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Sista Gracy, who originally hails from St. Mary, Jamaica, and moved to Germany in 1985, created a stir when at the 2005 German Reggae Awards in Hamburg she won the reggae queen title -- together with Zoe and Lilian Gold, ahead of a whole host of young up-and-coming reggae stars. Sista Gracy was born to music, and in the '60s and '70s her mother and father made a living by touring around the villages on Jamaica's north coast with their sound system. Sista Gracy is right at home with all the different music styles of the Caribbean, but has a particular affinity for reggae. She effortlessly switches between singing, singjaying and deejaying, and from roots to dancehall. Her lyrics are conscious, she sings about love, the injustices of life, her belief in the greatness of Jah -- but she also sings about the many beautiful, colorful things in this world. Reggae has always been a very male-dominated business, with women usually limited to sex-symbol and background singer status. Sista Gracy's musical background stands in stark contrast to this: a talented percussionist, together with her husband, a bassist, she played in the backing band Herbman Band before becoming the front woman in the '90s. They released several albums and 12"s before Sista Gracy with Ragga Fränkie and the Herbman Band set off on an extended German tour. In 1994, Sista Gracy was invited to perform at the world-famous and highly prestigious Reggae Sunsplash Festival in Jamaica, making the Herbman Band the very first German band to play to Jamaica's discerning festival audience. After a prolonged family break from the music business, Sista Gracy started recording the new album Yardy in 2005. The name "Yardy" expresses her strong bond with family and traditions, all of which is very strongly reflected in the spirit of the new album. In addition to collaborations with Gentleman, Sugar Minott, Dr. Ring Ding, Ragga Fränkie and Mephisto, the new album is split into three parts, (dancehall, roots and dub) and features a complete Sista Gracy showcase and neatly covers all the relevant sub-genres for reggae lovers. After a ten-year break, Sista Gracy seems stronger and fresher than ever. Germany's most important reggae artist.
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