JAMAICAN singer Hopeton Lewis, reputed to have recorded the first rocksteady song, died at his home in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday evening.

He was 66 years old.

Lewis is best known for the 1966 hit Take it Easy which heralded the rocksteady sound. The beat was slower than ska which it followed.

Rocksteady, which preceded reggae, produced a number of harmony groups including the Heptones, the Paragons and the Melodians.

Michael Barnett, promoter of the vintage live music series Startime, remembers Lewis as a gentle giant of Jamaica’s music industry.

“He is one of the foundation members of the music fraternity, who excelled during the rocksteady era,” Barnett told the Jamaica Observer. “He was a very close friend of mine over the years. We brought him back to the Startime stage during the early years of the show, he always excels on stage.”

Barnett recounts an incident which happened at one of the stage shows in 1999.

“One night, we had a power cut at the Country Side Club over half-hour long and Hopeton kept the large audience of over 2,000 patrons going through with gospel songs. It was such a fantastic performance, could have been one of his best ever,” Barnett recounted. “He has gone to reggae heaven to join his singing partner, Phyllis Dillon. Just take it easy, Hopeton.”

Lewis’ friend and colleague at the Grace Deliverance Radio said Lewis had been “struggling with various ailments over a period of time” but did not know the cause of death.

The singer worked at that community radio station for the past five years, hosting a music programme three times per week.

Lewis turned his back on secular music 20 years ago and began recording inspirational music.

He was founder and president of the Hopeton Lewis Caribbean Gospel Music Awards and owner of Caribbean Gospel Jubilee (CGJ), an Internet radio station.

The Kingston-born Lewis had other hits including Sounds and Pressure, the 1970 Festival Song winner Boom Shacka Laka, and Grooving Out On Life.