One of my greatest honours in life was being able to introduce Bob Andy at Sunsplash - Roger Steffens, US reggae lecturer/historian.

Andy. one of the prime movers in the world of reggae music

Steffens is one of many influential persons in reggae to have accorded status of brilliance to the works of Keith Anderson, the legendary Bob Andy, one of the prime movers in the world of reggae music.

On October 16, 2006. National Heroes Day, a week before his 62nd birthday, Bob Andy will be accorded the nation fifth highest honour the Order of Distinction (OD) in the rank of Commander for sterling contribution to the development of reggae music, the citation will say.

His sterling contributions started in the early 60s when he initiated the classic reggae quartet, The Paragons. Andy's late 60s self-effacing work at Studio One Records is embodied in the now hotly disputed album Bob Andy's Songbook.

He had written the Paragons' first five tunes for Coxone's label of which one, Love at Last (1965), topped the charts on both radio stations (RJR & JBC), two years before his most famous songs Got To Go Back Home and I Don't Want To See You Cry, the hit he penned for Ken Boothe.

A young Bob Andy cut his teeth at 13 Brentford Road, firstly by running errands distributing 45s and LPs to record shops around Kingston, doing so, he says, to make a living.
He had no doubt in mind that a gift for singing was wrapped up inside. "But, I did not see how I would be able to sing a song that was fit for the market much less to earn money. However, I would come back early (from delivering records) each day to look in at the sessions."

In between sessions, though, Sir Coxone Dodd, he said, would play the tapes and he and Marcia [Griffiths] would put harmony on these tracks. It was then the idea came to me that I could write songs and I wrote one to fit Marcia's voice. The two had worked close together in those days.

Marcia said, "My first Studio One album was The Best of Marcia Griffiths. That album has all my biggest hits; Melody Life, Tell Me Now, Feel Like Jumping, Truly and Mark My Words. Bob Andy wrote all of them.

Bob & Marcia singing duo interpreted Nina Simone's Young, Gifted & Black, for producer Harry J Johnson, which became a huge hit in the UK. "The popularity of the record ensured crossover success and it rode high in the UK charts in 1970 and became a hit all over Europe", recorded The Guinness Book of Who's Who of Reggae.

Bob Andy confessed to have been "this shy country boy" who was hideously intimidated by the presence and demeanor of the already established Studio One artists.

"When I went to Studio One I had found it intimidating in the presence of the Gaylads, The Wailers, artists like Ken Booth, Delroy Wilson and Marcia Griffiths. They where like budding superstars and with attitudes," he told this writer.

A little of the coyness evaporated when Booth, Griffiths and Wilson made notable hits of songs he wrote for them. "When these people started to record my work I got the confidence."
Still, his bashful introvert, he not given to bravado and self-endorsement, and underlying personal issues has led to him not gaining the full due of the grandeur and scope of his work.

"I never had the physical strength at the time to push for what I wanted, I had a lot of issues and as much as I had the musical talent I had so many issues that prevented any progress. I had a warped view of the world which sadly gave me a warped view of myself," Bob Andy confessed.

He acknowledged that then he was a loner whereas Bob (Marley), others who succeeded, like today's dancehall artists, had entourages, ego massagers around them, "I would have been totally lost if I were in a crowd at the time," Bob Andy reflected.

Unresolved, vexing issues continue to beleaguer the artist who has accepted many honours and awards, and soon a national insignia, for the plethora of hit records and his overall contribution to reggae music.
But, the songs on the Bob Andy's Songbook albums that, he said, defined his early works have been in dispute and are currently a matter for litigation.

"Sir Coxone (Dodd) died in denial claiming that he was the author of a great portion of my work. Now I have to be proving that this isn't so, and the earliest date we can get a court hearing is 2008," Bob Andy said, adding, "I have had to fight over the years for the publishing and the recognition of being the writer of these songs as people have constantly made attempts to dispossess me of my work in various ways.

Well advanced towards the age of legal retirement, Bob Andy, who had established his own publishing company and who served as the principal mover in the attempt to set up the Caribbean Copyright Organisation, earnestly desires a resolution to the impasse.

"I am happy that I am alive and I have the strength, the desire and the talent to redefine myself. I resolved with myself that those songs belong to the public whatever the outcome of the court case. If, he continued, people have taken these songs, my full body of work, and have made it their own I will (have to) bequeath it to the Jamaican people.

In one of his several furloughs from music, Bob Andy attended a drama workshop at the Creative Art Centre, UWI, where he not only developed his acting talent but also became involved in a series of drama by playwright Dennis Scott.

One such play, he recalled, was Anancy and the Unsung Hero. Not long after, an audition for a role in the Jamaica feature film, Children Of Babylon, landed him the lead role.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World