Long Live the “Cool Ruler”…Gregory Isaacs!!!!
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Tribute to the Reggae Legend
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Gregory dies at 59; Jamaican singer pioneered reggae style known as lovers rock
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One of the genre major stars in the 1970’s, the ‘Cool Ruler’ had a polished sound and lyrics that focused on tales of love. He was also known for his designer suits.
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Gregory Isaacs, the Jamaican singer who pioneered the style of reggae music known as lovers rock and became one of the genre’s major stars in the 1970s, has died. He was 59.
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Isaacs died Monday at his home in London, according to his manager, Copeland Forbes. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer last year.
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Known as the “Cool Ruler,” as he styled himself in the title of a 1978 album, Isaacs cut a dapper figure in his designer suits and silk shirts — an image suited to a style of music that emphasized romantic yearning over reggae’s more traditional themes of spiritual and political transformation.
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“I’d say he’s one of the three geniuses I’ve known in the reggae music business, and I’ve known everyone,” said Gary Himelfarb, who recorded several Isaacs albums for his Washington, D.C.-based RAS Records label in the 1990s.
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“Gregory was the kind of person who could walk through a room of 20 people and come out the other side and tell you what everybody was wearing,” added Himelfarb, whose professional name is Doctor Dread. “He could sit at a piano and compose incredible tunes. He was really brilliant. He was on a whole other level than your typical Jamaican artist.”
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Isaacs was born in Kingston on July 15, 1951, and grew up in Denham Town. In school, he enjoyed reading, composition and painting, and at home he listened to American R&B on his family’s radio.
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Gregory Isaacs
July 15, 1951 - Oct 25, 2010
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Oct 25 2010
