Shayar and Krooshal Force
Genre: Reggae
Location: Beckley, WV
Shayar (Lenval Jarrett) was born in Ocho Rios, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica in 1956. He had a natural inclination towards music and his bass-playing father was one of his greatest influences. Shayar began piano lessons in primary school. At age 12, Shayar convinced his father to buy him a guitar. He soon knew music would be his career. In high school, Shayar played in a band that worked the hotel circuit along the north coast of Ocho Rios.
When Shayar was 19, the famous Jamaican producer Jack Ruby introduced him to Burning Spear. For the next several years, Shayar played guitar for Burning Spear on international tours. Over ensuing decades, he also toured with Anthony B, the Itals and other musicians.
When not on tour, Shayar focused on his own original music. In 1984, he moved to Brooklyn, NY and formed Crucial Force. In 1998, Shayar moved to the mountains of Beckley, WV – where the natural beauty is akin to that of Jamaica – and continued with a new iteration of the band, Krooshal Force. Their album, Spiritual Warrior, released in 2006, receives radio play in Europe, and is popular with fans on the band’s local circuit.