Joseph Benaiah reimagines ‘His Majesty Is Coming’

In two weeks, it will be 60 years since Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I made an historic official visit to Jamaica. Fittingly, Joseph Benaiah has released his latest song which lauds a man many Rastafarians consider God.

‘His Majesty is Coming’ is the title of the song. It is a cover of The In Crowd’s 1978 hit which was written by Fil Callender, that band’s founder and guitarist. Benaiah’s self-produced version was released on March 16.

He said although ‘His Majesty is Coming’ resonated with him when it was first released 48 years ago, his memories of the Selassie visit are vague

“When Selassie came to Jamaica I was a little boy living with my parents and going to church. I remember when he came, it was a chaotic situation, even on the roads some people was saying Rasta God is here,” he recalled.

Benaiah said it was keyboardist Robbie Lyn, a former member of The In Crowd, who encouraged him to put a fresh spin on ‘His Majesty is Coming’. Lyn, who played on the original, is one of the musicians on the Benaiah cut.

Saxophonist Dean Fraser, drummer Kirk Bennett, bassist Donald Dennis and guitarist Mitchum Chin, also worked on the track which has more pronounced horns than the In Crowd song.

Because he wanted a difference in arrangement to the original, Benaiah suggested the solo by Fraser.

The In Crowd was a middle-class aggregation built around Callender, a former drummer at Studio One, and Lyn, who spent some of his early career at that legendary label. Their ranks also included drummer Cleveland Browne, who later found fame as a member of maverick dancehall producers, Steely and Clevie.

Benaiah was born in Kingston but has lived in the United States since the late 1960s. While living in New York City during the 1970s, he played guitar in several bands throughout its Jamaican-strong boroughs.

To date, Benaiah has released six albums. ‘Vision With Faith’, his previous collection, was released in 2023.

For seven years, Benaiah was a member of The Mighty Diamonds. He replaced the ailing Bunny Diamond In 2015.

(Press photo contributed by Joseph Benaiah)