Downloads   Galeries   Forums   Audios   Vidéos   Liens   Livre d´or   Partenaires   Contact   
  Accueil
  Actualité
  Régions/Peuples
  Historique
  Sawanité
  Le Ngondo
  Tourisme
  Littérature
  VIP
  F.A.Q
  Agendas
  Evénements
  Annonces
  Projets
  Communauté



      


30.10.2010

Gregory Isaacs, Jamaican reggae artist, dies at age 59 

Mr. Isaacs maintained that he owned the guns for protection from robbers and political violence, which had engulfed Jamaica in the late 1970s, "just like you have a jacket to protect you from the cold." 

====================== 

Gregory Isaacs, who died on Tuesday at age 59 in London, England, possessed one of the most recognisable and beloved voices in reggae over a career that spanned five decades.

Though he’d been in ill health for a long time, he succumbed to lung cancer contracted in the past year. During the past couple of decades, his wounded and beguiling voice had deteriorated into a shadow of its former self as a result of cocaine and crack use. Nevertheless, even in its diminished state, producers in Jamaica and around the world continued to utilise the voice to connect their beats to the essence of reggae itself.

Isaacs’ vocal abilities were unique. Certainly not a technically gifted singer, his songs brimmed with his incomparably persuasive phrasing. Best known for his irresistible appeal to ladies, “The Cool Ruler,” as he was known, featured a sly tenor croon that verged on melodic speech, particularly in later years. These same qualities helped him to convey more serious topics or even boastful attitude with equal conviction. Perhaps the highest compliment that could be paid to him is that his voice was inimitable.

Issacs began recording in 1968 and found his first success in the early ’70s as he refined his persona to match the roots reggae of the day with romantic subjects. By 1975, he was working with the greatest producers of the era, recording hit after hit — often on his own label, African Museum — which remain beloved in the reggae canon. Isaacs moved more towards social criticism during his tenure with Virgin Records’ Front Line label in the late ’70s, and during this time, became a major star in Britain.

‘Night Nurse,’ his signature song and one of reggae’s archetypal tracks, speaks volumes of his career. Recorded in 1982, Isaacs’ languidly pleads for a nurse to “quench his thirst” over top of a slow-rolling bass line and catchy, understated synth hooks. Though, it was never a big hit in radio, it’s one of those songs which have reached the four corners of the world; wherever reggae is being played, ‘Night Nurse’ is never far away.

With the song released by Island Records, who eagerly signed him after Virgin inexplicably dropped him, Isaacs’ future seemed bright. However, he spent six months of the year in prison on a weapons conviction, which slowed his momentum. ‘Night Nurse’ was the beginning of a pattern in which his addiction to cocaine and subsequent troubles with the law hampered his career. Sadly, this struggle dominated many decades of his life, though he cleaned up in his last years.

Isaacs continued to make fine music and remain popular among reggae fans. When able to perform, he did so spectacularly. His 1984 album, ‘Live at the Academy Brixton,’ witnessed the depth of his fans’ love as the audience sang prolonged sections of his hits back to him. Even as he continued to slide into drug problems in the late ’80s, he was a major figure in dancehall of that era, recording anthems ‘Rumours’ and ‘Red Rose for Gregory,’ which portrayed menacing and romantic sides of his personality respectively, for a new generation of listeners.

In later years, his health problems caused him to lose his teeth and thicken his once-nimble voice. However, he continued to record steadily and perform when he could, overcoming the obstacles that his criminal record presented.

His last full-fledged album, ‘Brand New Me,’ came out in 2008, fittingly on the African Museum label. One of his last recordings was just released this month: the title track on Juno-winning Canadian reggae artist Dubmatix’ ‘System Shakedown.’

“I wrote the music specifically for Gregory,” Dubmatix said. “I wanted to reproduce the original early ’80s sound of ‘Night Nurse,’ ‘Number One’ and others. He did a quick demo and sent it over. Two nights later, I spoke with him as he was in the studio voicing the song. For me, it was a highlight musically working with one of the legends I grew up listening to in the ’80s — I never did know that he was ill.”

In remembering Isaacs’ matchless voice, reggae fans also acknowledge his volatile yet perceptive character. Perhaps the most prolific reggae singer of all time, Isaacs, even at his most mundane, had a particular point of view that brought a strong sense of drama to his songs. His death will undoubtedly spark many reappraisals of (and reissues from) his long career.

“His voice ruled the dancehalls of the ’80s,” said Dubmatix. “His legacy will continue through those incredible works of art.”

 

Source: Dikalo la Mboa Sawa | Hits: 40662 | Envoyer à des amis  ! | Imprimer ! | Réagir(1)

PLUS DE NOUVELLES


  L’Ecole Maternelle est le Cimetière de nos Cultures et Langues
( | 27.09.2006 | 28122 hits  | 0 R)

  Sawanité : La rentrée
( | 24.09.2006 | 31927 hits  | 0 R)

  Espoir en l´Afrique !! Par Francis Bebey
( | 19.09.2006 | 37942 hits  | 0 R)

  HOMMAGE AU PROFESSEUR NJOH MOUELLE
( | 19.09.2006 | 35962 hits  | 0 R)

  UPC: Union des Populations du Cameroun
( | 15.09.2006 | 32908 hits  | 0 R)

  UM NYOBE NOUS A APPRIS A REFUSER D’ETRE ESCLAVES
( | 13.09.2006 | 36895 hits  | 0 R)

  La crise du Muntu (Monga-Mbembé-Eboussi Boulaga)
( | 07.09.2006 | 36955 hits  | 0 R)

  UM NYOBE, héros national, Assassiné ce 13 Septembre 1958
( | 06.09.2006 | 51511 hits  | 8 R)

  11 SEPTEMBRE 2001 : CINQ ANS APRES (par Sam Ekoka Ewande)
( | 06.09.2006 | 38126 hits  | 0 R)

  Ruben Um Nyobe
( | 06.09.2006 | 38091 hits  | 0 R)

  Me Black Yondo parle
( | 06.09.2006 | 37896 hits  | 0 R)

  Ruben Um Nyobè, Précurseur des Indépendances Africaines Avait Prévenu !
( | 06.09.2006 | 37384 hits  | 0 R)

  Cameroun : la guerre d’indépendance oubliée
( | 06.09.2006 | 37232 hits  | 0 R)

  Le " NGOSO " : Origines de l´" ESSEWE "
( | 01.09.2006 | 31515 hits  | 0 R)

  Les racines africaines de la musique noire d’aujourd’hui.
( | 30.08.2006 | 45080 hits  | 1 R)

  JO TONGO
( | 29.08.2006 | 46275 hits  | 0 R)

  The Highlife Music, predecessor of modern African Music
( | 29.08.2006 | 49764 hits  | 1 R)

  The story of Highlife
( | 29.08.2006 | 37911 hits  | 0 R)

  The Rebirth of Highlife
( | 29.08.2006 | 25940 hits  | 0 R)

  ETIENNE MBAPPÉ - another great Cameroonian bass player
( | 28.08.2006 | 30968 hits  | 0 R)

  BAKASSI, GUERRE OU PAIX ?
( | 24.08.2006 | 34768 hits  | 0 R)

  BAKASSI: LA FIN DE L’OCCUPATION MILITAIRE (Sam Ekoka Ewande)
( | 23.08.2006 | 32129 hits  | 0 R)

  Hommage: Un film sur la vie de Samuel Eboua
( | 21.08.2006 | 42066 hits  | 0 R)

  KEMIT Conference: SURVIVANCE DE L’EGYPTE PHARAONIQUE DANS LA TRADITION AFRICAINE
( | 20.08.2006 | 37315 hits  | 0 R)

  TRAGEDIE DU LAC NYOS - 20 ANS APRES : NE PAS OUBLIER
( | 20.08.2006 | 35975 hits  | 0 R)

  1986: Hundreds gassed in Cameroon lake disaster
( | 20.08.2006 | 25072 hits  | 0 R)

  Le Nigeria remet officiellement la péninsule de Bakassi au Cameroun
( | 15.08.2006 | 35260 hits  | 1 R)

  Tradition, invention and history The case of the Ngondo (Cameroon)
( | 11.08.2006 | 28224 hits  | 0 R)

  Germany pays for colonial errors in Namibia
( | 10.08.2006 | 34378 hits  | 1 R)

  Le “ Ngondo ” et la “ Civilisation de la croix ”
( | 09.08.2006 | 48104 hits  | 1 R)

  Evocation de la vie et de l´exécution du nationliste camerounais
( | 09.08.2006 | 36921 hits  | 0 R)

  Résistance Sawa : La force du souvenir
( | 08.08.2006 | 37465 hits  | 0 R)

  Georgette L. Kala-Lobè en Solo pour Douala Manga Bell
( | 07.08.2006 | 49553 hits  | 1 R)

  Bialati ba 1500 Mina. Dictionnaire des noms propres Sawa
( | 07.08.2006 | 41384 hits  | 0 R)

  Tet´Ekombo n´est plus
( | 05.08.2006 | 49083 hits  | 2 R)

  Douala: Ville et Histoire - René GOUELLAIN
( | 31.07.2006 | 41262 hits  | 0 R)

  Rudolf Douala Manga Bell, premier opposant à l´Apartheid
( | 31.07.2006 | 40281 hits  | 0 R)

  Rudolf Doualla Manga Bell: propriété familiale?
( | 31.07.2006 | 39422 hits  | 0 R)

  Douala autrefois - Michel Viallet
( | 29.07.2006 | 44770 hits  | 0 R)

  Douala un siècle en images - Jacques SOULILLOU
( | 28.07.2006 | 39491 hits  | 0 R)

  Vivre à Douala L´imaginaire et l´action dans une ville africaine en crise - Gilles SERAPHIN
( | 27.07.2006 | 40031 hits  | 0 R)

  Douala: Croissance et servitudes - Guy MAINET
( | 26.07.2006 | 43949 hits  | 0 R)

  Le procès du Roi Rudolf Duala Manga Bell,martyr de la liberté ...Joël KONDO
( | 25.07.2006 | 54707 hits  | 1 R)

  Ngum’a Jéméa ou foi inébranlable, de David Mbanga Eyombwan
( | 22.07.2006 | 76074 hits  | 0 R)

  Sawanité: l’appel du large ou la rencontre avec nos cousins d’outre Campo
( | 19.07.2006 | 45864 hits  | 1 R)

  Hommage à Rudolf Duala Manga Bell
( | 19.07.2006 | 38377 hits  | 0 R)

  Tet´Ekombo
( | 19.07.2006 | 37611 hits  | 0 R)

  SAWANITE: LA PART DES FEMMES
( | 18.07.2006 | 35696 hits  | 1 R)

  Ce fut le 12 juillet 1884
( | 14.07.2006 | 35909 hits  | 2 R)

  La Renaissance Panafricaine par Thabo Mbeki
( | 14.07.2006 | 38707 hits  | 0 R)



   0 |  1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6 |  7 |  8 |  9 |  10 |  11 |  12 |  13 |  14 |  15 |      ... >|



Jumeaux Masao "Ngondo"

Remember Moamar Kadhafi

LIVING CHAINS OF COLONISATION






© Peuplesawa.com 2007 | WEB Technology : BN-iCOM by Biangue Networks