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R. Zee Jackson

Esso Jaxxon (R.Zee Jackson aka Castro Levi), Singer, Musican, Actor, Producer, spent his early childhood in Clarendon & Old Harbour, St. Catherine, Jamaica. He honed his craft at "Idler's Rest" in Downtown Kingston. In 1973 he went to the United States on a cultural exchange program; working in summer camps; in 1975 he migrated to Canada. While in Canada he met Ozzie of the Half Moon Recording Studio, Doug of Comfort Sounds Studios. He also met & recorded tracks with Jackie Mittoo, the 'Keyboard King' of Studio One Fame and started recording his own songs on the BeeZee Sounds Production label and also recorded with C.C. Records. He was later introduced to Leroy Sibbles who suggested that he R.Zee Jackson should link up with him so he could teach him a few things; that was where he got one of his biggest breaks onto the Canadian music scene singing on stage and touring with the band Ital Groove.

Leroy taught him how to sing the harmonies of the Heptones, this led R.Zee to start singing background vocals and playing percussion R.Zee Jackson, later on he became some what of the Band Leader. Half of the year the band was on the road touring and most of the other six months they were in the Studios making music for a number of producers and other artistes. They also did a lot of live TV appearances with CTIY TV, MUCH TV, radio shows, concerts, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, hotel gigs, fairs, biker initiations. They were the driving force for Reggae in Canada.

R.Zee Jackson and the Ital Groove was the backing band for most of the Reggae artists coming out of Jamaica & England who performed in Canada. The Groove worked with Sugar Minott, Johnny Osbourne, John Holt, Horace Andy, Bob Andy, The I-Threes (Marcia Griffiths, Ken Booth, Cornell Campbell, Lynval Thompson, Gregory Isaacs, Josey Wales, Leroy Brown, Chaka Demus, Frankie Paul, Half Pint, Junior Soul (Penny For Your Song fame), King Yellowman, Delroy Wilson, Trevor Ranking, Carlene Davis, Barbara Jones, Carol Brown, the late Phyllis Dillon, Dobby Dobson, I-Roy, U-Roy and a host of other local Jamaican artistes, who lived and toured Canada and the United States.
 

"LEROY SIBBLES & ITAL GROOVE" or "R. ZEE & THE GROOVE" would tour all over United States and Canada from Quebec right across prairies to British Columbia. R.Zee Jackson opened shows and shared stage with Adrian Belew, B.B. Gabor, Peter Tosh, Sly & Robbie, the Mighty Diamonds, The Wailers, Gil Scott Heron, Bow Wow Wow, Steel Pulse, Selectors, Toots & the Maytals, the original Black Uhuru, opening shows for Freddie Jackson, Shabba Ranks, Cocoa Tea, just to name a few, and a host of other top acts in the business even some young Rap artists.

His other studies included Audio Engineering & Production, Television & Film Production. Throughout his career as a musician/producer/songwriter/artist, R. Zee has won several Producer of the year awards from Cheer DJ Pool 1980 up to 82 and for Best CD/Cassette for "Unda Di Struggle" from the Canadian Reggae Music Award; demonstrating that he is not only a successful recording artist and musician, but also a versatile all round stalwart in the reggae music industry. R.Zee Jackson had owned his studio in Toronto on Eglinton Avenue at Dufferin called DubWorld Audio Visual HQ. Cutting dubplates for sound systems with Big Roy at the control all this was done at this studio. Voicing specials, recording new beats, and audio visual reproduction, band rehearsal was all part of the daily schedule; which later became Sniper Dub Studio.

R.Zee Jackson was account executive for Imaaj Music handling Cocoa Tea products for (Roaring Lion) and was V.P for Marketing at Kings of Kings, while there he coordinated many of the album projects produced by the label such as Blaze Up the Chalwa Sizzla Kalonji (Jetstar UK); Martial Arts Part 1 & 2 / Bad Company Various Artists, C-4 Various Artists (Greensleeves); Dancehall Rock Various Artists (VP Records USA); Dancehall Gold Vol. 1 Various Artists (Kings of Kings); World Crisis - Norris Man (Jetstar/Kings of Kings); Comfort My People - Chrisinti (VP Records). While at Kings of Kings, R. Zee Jackson aka Castro P. was responsible for putting together over thirteen compilations which were marketed to both major and independent labels across the world; labels such as EMI, BMG, Nocturne, and S2S Records Japan among others.

Jackson directed Iley Dread's music video "Mamma" and produced & had technical credits on the Kings of Kings Family Tour DVD. Being at the head of the Public Relations machinery was able to make inroads for Kings of Kings in Europe, North America and the Caribbean. As tour manager on many of the annual Kings of Kings Family tours, that featured Norris Man, Admiral Tibet, Louie Culture, Chrisinti, Genie Slick, which toured the USA West Coast, East Coast and Canada. He designed and strategized the marketing plan for merchandising, poster, t-shirts, stickers, buttons, etc. Castro Pink served as Road Manager on Bushman European Tour which traveled to Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the U.K etc supported by the Gumption Band; Cocoa Tea/Glen Washington European Tour, and a team player on the 2004 For the Love of it Tour featuring Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffiths, Maxi Priest, Iley Dread, Ginja, the Harmony House Singers and the Harmony House Band. 

R. Zee has several albums under his belt that include Yellow Hammer du Reggae, Lyrics and the critically acclaimed Seat Up and Unda Di Struggle for which he won Top Reggae CD/Album at the Canadian Reggae Music Awards. His latest album "Trodding" has been receiving serious airplay in the U.K. and Europe. His album "Trodding" was produced by Mike Brooks of Teams, and his latest single called "War Monger" on the Skylarking Rhythm track (2006) is also on the Teams label distributed out of Jamaica, right now its available internationally at Ernie B's Reggae, California ( www.ebreggae.com). Another recent unreleased single "My Cristina" written and performed by R.Zee Jackson and produced by Bill Campbell of World Sounds, London England is set to be another hit. R.Zee has also done some tracks for Gussie P/Sip-A-Cup label out of South London, England. "Come Now Father", "What A Revelation" and "Africa" just to name a few from an upcoming album (TBA).

After a hiatus from performing and producing to indulge in administration, R.Zee Jackson has returned and is ready to get his feet wet as a singer, songwriter and musician. He has completed several tracks with Singer/Producer Mike Brooks and Engineer/Producer Gussie P. Some of the tracks have already been released and have been in great demand by his old fans as well as hosts of newly garnered converts to the school of R.Zee. Jackson is anxious to work with both old and new musicians, producers and artists; he is quite eager to explore previously unchartered genres and territories such New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Brazil, Japan and Ethiopia. He is to and fro from the United Kingdom, Canada and Jamaica and is currently working with New Creation Records USA plus the NYC Live circuit and hopefully will spread his wings further shortly. He is available to begin this odyssey with any Real Reggae band/Artists who may share a similar interest.