Joseph Hill, singer and founder of the reggae group Culture, passed away this weekend at the age of 57, following a sudden illness on Saturday 19 August in Berlin. In the middle of a European tour, Culture had been on the bill for a concert in Antwerp the day before.
The group's charismatic leader, Joseph Hill had begun his career in 1971 at Studio One before forming Culture, one of the jewels of the 1970s roots vocal trios. Recording for Joe Gibbs and Sonia Pottinger, the group signed to Virgin in 1977, which allowed them to sow their reggae in every corner of the world.
Remaining the group's undisputed leader with some thirty albums to his name, Joseph Hill pursued a fruitful career that even took him into digital reggae with the excellent "Humble African" produced by the Fat Eyes team in 2000, up to the last album, "World Peace", in 2003.
Culture has nonetheless decided not to cancel its tour and will honour all its commitments, with Kenyatta, Joseph Hill's son, now taking over on vocals.