Legendary Nyabinghi drummer and cultural pioneer Count Ossie will be honoured with a special Grounation celebration on Thursday, March 26,2026, marking what would have been his 100th birthday.

The free event, hosted by the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari and supported by the DARC Foundation, will take place at the House of Dread, located at 16 Deanery Road, Vineyard Town, Kingston.

The celebration begins at 12 noon and will include a rich display of Rastafarian culture through music, drumming, chants, speeches and dance with tributes from Earl “Chinna” Smith and the Binghistra Movement, Abijah Rootsman, Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Bongo Herman, Prof-I, Jerry Small, Amina Blackwood Meeks and others.

Count Ossie, widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of Nyabinghi drumming, died on National Heroes Day in 1976 following a motor vehicle accident. He was 50 years old.

A visionary cultural figure and spiritual leader within the Rastafari movement, Count Ossie played a pivotal role in shaping traditional Rastafari music. His influence dates back to the early 1940s when he began hosting informal drumming sessions in West Kingston, then considered the heartbeat of the early Rastafari community.