About Us ~ Our Story

The Call of the Beat

Traveling from the coastal plains to the forested mountains, the unique beat of an island people captured the heart of a young American. The rhythm was enchanting, mesmerizing, real. The people behind it – Rastafarians as they called themselves – devout and passionate.

Reggae music was like nothing Gary Himelfarb had ever experienced before.

From the late '70s, Gary returned to the island of Jamaica often and stayed for months at a time. He shared meals with renowned Jamaicans, learned to speak patois, and vowed to bring the liberating songs of this oppressed people to the world. Back in the States, he established a reputation as Doctor Dread, DJ for a major Washington DC radio station (WHFS), where the songs of Reggae greats like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff first reached the airwaves.

In 1979, he founded a Reggae record label and its sister publishing house to produce, promote and protect the rhythms of the Jamaican musicians. He called the companies RAS Records and Tafari Music, invoking the legendary name of the Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, Ras Tafari, meaning "Head Creator." In 2004, Tafari Music expanded to include two companies – Tafari Music, Inc. for all artists registered with ASCAP, and Music By Tafari, Inc., for all artists registered with BMI.

Let truth, justice, and good music be heard.

Twenty-eight years later, the Tafari Music catalog features over 10,000 song titles – including some of the most popular names in Reggae and World beats. Songs we represent have been featured in major studio releases, national advertising campaigns and on Billboard Top 100 Lists. Our artists have been recognized with Grammies, ASCAP, and BMI Music Awards, the Jammies and AFIM Awards.

In the spirit of our roots, Tafari Music has built our success by giving voice to one song, one artist and one issue at a time. Outside of the office we do our part to build community and support the arts. We license music to select charities, festivals and upstart filmmakers for their projects. We served on the SoundExchange Board of Directors, where we worked to protect the rights and livelihoods of artists, musicians and publishers. We are active in music piracy issues and have testified before the US Copyright Office Arbitration Committee, detailing the impacts of illegal Internet downloads on our industy.

In all of our affairs, Tafari Music adheres to these principles:

• We respect the creative process and all who bring music to the world
• We value hard work and getting the job done right the first time
• We admire honesty and treat people fairly