NEDERLAND — It’s no wonder Link&Chain consider themselves a band of brothers: all three of its founding members have performed together for 40 years. The group formed in 1986 with members Dwight Campbell (or “Tah-Seti”), Paul Williams (“Mirror”) and Trevor Douglas (“Kasha”).
“The neighborhood that we’re from, in Jamaica, it’s a musical neighborhood,” says Campbell on the group’s origins. “Plus, we have friends and family around us already involved in music. That’s where our inspiration came from.”
They recorded their debut album, New Day, in 1989, before the death of its producer, Lawrence Lindo (“Jack Ruby”). The album came out in the United States in 1990. The group ultimately chose the name Link&Chain in honor of both their ancestors’ struggles and their connection as a trio.
“We’d been working for a while before we came up with the name,” recalls Campbell. “We didn’t force it. We was just going about practicing and getting better. We knew with the name Link&Chain; we all said yes, that’s the name.”
In 2015, the group became a quartet with the addition of O’Neil Griffiths. All four create the band’s music collaboratively, all writing songs, co-harmonizing, and building the musical dynamic together. They’ve taken inspiration from reggae groups such as Foundation, The Wailers, The Tamlins, and The Wailing Souls in their music.
“This is our way of creating reggae, our feel of reggae,” says Campbell. “We grew up in it, every artist who was around us, who inspired us, what we tried to do was not be sounding like something that we hear, but come out of ourselves and just sound like our natural selves.”
Ultimately, their natural selves come out with collaborative pieces that excite them as a group. They hope that anyone who sees them perform can walk away with that same energy.
“We don’t have a hit song, but we’ve been on the road for a long time because of the music,” says Campbell, “so we would like the people to take away good vibrations and just keep listening.”
Link&Chain will be the final act of the 2026 Nederland Summer Concert Series. They’ll be performing at Chipeta Park in Nederland with the Rim of the Well Duo on Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 4 - 7 p.m.
