Clinton Fearon – Live at the Hilo Palace

AG Presents and Hilo Palace Theater welcome reggae legend Clinton Fearon to the Hilo palace Theater. 

Clinton Fearon is a composer, songwriter, singer and player of instruments since his early teens. Born in Jamaica, Clinton became the bassist, vocalist and lyricist of the mythic Gladiators at the age of 19. He spent 18 years with the band and signed several songs for The Gladiators, hits and classics like Chatty Chatty Mouth, Richman Poorman, On The Other Side, Can You Imagine How I Feel, Let Jah Be Praised, One Love, Untrue Girl, and more.

Clinton Fearon was also a session musician for different studio in Jamaica, including with producers Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s at Black Ark, but also at Chanel One, Aquarius, Harry J, Randy’s, etc. In these studios, Clinton Fearon composed some everlasting bass lines for wellknown artists like Yabby You, Jimmy Riley, Max Romeo, Junior Byles and many others.

After leaving Jamaica in 1987, Clinton Fearon started a new career in Seattle. Him and some of the musicians of The Gladiators took advantage of the extra time remaining on their visa, at the end of the US tour, to started a band in the Northwest: The Defenders. The band built a nice following in the area until they split after five years. And finally Clinton Fearon formed his own band in the mid 90s with local musicians in Seattle: Clinton Fearon and Boogie Brown Band.

Since 2019, Clinton is also teaming up with the Riddim Source band, featuring la crème de la crème of the French reggae musicians scene. Together they recorded “Breaking News” in 2022 and “Jah Is Love”, brand new album of the reggae master to be released in June 2025. Clinton Fearon recorded 15 albums under his own name, since and he’s touring the world with this impressive repertoire, accompanied by a band or in solo acoustic. He performed in major festivals in each continents, and regularly in the United States (Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Reggae On The River, National Folk Festival, Festival International de Louisiane, Houston International Festival, Salmonstock, Ithaca Reggae Festival, etc.), Canada (Latin Caribbean Festival, Victoria Ska Reggae Festival, World Beat Festival, etc.), Europe (WOMAD, Rototom Sunsplash, Garance Reggae Festival, Printemps de Bourges, Stimmen festival, Celtic Connectionetc.), Brazil (Virada Cultural, Republica Do Reggae, World Music Festival, Feira de Santana, etc.), Africa (Kenya and Ivory Coast), and more countries occasionally (Peru, Honduras, New Caledonia, Hong Kong, etc.).

Each song of Clinton Fearon is a strong message coming from the heart of a man who is dedicating his life to help a better world to come. With chiselled music and poetic lyrics, he opens reggae to a wider audience who simply loves his beautiful songs.