Pablo, Isaacs feature in 'Wax Poetic'

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Dub visionary Augustus Pablo and lovers rock singer Gregory Isaacs are the subject of feature stories in Wax Poetics magazine's reggae issue, which was released September 21 in the United States.

The publication's promo described Pablo as 'a legend in his prime'. It also cited Isaacs as one of reggae's enduring acts who is still touring almost 40 years after his first hit song.

Roots legend Sugar Minott, who died in July, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, singer-songwriter Bob Andy, singer Beres Hammond, veteran British sound-system selector David Rodigan and a feature on Panamanian reggae are also included in the issue.

Pablo, whose real name was Horace Swaby, died in May 1999 at age 44.

While still a teenager, he was an established musician, arranger and producer by the early 1970s when he recorded the exotic instrumental Java for Randys Records.

He maintained remarkable standards throughout the decade, releasing albums like East Of The River Nile and King Tubbys Meets The Rockers Uptown.

Singers Jacob Miller and Hugh Mundell were just two of the performers Pablo helped to break.

Some of Miller's best work can be heard on the album, Who Say Jah No Dread which was produced by Pablo. Mundell's Africa Must Be Free By 1983, another Pablo production, remains a steady seller in Europe.

Poor health

Isaacs, whose health has been the topic of speculation in recent weeks, has been recording since the late 1960s. His first hit song, All I Have is Love, was released in 1973 about the same time Pablo was making waves with Java.

The following year, he hit with Love Is Overdue, but it was not until the late 1970s that Isaacs was recognised as a bona fide star, thanks to hit songs like Soon Forward and Tune In.

His 1982 hit, Night Nurse, is recognised as his signature piece. The song was later covered with great success by Mick Hucknall of Simply Red.

Based in New York City, Wax Poetics was founded in 2001 and remains a popular quarterly read among lovers of cutting-edge music. Its owners also operate a radio station and record company that specialises in underground music.