Joseph Benaiah - A Key Figure in the South Florida Reggae Scene for Over 35 Years

Throughout his 50-plus years in the music business, singer Joseph Benaiah has worked with some of reggae’s greats, as a musician and an artist. He called on some legends when he began working on Vision With Faith, his sixth album, which was released in February.

Benaiah, a key figure in the South Florida reggae scene for over 35 years, worked with elite musicians such as Sly And Robbie, former Wailers keyboardist Tyrone Downie and trombonist Nambo Robinson on the album.

Saxophonist Dean Fraser, who produced the 15-song set, also played on it. Most of the recording sessions took place in Kingston, Jamaica.

“When I’m doing an album, I like going to Jamaica and working with the right musicians to get that feel. You can get some of that in South Florida but not all the time,” said Benaiah, who also plays guitar on the album.

Vision With Faith contains the covers, Things in Life and How Can I Love Someone, made popular in Jamaica by Dennis Brown and Delroy Wilson, respectively. Sweet Talking Lady, Children of Israel and Stay With Me are some of the original tracks.

The project is Benaiah’s biggest since leaving The Mighty Diamonds in 2022. He was a member of the legendary roots trio since 2015 when he replaced the incapacitated Bunny Diamond.

Born Joseph Williamson in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, Benaiah has lived in the United States since the late 1960s. He started his career in the early 1970s playing guitar in bands including The Debonairs which backed The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer) at Concourse Plaza in 1972.

Throughout the 1970s, he worked with acts like John Holt and The Blues Busters, mainly in the tri-state area.

"I was pretty much active as a musician then. I used to leave home on a Wednesday and wouldn't be back until Sunday," Benaiah recalled.

By the time he moved to South Florida in the mid-1980s, he was an established artist and musician. It was there that he formed his band, Benaiah.

Two of his early albums (Children of Israel and We Nah Give Up!) were produced by Geoffrey Chung, the man behind classic albums and songs by Pablo Moses, The Abyssinians and Maxi Priest.

For Time Eternal, another of his albums, Benaiah worked with producer Karl Pitterson, whose credits include Steel Pulse's True Democracy.