Fertile Ground
History
James Collins founded Fertile Ground in 1998 as a three-piece band with vocalist Navasha Daya and drummer Marcus Asante. The band represented soulful songwriting over world rhythms.{{cite news | url = http://www2.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=7238| title = Planting Time: Fertile Ground Harvests a Debut Album | first = Vincent | last = Williams | newspaper = Baltimore City Paper| accessdate = 2010-10-28}}
Collins created the record label Blackout Studios,{{cite news | url = https://www.baltimoresun.com/2008/12/07/no-longer-black-and-white/ | newspaper = The Baltimore Sun| title = No Longer Black And White | first = Rashod | last = Ollison |date=7 December 2008 | access-date = 2010-10-28 }} and the band self-released Field Songs (1998) and Spiritual War (1999). In 2000, label owner Jake Behnan of Counterpoint Records became enthused about the band and licensed the band's first two albums for a compilation entitled Perception. The Japanese label P-Vine Records agreed to release the band's music throughout Asia. By 2002, the band had sold 85,000 copies of their first two albums.{{cite news | url = http://www2.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=3415 | newspaper = Baltimore City Paper | title = In Full Bloom: Fertile Ground's Musical Harvest | first = Afefe | last = Tyehimba |date=10 July 2002 | accessdate = 2010-10-28}}
In 2012, Daya released a solo album, Rebirthed Above Ground.
Percussionist Ekendra Das now lives in Florida, and released his own project entitled Ethnomusicology, as well as an instructional DVD on percussion. He still performs and records with various artists, and teaches as well.{{cite web |url=http://navashadaya.bandcamp.com/ |title=Navasha Daya |publisher=Navashadaya.bandcamp.com |date=2022-04-14 |accessdate=2022-05-04}}