Biography – Amanda J. Christos & The Sounds of Melodies
Amanda J Christos was born in London to a Barbadian dad and English mum and grew up in Essex with three older brothers who were all soldiers in the British Army. It was in 1989 in Jamaica that Amanda wrote her first reggae track – ‘A Song of Freedom’ – followed by her first record release in 1994 entitled ‘Love’ (as Amanda Judah/Eurete Christos).
Ancestral Home Triangle Music Workshop 1991
Amanda played guitar with various bands, the first being with the 12 Tribes of Israel house band, and in 1990 Amanda formed her own reggae group – ‘Ancestral Home’ – based at Triangle Music Workshop in Hackney.
Amanda spent some years singing and dancing along with her four children in a Hackney-based community dance group (Emashi), performing at numerous shows, eg: Pentonville Prison, The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (with Princess Anne in the audience). Amanda also performed vocal harmonies with a Bob Marley tribute band and formed her own dance group, The Heartical Movers, performing on stage with Mad Professor now and again.
With her passion for music production continuing over the decades, Amanda continued to write, compose and release a number of tracks with various producers including Stevie P Music Productions, Entebbe Sound System, RevOne Music, Dezzi D at Vibes House Music, and recorded with Rootsamala in Spain. In 2013 her first album ‘Roots of Rectitude’ came out produced by Alpheous Little and Paul Joseph (Musical Director of The Big Life Ska Musical) followed by EP ‘The Food of Life’.
In December 2019, Amanda’s track ‘Wild World’ (Stevie P remix) reached the #1 position in the Stevie J Stingdem UK Radio Chart Show, and in April 2024, ‘Spare A Little Love’ on Stingray Records Precious Lord Riddim spent two weeks at #1 in the Stevie J Like It Buy It Radio Show.
In the hot summer of 2022, Mellow Mix Studios put on a showcase – Gone But Not Forgotten – and it was a massive honour and pleasure for Amanda to meet The Blackstones and Frenchie King, who were also performing on that showcase, and thus began an immediate musical collaboration which has resulted in the production of a whole range of new music, working alongside The Blackstones, Iron Sound Records/Alien Dread, Ravers International (RULA Productions), Stingray Records & Lindel Lewis. In 2023 Amanda J Christos became an official member of The Blackstones and is presently planning a 2024 tour with them, along with her own harmony group, The Sounds of Melodies.
Inspired by her love of righteousness and justice, Amanda J Christos continues on her quest to sing joyful songs for the spiritual upliftment of the masses and as a contribution towards world peace and harmony.
