October has been a busy month, and I had some writings and reasonings that I planned to take off the back-burner and publish but then all of the sudden I had to put them on hold once again. It is because today, Gregory Isaacs, the Cool Ruler has trod on. I had been meaning to write another tribute to Lucky Dube, whose life was tragically taken several years ago this month, and I never did pay a proper tribute to reggae greats who have passed since that time like Vivian "Yabby You" Jackson and Sugar Minott. Not to diminish those artists lives and achievements, but when such a huge figure as Gregory passes everything seems to stop.
Gregory Isaacs was one of the last giants left from reggae's Golden Age. His friend, the legendary Dennis Brown passed on a decade ago, Bob Marley of course, Jacob Miller, Joseph "Culture" Hill, Peter Tosh. While there are many great reggae artists that are still with us from that era like Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, John Holt, and Freddie McGregor (just to name a few!), Gregory Isaacs will be sorely missed because his persona and music was so original. I remember when I first heard Gregory's music... it struck me to the core. His vocals were like nothing I had heard before, a laid-back smooth style with a characteristic nasal voice. Everything he touched with the mic seemed to shine, whether it was his Lover's Rock, Roots & Culture, or a sufferer's anthem. The music seemed to transport me somewhere. I would put an album of Gregory on and everything would be alright... If I was heartbroken over a girl, he spoke to that with "Front Door", "Sad To Know", and "Lonely Soldier". If I was playing it cool and calm, "Stranger In Town", "Top Ten", and "Night Nurse". If I was feeling like militantly confronting Babylon with some serious rockers, then I played tunes like "Universal Tribulation", "Storm", "Poor And Clean". Those are just a few of the massive amount of tunes he sang and produced over the years through his label African Museum, because to say that Mr. Isaacs was a prolific artist is an understatement. I have a good collection, but there are certainly amazing songs that I've overlooked and hope to discover just because of the immense size of what is out there and because I did not grow up during his prime and always have to look backward into his career. I also remember when I first saw footage of Gregory Isaacs from different documentaries like "Land of Look Behind" and the movie, "Rockers". The man was smooth. He would strut out in his suit with his dreads tucked into a brimmed hat, the Roots Radics would back him with some wicked riddim, and then he would sing away... women and men dancing to the tunes, a party in the ghetto to let the people forget their troubles... yeah the Cool Ruler!
I was fortunate enough to see Gregory Isaacs perform live a couple of times. Once at a big stage show with other classic reggae artists of his era, and another time up close at a small venue where I took some great photos. I can't remember for certain, but I think I got to shake his hand. To be truthful, his performances left something to be desired. Age and ailments took a toll on Gregory's body and his distinct voice, just as in his most recent recordings. It was still there, but not the same... not the clear and cool vocals from the 70's and 80's, not the same range, not the same charisma. Nonetheless, it was still Gregory... the legend. Nobody can, or ever will, duplicate that sound. He was no longer in his prime, but it was the same man and I could appreciate that fact after the many years of listening to his tunes and recognizing him as a reggae great.
So, after a long journey and a battle with cancer, Mr. Isaacs has trod on. The last years were rough. The paper's said he was 59, and I thought he was older... he sure looked and seemed older, but he had some struggles in life that affected his health. I went to check my bredren who grew up in Kingston and he swore that Gregory had to be older than 59 also, but the Jamaican newspapers had his birthday and mentioned dates in his early singing career. Even though Gregory has passed, his music will never die, and neither will his memory among fans all over the world, especially in his native Jamaica. He was a man who never forgot his roots and always gave back to the community where he grew up in West Kingston. Despite his international success and legendary status, he was still Gregory Isaacs the rude-bwoy from the ghetto. Although he sighted up Rastafari, he wasn't the most spiritual or conscious, he also didn't always make the best choices in life. Rather, he represented reality and was a little bit of everything rolled up in one bundle... the voice of the sufferer in Jamaica, who struggled to rise above. Give thanks to the life and music of Gregory Isaacs, a reggae singer like no other! JAH Bless the Cool Ruler! There will always be a place in the dancehall for you!
JAHsh
"Some of the men will buy you diamonds and pearls
And those are the things that mean a lot to some girls
But all I have is love, darling, all I have is love
Now they will take you places that you wanna go
And show you things that you've never seen before
But all I have is love, darling, all I have is love"
- Gregory Isaacs "All I Have Is Love"
No comments:
Post a Comment