Tony Anthony interview on Colourful Radio 01-March-2020

Mark Bennett, aka âTony Anthonyâ was born in St Catherine, Jamaica. He started pursuing singing at the age of 14, when his meeting with reggae crooner Glen Washington at a high school concert became the catalyst for his entry into music.
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In his early years he honed his skills in Jamaica as a guitarist and vocalist in awardwinning reggae band Crucial Vibes; working alongside reggae icons such as Jimmy Cliff, Shaggy, Third World, Beres Hammond, Junior Reid, Jackie Mitoo, Foundations, Jack Ruby and Morgan Heritage to name a few.
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In 1992 Tony Anthony migrated to Canada and formed the reggae outfit Tatix who went on to win numerous Canadian reggae music awards and gained a JUNO award nomination in 1996 for the album âTime Bombâ.
The following year he was recruited to be a member of soul group After Dark With whom he flexed his songwriting flair and his vocal magic to their first single âTook me for Grantedâ which became a hit on the Canadian and European dance scene. Tony wrote most of the songs on the groupâs acclaimed debut album âAfter Dark.â
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In 2007 Tony Anthony returned to his reggae roots recording two singles âMark and the Beastâ and âYuh Nuh Simpleâ that immediately made an impact and won him world acclaim as both songs were heavily rotated and charted on reggae radio worldwide.
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In 2010 Tony Anthony independently released his first solo album âMillion Chanceâ. The album and 3 singles âTornâ, âBad Newsâ and âLove you so muchâ all topped reggae charts in Canada, Jamaica, Italy, Kenya, Gambia, Holland, New York, Florida, and The U.S Virgin Islands. The album debut on the Italian reggae album charts on February 15th 2011 and remained for one year.
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âMillion Chanceâ was nominated in the âBest Reggae Recordingâ category in the 2011 JUNO Awards and he also got a nomination at the 2011 EME Awards in Jamaica in the âBreak through artist of the yearâ category. That same year at the 2011 Canadian Reggae Music Achievement Awards Tony Anthony won the awards for âBest male vocalistâ, âBest songwriterâ, âBest singleâ and âBest Reggae Albumâ.
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In 2012 Tony Anthony and top reggae producer Kemar âFlavaâ McGregor produced and released his celebrated EP âBlessed Loveâ which includes hit singles âLiving in Gloryâ and âSettle Downâ. That same year he continued to bring his music to the world touring the U.S.A, Canada, the Caribbean and embarked on a European tour with stops at the Exit Festival in Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Holland to rave reviews.
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Tony Anthony sophomore album âLive To The Fullestâ was released late 2014. He toured Europe for eight weeks performing in countries like Belgium, Holland, Germany, England and France to much acclaim.
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The songs on this album continue to highlight and coagulate the essence of his lyrical and vocal potency and itâs a matter of time before he is rightly rated alongside the best in reggae music.
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His latest album âThen Now & Foreverâ released in October 2019 has been gathering accolades near, far and wide. It won the Best Reggae Album category at the 2019 Bright Star Awards in the UK. It was also voted number 4 on the Top Ten Reggae Album for 2019 by the Foundation Radio Network in the USA. Two singles from the album has gained number one status in New York, Canada, and South Florida. âThen, Now & Foreverâ is currently on regular rotation on radio in Canada, the UK, USA , Jamaica and creating a huge buzz worldwide.