With their fusion of Reggae, Rock, Metal, Dub and Roots, the SONS OF ZION are a six piece crew hailing from various locations around Aotearoa. The Sons of Zion are:
SAMUEL ERIWATA – Percussion, Vocals
RIO PANAPA – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
JOEL LATIMER – Keys, Saxophone, Vocals
MARIKA HODGSON – Lead Guitar
DYLAN STEWART – Bass Guitar, Vocals
TAWHIRI LITTLEJOHN – Drums
Patrice Wilson is a Nigerian singer and songwriter and co-founder of ARK Music Factory in partnership with Clarence Jey. He also adopted the name Pato as a stage name for his various performances. Patrice Wilson's father was a chemical engineer and his mother a church minister. He studied at Zamani College, Wilson Prep. School, and Essence International School in Nigeria. Wilson's musical beginnings were when he sang in his mother's church and helped out with youth programs at the local Christian school.
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel music group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Although the Blind Boys of Alabama have been singing gospel music for more than five decades, it's only recently that the group has had the benefit of a major record company behind them. Led by founding member Clarence Fountain, the rest of the group currently consists of Eric McKinney, George Scott, Caleb Butler, Johnny Field, Jimmy Carter, Joey Williams, Donald Dillion and Aubrey Blount.
Mavis Staples (born July 11, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American rhythm and blues singer. Most of her career has been as lead singer for The Staple Singers. She first recorded solo for the Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts included a Curtis Mayfield-produced soundtrack on Curtom, a nod to disco for Warner Bros. Records in 1979, a stab at electro-pop with Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1984, and a collaboration with Prince in the late 1980s and early 90s (producing the two solo albums Time Waits for No One in 1989 and The Voice in 1993, and various other collaborations).
Armed with inspirational lyrics and a fresh new sound, Newworldson is rescuing soul music from being a mere genre or label and returning the art form to its sacred roots. Singer Joel Parisien says, "there's a lack of community in people's lives today. If you trace back the roots of 'roots' music, of 'soul' music, of 'folk' music, it's about folks; it's social music. We hope our fans become our friends. We hope they leave our shows feeling inspired. Our community is about uplifting people.