Dennis Brown was known to fans as the Crown Prince of Reggae; Gregory Isaacs’s smooth vocal style made him The Cool Ruler. The singers, who boast two of the largest catalogues in reggae, were close friends who recorded a number of collaborations.

“They were like blood brothers. The connection went well beyond music; Gregory was the big brother and Dennis the little brother,” said producer Tad Dawkins.

Brown, who died in July 1999, would have turned 63 today. Isaacs died in October 2010 at age 60.

Ragamuffin (Big All Around), produced by Gussie Clarke in 1989, is their best known song together. It was a barnstormer at their shows.

Dawkins was close friends with both artistes and recorded many songs with them. Most of those tracks have been released as part of posthumous albums; the latest of those compilations, Brown’s Satisfaction Feeling: Deluxe Edition, is released today by Dawkins’ Tad’s International Record.

According to Dawkins, there was never a dull moment when Brown and Isaacs were in the recording studio.

“When we were recording the Wild Fire (featuring Dennis Brown and John Holt) album, Gregory would always come to the studio and partake in the recordings by singing harmony, and when we were recording Gregory’s album Easy, D Brown was there helping to build the vibes and showing his camaraderie,” Dawkins recalled.

He remembers working with Brown, shortly before he died, on a version of one of his biggest hits. Isaacs insisted he had to be part of the session.

“We did a re-voicing of No Man is an Island at Music Mountain Studio (and) after Dennis finished voicing, Gregory walked in and said, ‘Play the rhythm from the top’ and he voiced a track called Lonely Soldier. We are set to release both versions in March of this year,” said Dawkins.

Brown and Isaacs were from the West Kingston communities of Orange Street and Denham Town, respectively. They never cut ties with the area, which remained a favourite hangout spot with fellow music industry players including deejay Big Youth, producer Trevor “Leggo” Douglas and musician Flabba Holt.