That unforgettable 'Cool'

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

The death of the 'Cool Ruler' veteran singer Gregory Isaacs rocked the world and the entertainment community yesterday.

The singer, 59, died yesterday morning at his home in London, England.

Isaacs' manager Copeland Forbes confirmed that the artiste died at his home following a long illness. Rumours of him being ill had circulated for weeks prior to his death, but were later dismissed by his management team.

Gregory Isaacs was born on July 15, 1951 in Fletcher's Land, Kingston, and began recording in his teens. With his unique sound and romantic songs, he became a leading proponent of the 'Lovers' Rock' style of reggae. Isaacs was best known as the 'Cool Ruler' and for hits such as Rumours and Night Nurse, which was also the name of his 1982 album.

He established his own African Museum record label and released his final album Brand New Me in 2008.

Expected but sad

For fellow singer Freddie McGregor, Isaacs' passing is not a surprise but still a sad occurrence. He told The Gleaner, "my condolences goes out to his family and children. I was in London two weeks ago with my daughter, Shema, and we went to look for him. We spent two hours with him and even though he was really sick and you could see he was getting weaker he was in good spirits, his old jovial self."

According to McGregor, he has known Isaacs since he (McGregor) was a youth starting out in music. "The first autograph I signed was for Gregory Isaacs ... he came up to me and asked me for my autograph and thanked me and I freaked out. He always told me he really respected me as an artiste and we spent many good days on tour. He was a real jovial person. He will be sadly missed, but his catalogue will always be around and he will live on for a long time," McGregor added.

For Michael Barnett, promoter of Heineken Startime, who has been the host of Isaacs on stage for many years, the veteran singer will be sorely missed.

"Gregory was a fantastic human being, he was a warm-hearted, loveable person, a little misunderstood but a humorous character. He didn't speak much, but when he spoke he spoke volumes."

According to Barnett, when Isaacs hit a stage all he had to do was "sing and groan" and the crowd would go crazy.

He recounted, "Gregory was away from Jamaica for about five years in the early '90s. I was the first promoter to bring him back for the first time in years, in 1996, for Heineken Startime at Peppers. The anticipation was extremely high for him, he's probably the most loved artiste of all time in Jamaica, I would say behind Dennis Brown."

"And Gregory destroyed, flattened Peppers that night. After he left the venue the response was so strong I had to run his car down for about half a mile 'cause no other act could follow him on stage after that. I guess he felt pity for me and came back and destroyed it again."

In a release, VP Records Christopher Chin commented, "Gregory Isaacs leaves behind an iconic history and catalogue that is unparalleled. He devoted his entire life to music and his memory will forever live on with us - through his music and the legacy he leaves behind."

Isaacs released five albums with VP Records, the last being the Future Attraction in 2000.

Painful loss

Olivia Grange, minister of youth, sports and culture with responsibility for entertainment, said in a release that the death of reggae star, Gregory Isaacs is the latest in a series of painful losses to the Jamaican entertainment community in recent years, including the likes of Alton Ellis, Roy Shirley, Byron Lee, Desmond Dekker, Brent Dowe and Joe Gibbs.

The minister recalled that Isaacs, was a veteran of teen talent contests by the time he got his first recording break from the late Byron Lee in 1968.After many initial failures, he had teamed with two other vocalists to form the Concords, which lasted until 1970 when he re-launched his solo career, initially producing his own records and opening his own record shop.

"So his career was not only about singing; he was a singer, a songwriter, music producer, promoter and recording executive. Few Jamaican artistes can match this versatility, and even fewer were able to succeed in so many areas of entertainment," she said.

She added, "... therefore, we must recall Gregory as one of the great pioneers of our entertainment industry, and thank him for the courage and confidence he passed on to his juniors, in terms of using their own initiative to overcome the hurdles of the industry. I mourn his loss as the minister responsible for culture, as a good friend of Gregory and as a fan of good Jamaican music, and hope that his struggle and eventual success will be a model for young Jamaicans in the entertainment sector to emulate."