Double dose of the 'Cool Ruler'

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

A double compact disc showcasing many of the songs Gregory Isaacs produced for his African Museum label is scheduled to be released this month, one year after the singer's death.

Gregory Isaacs: The African Museum - Tad's Collection will be released by Tads Records. It contains 41 songs, several of which made Isaacs one of reggae's biggest hit-makers.

Those songs include Tune In, Soon Forward, Oh What A Feeling and Mr Brown. Others are covers of early Isaacs songs like All I Have Is Love (covered as All I Have Is Love Love Love), and underground cuts Isaacs did for his label.

Tad Dawkins of Tads Records collaborated with Isaacs' wife, June, and former manager Copeland Forbes, on the project. He said he first worked with the 'Cool Ruler' in the mid-1980s when his career was in full flight.

European feel

He produced songs like Continent Woman and Don't Say No, which are included on the double CD.

"Those songs had a European feel, it was created for that market," Dawkins told The Gleaner.

Bassist Lloyd Parks, drummer Mikey 'Boo' Richards, guitarist Dwight Pinkney and keyboardist Robbie Lyn worked on the Dawkins-Isaacs sessions, which took place when Dawkins was making a name for himself as a producer out of New York City.

Dawkins had produced the Dennis Brown anthem Here I Come and Wildfire, which Brown did with John Holt.

With Isaacs, Dawkins would co-produce Brand New Me, which was nominated in the Best Reggae Album category at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Isaacs established African Museum in the early 1970s when his smooth vocal style was catching on with radio disc jockeys and sound system selectors.

Strong songs

While he had hit songs like All I Have Is Love for producer Phil Pratt and Love Is Overdue (for Alvin Ranglin), Isaacs produced some strong songs such as Mr Brown and Sunday Morning for the African Museum, which are part of the Tad's compilation.

Gregory Isaacs became a household name in Jamaica in the late 1970s with Soon Forward and Tune In. He had a purple patch throughout the 1980s with his biggest hit being Night Nurse, which would later be covered by British singer Mick Hucknall.

The 1980s was also a time of personal strife for Isaacs as he battled drug addiction, a habit which landed him before the courts on multiple occasions.

Isaacs died in London from cancer at age 60. This year, VP Records released a tribute album produced by Dean Fraser, featuring artistes like Tarrus Riley and Gyptian covering some of his best known songs.