The Cocoa Beach Pier’s 2010 Reggae Beach Splash

This year’s Reggae Beach Splash, which is held annually at the Cocoa Beach Pier, boasts one of the most impressive lineups in its long history.

Reggae lovers should be no strangers to Ali Campbell, whose distinctive vocals helped catapult UB40 to fame during the ’80s. During his time with the band, they sold over 60 million records worldwide, toured across the globe, notched up four number #1 worldwide singles, over 40 Top 40 UK singles, released 24 studio albums, and received an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. An entire generation has grown up listening to Campbell’s stirring vocals on classics like “One in Ten,” “Red Red Wine,” “Don’t Break My Heart,” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” In January 2008, Campbell announced his departure from UB40, after 28 years with the band, due to management and business disputes, which are part of an ongoing investigation. Following his departure, UB40 keyboardist Mickey Virtue also resigned from the band for the same reasons and has now joined Campbell as part of his new venture, the DEP band. Whether as part of UB40 or in his solo career, Campbell has always stayed true to his love of reggae and its ongoing capacity for innovation.

Dubbed “The King of Lover’s Rock” by millions of fans, Maxi Priest knows that music is universal. Over the course of 10 albums and countless live performances all over the globe, he’s unleashed one-world music that heals, rejuvenates and uplifts. The second youngest of nine children, Maxi’s parents moved to London from Jamaica in his youth. While working as a carpenter building speaker boxes for a local reggae sound-system, Maxi began singing over the mic at live dancehall sessions with artists such as Smiley Culture. In 1984, Maxi made a bit of history after he and Paul “Barry Boom” Robinson produced Philip Levi’s “Mi God Mi King,” the first UK reggae tune to reach #1 in Jamaica. His 1988 album “Maxi” was recorded in Jamaica with legendary musicians Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and Willie Londo, and was released in America by Virgin Records. With “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” a cover of Cat Steven’s classic “Wild World” that gave Maxi his first U.S. smash hit, and roots tracks like his duet with Beres Hammond, “How Can We Ease The Pain,” Maxi’s music was taken to an entirely new level, gaining him worldwide recognition. Since that debut, Maxi has enjoyed tremendous success as a singer with popularity and recognition around the world. In fact, he is the most successful reggae solo artist in the world, second only to legend Bob Marley.

Recording artist Julian “JuJu” Marley of the famous Reggae clan, and whose solo album Awake was recently released to popular and critical claim, also joins The Supervillians, local band Over The Void, and The Naturalistics for the March 27 event.

The 2010 Reggae Beach Splash takes place at the Cocoa Beach Pier on March 27 at 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $29 (includes the area on the beach behind the Gold and Silver as well as the areas on the Pier. No seats included except on Pier); Silver tickets are $49 (the next 25 rows of seats in front of the stage); Gold tickets are $69 (the first 12 rows of seats in front of the stage). VIP tickets are $129, and include a backstage pass, a Gold seat in one of the first two rows, and a souvenir t-shirt. Tickets are on sale now at the Pier (783-7549; www.cocoabeachpier.com) and through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000; www.ticketmaster.com).

Larry Coryell is one of the world’s acknowledged guitar masters. He’s recorded more than 75 albums over the past 40 years as a bandleader, soloist and featured accompanist. Hailed by his legion of fans as one of “the guitar gods” in the late 1970s and as a “truly Renaissance musician who excels at all styles of playing”, he has also been christened as “a true pioneer of rock-jazz fusion” by the New York Times, and dubbed “the Godfather of Fusion” by Dan Ouellette of Down Beat Magazine.

Born in Galveston, Texas, Coryell tried his hand at a number of instruments before settling on the guitar. He credits Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry and Wes Montgomery as his prime influences. He arrived in New York City via Seattle in 1965, and began honing his formidable instrumental skill as the basis for his musical expression. To master every aspect of the guitar, Coryell also studied classical guitar with Leonid Bolotine. After developing the first incarnation of his virtuoso technique, he played his “first big time job” with Killer Joe Piro. National recognition then came during his tenure with the Gary Burton Quartet in 1967.

The late ’60s and early ’70s saw Coryell as one of the most in-demand guitarists in rock, jazz and all musical genres. During that time he was part of rock’s experimental phase, touring with Jack Bruce, and sitting in sessions with Jimmy Webb, the 5th Dimension, Charles Mingus, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin. In 1974, Coryell formed The 11th House , the most popular and successful fusion band of its time, which included his friend and colleague Randy Brecker. After The 11th House disbanded, Coryell was signed by Clive Davis for Arista Records, where he made a series of solo albums, followed by a direct-to-disc recording with the Brecker Brothers.

A regular headliner at the Blue Note and Iridium in New York City, Catalina’s in L.A., DC’s Blues Alley and Ronnie Scott’s in London, Coryell is also no stranger to the huge open-air music festivals in the Far East, Europe, Brazil, even sell-out appearances at London’s Barbican.

Catch Larry Coryell Saturday, April 11th from 8:30 to 12:30 at Heidi’s Jazz Club, 7 N. Orlando Avenue in downtown Cocoa Beach. For more information, call 783-4559, or check Heidi’s website: www.heidisjazzclub.com. Visit Coryell’s website — www.larrycoryell.net — for extensive photo galleries and tour information.