Professor Roots is a Providence-based reggae band specializing in ska, rocksteady, and reggae. We love to play authentic Jamaican music! We draw our inspiration from artists including John Holt, Ken Boothe, Max Romeo, Dandy Livingstone, Toots & The Maytals, Bob Andy, Stephen Marley, The Skatalites, and the list goes on. We have just recently begun to write original songs as well.
Professor Roots formed in 2014 as a new collaboration when Fred (harmonica) and Geoff (keys), longtime reggae partners in The Psycads, were fortunate to connect with Krys (The Agents, Soulshot) on drums and welcome back Peter as lead vocalist (The Gnomes, The Winehouse Project, The Psycads). In the fall of 2022 Professor Roots welcomed several new members: long time collaborator Rob Liguori (Soulshot, The Psycads) on tenor and alto saxophones; Peter Fayan (The Agents) on bass guitar; Jon Letourneau on lead guitar; as well as formally welcoming Frank Moniz (The Agents, Soulshot) on tenor saxophone, who has played with us on and off from the start! We are psyched to be an 8 piece collective dedicated to playing authentic Jamaican music with our Rhode Island reggae flavor added!
After opening for the Wailers in October, 2014, Professor Roots started our “Third Friday of the Month” residency at The Parlour Providence in January, 2015 and we’ve kept it going ever since! We love our musical home and hope you will join us for this early evening of reggae music from 6-9 PM! We have been blessed to feature live performances with many reggae veterans including Ken Stewart (The Skatalites), Becky Bass (Natural Element), and John Booth (Mystic Jammers). Professor Roots has performed at venues throughout Southeastern New England and is available for private events.