Israel Vibration :: Music

"Don’t fight ‘gainst the Rastaman with him culture music, ‘cause the Rastaman no mean no harm, what the Rastaman want to do is calm the storm" — Albert "Apple Gabirel" Craig Israel Vibration is one of the greatest triumphs to come out of the Jamaican reggae scene. Those familiar with the band feel the warmth of recognition and appreciation when the name comes up in a discussion of reggae music. That warmth and feeling is amplified for anyone who has heard or seen this special trio of singers perform their unique and powerful act in a live performance. For two decades the positive vibrations have been keeping us dancing and feeling the emotions of their spiritual message. Like many other reggae stars of Jamaica, Israel Vibration feel that God has given them the gift of song for the purpose of conveying the message of Rastafari to the people. These three men make musical magic that blends together traditional roots reggae with raw human emotion and a strong spiritual message. I am especially found of the music and story of Israel Vibration. I plan to discuss a biography and discography of Israel Vibes. Then I will try to describe what Israel Vibrations mus ic means to me, both live and recorded. The three men Albert Criag, Cecil Spence, and Lacelle Bulgin were all born in economically deprived areas of Jamaica during the late 1940’s early 1950’s. This was a terrible time in Jamaica due to the horrific Polio epidemic that swept though the cities and rural towns. Polio claimed the lives of thousands of people and crippled many others. Each of the three men fell victim to Poliomyelitis at a very young age. Most Polio infections occur from a source of contaminated drinking water. The virus enters the body through the intestine where it then multiplies. It spreads into the bloodstream where it eventually infects the nervous system and destroys motor neurons that control muscle movement. The virus only paralyzes 1% of its victims but unfortunately all three singers where in that 1 percentile. Albert "Apple" Craig was the youngest son in a family of ten children. He was the apple of his father’s eye so they called him Apple. One of the major inspirations in Apples life was his mother. She was a spiritual healer and told him that one day he will be a great leader in the world and millions of people will follow behind him.