Burning Spear Eyes A 14th Grammy Nomination As 'Call On Me (Live)' Heads For The November 16 Verdict
Burning Spear's "Call On Me (Live)" is one of 119 albums on the provisional Best Reggae Album entry list for the 2027 Grammys, with the five nominations announced November 16. The 16-track live album, inspired by his wife Sonia's fight with dementia and built on one rhythm with 16 collaborators, would earn the 81-year-old roots legend a 14th nomination — he has won twice, for "Calling Rastafari" (2000) and "Jah Is Real" (2009). Entry on the list is not a nomination yet.
(ReggaeVibeMedia.com) — Burning Spear is two weeks away from learning whether his most personal album will earn him a 14th Grammy nomination. "Call On Me (Live)," released last April, is one of 119 albums on the provisional Best Reggae Album entry list for the 2027 Grammys, with the five nominations announced on November 16. To be clear: entry on the list is not a nomination yet — but for an 81-year-old roots icon, even reaching this stage with an album this personal is a story in itself.
The 16-track live album was inspired by his wife Sonia's fight with dementia, diagnosed four years ago, and it was built around a live track Spear recorded while on tour with Ziggy Marley in 2025. The concept came from Patricia Elliott, a member of Spear's management and his sister-in-law, who suggested an album driven by the rhythm of "Call On Me," a song he first recorded at Studio One in 1974. Fifteen other artistes joined without hesitation once the purpose was explained, Elliott said, and all assumed the costs of their contributions — all for charity, with a portion of proceeds going to those affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and the album dedicated to raising awareness of cancer and Alzheimer's and dementia.
The collaborators read like a roll call across generations: Julian Marley, Luciano, Alpha Blondy, Big Youth, Jesse Royal, Hempress Sativa, Queen Ifrica and more, each delivering their own version over the one rhythm. "It would be an awesome deal if we make the final cut, because this album is very personal to us. The album was made to bring awareness to dementia," Elliott said. "Spear is fired up with the outcome of this project. Nothing like this has ever been done. One rhythm, 16 different vibes."
A nomination would be Spear's 14th. He has won twice before, for "Calling Rastafari" in 2000 and "Jah Is Real" in 2009, and his catalogue stretches back to "Marcus Garvey" in 1975, the album that made him a global roots standard-bearer. On November 16, the reggae world finds out whether the African Teacher's call gets answered one more time.