Montego Bay, JA: On Saturday, October 11, 2014, timeless reggae hit maker Richie Stephens will ignite Jamaican music lovers with musical flames at the inaugural 'Soul In The Sun' festival, scheduled for The Aqueduct in Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica - the former home of the successful Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival. Stephen is the first reggae/Jamaican act signed to perform. He will share the stage with a galaxy of R&B hit makers including Regina Belle, Jeffrey Osborne, Peabo Bryson, Freddie Jackson, Howard Hewitt, Keith Sweat, Silk, Johnny Gill and Dru Hill on the festival which runs from October 10-12.

“I am very excited to be the first Jamaican act signed to perform on this very impressive lineup of international R&B stars” said and elated Stephens. "The organizers are clearly confidence in my ability to entertain fans and I plan to deliver and exciting, funfilled performance at the festival."

The Jamaican music ambassador has just return to the island, fresh from a string of strong performances in Toronto and New York where he launched his album 'Real Reggae Music' to much hype and fanfare. A few months earlier he embarked on a successful tour of Europe, playing sold out gigs in London, Manchester, Leeds, Kent and Willingborough.

Prior to the release of 'Real Reggae Music,' the prolific singer teamed with his good friend Gentleman to release a string of hit songs. Their whirlwind success started in 2011 with the single "Live Your Life" which topped reggae charts in New York, Florida, Atlanta and was voted the 'Best International Song' at the 2011 Stone Love Awards in Kingston. Stephens racked up an impressive twelve awards for 2012 including three (3) 'Lifetime Achievement Awards,' four (4) 'Song of the Year' awards, a 'USA Congressional Proclamation,' two (2) 'Achievement Awards' and 'Best International Song' for 2011. Stephens also enjoyed several electrifying performances in Germany, Holland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia. His most memorable performance was before a crowd of 750,000 in Poland, at the biggest festival in the world — Woodstock where he was the special guest of Gentleman.