Welcome to Ska Boom Interviews, which is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History now available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon. The goal of this podcast is talk about ska and reggae with an emphasis on American ska and reggae history and the bands, musicians and people who have helped to create and influence a uniquely American version of ska and reggae that spans from the late 70s until today. In this episode, I’m speaking with Grammy nominated reggae legend Pato Banton.Born Patrick Murray in London, Pato was left for dead at the age of five, an orphan at six, a doorman and “lookout” for illegal late-night parties by eight, a DJ on a Jamaican sound system by twelve, and dropped out of school for good by thirteen.He was winning rap battles by age fifteen, became the father of three children at seventeen, and was incarcerated for the first time at the age of eighteen. By nineteen he was touring with UB40, and by twenty was at the top of the music charts in the UK. He spent his twenties and thirties recording album after album and touring around the world tirelessly, culminating in a Grammy nomination. By forty, the middle-school dropout became the Head of The Music Department at one college and Assistant Director of Creative Studies at another, even creating his own school and music program for disadvantaged youth in Birmingham. By fifty, Pato was homeless (by choice), living in an RV in a parking lot in Los Angeles. Now sixty, Pato lives simply but comfortably with his wife and still continues to tour the US and the rest of the world extensively and has become a minister. Throughout it all, he’s never stopped being a father to his eleven children, never stopped touring, and never stopped spreading his message of positivity and love.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices