In the 31 years since his untimely death, Marley still remains the most-popular figure in Reggae music. Succumbing to cancer at age 36 in 1981, Marley had become a global ambassador for the music he helped make famous.
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Marley’s passing shook the reggae and music community to its core; yet, his legacy remains intact through his timeless music catalog and talented children.
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Marley was born in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish in Jamaica (also the birthplace of Marcus Garvey). Marley’s father was a white Jamaican man of English descent and his mother was a native of Jamaica. Discovering music as a teenager, Marley befriended Neville “Bunny” Livingston (aka Bunny Wailer) who shared his dreams of becoming a musician. Through singer Joe Higgs, the pair met Peter McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh) who also had similar ambitions. Recording his first songs in 1962, Marley and his friends would eventually be renamed The Wailers, after being discovered by a local record producer.
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Marrying Rita Anderson (now Marley) in 1966, Marley and his bride made a sojourn to the United States to live near his mother in Wilmington, De. Marley soon teamed up with American singer Johnny Nash (“I Can See Clearly Now”) and nabbed a deal with CBS Records. Marley and the Wailers went on tour with Nash before their label deal went sour and the band ended up stranded in London in 1972. From there, Marley contacted Island Records’ founder Chris Blackwell and was advanced funds to record the hit album “Catch A Fire.”
Shortly after the release of their major-label debut, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh went their
Gregory Isaacs — one of the most popular and versatile reggae singers of the late-Seventies, and the smooth-voiced dancehall crooner behind the genre’s landmark 1982 LP Night Nurse —
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Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse (Live at Reggae Sunsplash 1983)
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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Feb 19 2012
