Lee Holness

Lee Holness is a seasoned Jamaican musician, bandleader, and music producer whose career spans several decades across the Caribbean, Europe, and beyond. Known for his versatility across multiple instruments and genres, he currently serves as the band leader of SunJamma Band, helping shape its musical direction, arrangements, and overall sound identity.

Lee began his professional career in Jamaica during the mid-1980s, performing with his own bands in major hotels and live venues. During this period, he also worked with influential acts from the early dancehall and reggae era, including performances connected to the pioneering dancehall group Sagittarius. Over the years, he has performed or shared stages with leading Jamaican artists such as Shabba Ranks, Ziggy Marley, and the famous Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals, among many others.

In 1995, Lee relocated to Europe, where he built a long and diverse international performance career based primarily in Austria for over 25 years. During this time, he led and performed with several musical projects, including his reggae band Xanabiz, as well as the cruise ship dance band SunJamma and the trio Trio Elixa, which performed extensively on international cruise circuits.

His European career also included collaborations across multiple genres, performing in Italian, African, Latin, and pop music settings. He is also a co-founder of Kool Runnings 2 alongside Shantel Bradford, a project that toured widely across Austria and Germany.

Lee has also worked in high-level performance and recording environments, including a Japan and European tour with acclaimed jazz pianist Monty Alexander. As a songwriter and lead vocalist with his band Xanabiz, his music received radio airplay across various European stations during the 2000s. He also performed as a bassist for the Austrian pop group TimTim during their chart success period.

Beyond performance, Lee is an experienced music educator, studio engineer, and producer. His work includes arranging, composing, recording, mixing, and mastering for a wide range of artists. He has mentored and taught numerous musicians over the years in guitar, bass, piano, music theory, and modern music production.

Now based in Cape Coast, Ghana, Lee continues to work actively in music production—both in-person and remotely—while also contributing to artist development and education. His broad musical background and cross-genre experience form a central pillar of the SunJamma sound.