He was christened Adam Mayo, but among his closest friends and fellow artists in the world of reggae, he is known as Mango Seed, a name he hopes will some day become, if not a household name, then at least widely known.

For the present, however, Mr. Mayo is focusing on furthering his career as a singer/songwriter and recording artist - a career that already includes some pretty important landmarks. He has, for example, been a member of the Wailers Band for three years; he has headlined a festival at Glastonbury in England; is the resident DJ at a top reggae club in Brighton, England, and has been invited to perform in various European countries, as well as at Jamaica's famed Sunsplash festival.

Names like Lee (Horsemouth) Wallace, Chinna Smith and Paul Elliott are just some of the top reggae people he has been working with.

“Paul Elliott is a big reggae star in Jamaica, and he and I have recorded a single CD with a new piece of music which is playing regularly on Jamaican TV and doing very well,” Mr. Mayo says.

Nonetheless, the 26-year-old Bermudian has been pleasantly surprised that, in the home of reggae, he has been so well received. “I have a five-piece band in England called Anbessa, which has ‘Wire' Lindo from the Wailers on keyboards, and I have worked with Jamaicans ‘Mafia' and ‘Fluxy', who are the biggest engineers to leave their island and be successful elsewhere.

During my recent trip to Jamaica, I recorded in Leggo Studio and also at Bob Marley's studio, Tough Gong, among others. At the moment, there are some big works brewing for me that will come out of Jamaica in the near future.”

While Mr. Mayo also records in London, England where he lives, the emerging artist says there is nothing like Jamaica for getting reggae music right.

“Jamaicans have a certain bounce to their music. In my opinion, you can't go anywhere in the world and really create the music you can create in Jamaica. It has the vibes and the engineers to give it the flavour and balance.”

Mr. Mayo's love of reggae goes back to his early teens, but his professional journey really took off when he moved to London. Walking down the street one day with his guitar in Peckham Rye, he met Fitzroy Drummond of the Wailers, who asked him if he knew how to play the guitar properly.

“We were right next to my house, so I rushed up to my room and played him a song called, ‘Too Much Concrete'. His mouth just dropped, and he seemed to like it very much, so he gave me an album with a bunch of Wailer rhythms to practice, and it just grew from there. I have now recorded some music with the Wailers but it hasn't been released yet.”

Surprisingly, perhaps, Mr. Mayo has had no formal musical training, but is a self-taught rhythm guitarist who also writes and sings all of his own material.

“I give thanks to Steve Crawford for his help and guidance along the way,” he says. “I love sitting with my guitar, just strumming simple music and singing what comes from my heart. I draw inspiration for my songs from life, and I fuel my inspiration from the joys and sorrows of life. My friendship with fellow Bermudian singer Mishka Frith also fuelled my enthusiasm to continue with my music.”

In Bermuda, while playing at ‘Flow Sunday', Mr. Mayo's good friend Mark (Messenjah) Lomas heard him - and remembered. That was back in the summer of 1995.

In the meantime, Mr. Mayo joined Aberfeldy Nurseries in 1996, with a career in horticulture in mind, and ultimately, a year later, attended Merrist Wood Horticultural College in Britain to further his education. However, the arrival of Mr. Lomas in England to pursue his musical career caused a major change of direction.

“Mark asked me if I would like to stay in England and work musically, so I said I'd give it a go,” Mr. Mayo says.

Thus was born a musical partnership that still thrives. “We worked on music together, and recorded ‘Conscious Fire' on our Dungeon Productions label. Mark is extremely talented, and it is an honour to work with him. We guys are tight family; we blend well together and get some good ideas on the table.”

Later, Mr. Mayo linked up with another former Bermudian schoolmate, Drax Darby, who plays lead guitar in his band, Anbessa.

All in all, the musician/singer/songwriter is a very busy man, whose constant networking and ringing telephone have allowed him to travel widely and perform in a variety of venues. Fellow Bermudian Chris Flook has also performed with him.

“I was one of the big acts at a show in Glastonbury. I had a big band called Carnival Collective, with 30 congo drummers, a ten-piece horn section, a bassist, and background singers and dancers behind me, and I was singing over all that. We went to many of the festivals in England, and also got invited to America and other places,” he says.

Mr. Mayo also has a regular gig at Roots Garden, the top conscious reggae club, in Brighton, England where he is the house resident DJ, performing his own lyrics and playing guitar.

“Last summer I got invited to Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, and my friend Chris Flook, who is also a reggae singer, travelled and sang with me,” he says.

In 2002 Mr. Mayo was invited to participate in Cultural Night at the Jamaican Sunfest, with Chris Flook and Welshman Ruben Henry as background singers, an experience he describes as “very memorable” because backstage he mingled with the Marley family, and other big stars including Beanie Man, Bounty Killer, Yami Bolo and Capleton.

As successful as he has been, however, Mr. Mayo admits that the music business is not for the faint-hearted.

“You have to be strong otherwise you won't get through. There are people who want to ride all over you,” he says.

Nonetheless, he is comfortable with his path, and has confidence in his professional future.

“The future is bright if I keep working hard,” he says. “I see it as being full of music.”