stepsons, and in the midst of life, Royal Deb is striving to make her dream of being a reggae artist come true.

Royal Deb has been hard at work with Betts putting out some top quality, reggae music for the world to hear. She already released “Give Mi Da 6” and “All My Ladies,” and she is well on her way to creating an album. She has aspirations of hitting the stage for the world to see her, and said she has many gigs throughout Bergen County, in New York and New Jersey in the near future. If there’s one thing she knows how to do, it is carry a crowd and party.

“I have to think big and positive,” she said. “I’m such a positive person. Once you take the fun out of things, that’s where everything goes down. You have to make life joyful and happy, and that’s how it flows. Just like music. Some people might say I started late. But no, I am here.”

Be sure to check out “Somebody For Everybody” and the music by Royal Deb, available on all platforms.

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Dead Kennedys Guitarist Claims Jello Biafra Is Holding Back Potential Reunion

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Fans wishing for a reunion from the Dead Kennedys and Jello Biafra will have to petition the former singer, founding guitarist East Bay Ray has claimed.

Ray (whose real name is Raymond Pepperell) has served as the guitarist for the San Francisco punk icons since their formation in 1978, stepping away from his role only during the band’s inactive period between 1986 and 2001. 

Though the Dead Kennedys reformed in the 21st century, they’ve not once been fronted by Biafra, whose relationship with Ray and drummer Klaus Flouride (aka Geoffrey Lyall) remains fraught to this day. As Ray explained in a recent interview with Guitar World, he’s open to the concept of a reunion with the classic lineup, though Biafra remains the sticking point in any potential plans.

“It’s not an issue for me or Klaus,” Ray explains. “It’s Biafra that turns down any offers for us to do something; we don’t have any problem. He got caught with his hands in the till and wants to blame us for getting caught, but he should never have put his hands in there in the first place.

Ray’s claims relate to a 1998 lawsuit in which Ray, Flouride and drummer D.H. Peligro (aka Darren Henley, who would pass away in 2022) accused Biafra and his Alternative Tentacles label of withholding royalties. In 2003, Biafra was ordered by California’s Court of Appeal to replay the outstanding royalties with additional punitive damages.

Ray, Flouride and Peligro reunited the Dead Kennedys in 2001, with various singers fronting the band until the appointment of Ron “Skip” Greer in 2008. Attempts to reunite the classic members of the Dead Kennedys have taken place over the years, including by Chicago’s Riot Fest in 2017.

“Dead Kennedys had a sincere invitation to play a reunion show at Riot Fest in Chicago this fall,” Ray wrote on social media at the time. “Jello Biafra turned it down. Klaus Flouride, DH Peligro and I were looking forward to doing it.”

The Dead Kennedys’ original eight-year run resulted in a string of singles and four studio albums, including their 1980 debut Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. The conclusion of the band’s lawsuit in 2003 gave members the right to reissue past Dead Kennedys albums, including a 2022 release of their debut which left Biafra displeased.

“We actually wrote as a band, where in effect, due to the chemistry between us, it was a case of two and two equaling five, you know?” Ray rold Guitar World. “None of us has had a solo career that was bigger than Dead Kennedys, which, to me, shows the power of a bunch of talented people getting together and creating something that was far greater than the sum of its parts.

“Jello didn’t bring in the songs. I know he’s created the myth that he wrote them all, but the question here is that if he did, why didn’t he ever do anything significant after leaving the band?” he added. “Iggy left the Stooges and had a career; ditto Lou Reed with the Velvet Underground or Morrissey with the Smiths. Where’s Biafra’s solo career with a bunch of great songs?”

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