ALPHONSO WALKER

Alphonso Walker, who created the popular Where It’s At variety show that aired on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC), died on January 10.

Walker was a cameraman at the JBC in 1971, the year he started Where It’s At as a version of Soul Train, the American show that catered to a black, American audience.

Where It’s At had several hosts including Elaine Wint and Baldwin Howe, but Walker was its driving force. In addition to host, he was producer and booked artistes and dancers who appeared on the weekly programme.

Where It’s At went off the air in the 1980s. In it’s heyday, it attracted top artistes who performed their hit songs while dancers showed off the latest moves.

CARL SAMUELS

Actor/teacher arts tutor at Vauxhall High, Carl Samuels was shot and killed by two gunmen on the east Kingston school compound about 7:35 pm on January 25. He was 36.

A licensed firearm holder, Samuels managed to kill one of his attackers, an 18-year-old boy. Police theorise that the assailants came for his firearm.

Samuels built quite a repertoire in theatre. He was nominated for Actor Boy Awards for Best Actor in A Lead Role for the plays Ruined and God’s Way 2; and Best Actor in A Supporting Role for God Go Wid Yuh.

He spent years with Independent Actors Movement (IAM), a theatre company created by fellow Edna Manley School of Drama graduates, and worked as actor in their BOOKFLEX, Long Division, Run Di Track, Run Di Track Reeemix!, and Anancy Chaptaz Gold Rush productions. Samuels was also sound engineer for Campion College’s annual Courtyard Theatre series.

HUBERT LEE

Hubert Lee, a singer who had a stint with The Clarendonians, died March 31 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was 75 years old.

Lee joined The Clarendonians after original member Ernest Wilson left the group in the early 1970s. He recorded a handful of songs with Peter Austin, the other original Clarendonian, including Night Owl.

In the early 1970s, Lee had a hit with There’s Something on Your Mind, originally recorded in 1957 by American, Big Jay McNeely.

He had lived in the United States for over 35 years, working as a professional painter and recording sporadically.

Hubert Lee is survived by his son, five grandchildren, a sister and brother.

ROBERT “BOBBY” CLARKE

Theatre practitioner Robert “Bobby” Clarke, who was battling cancer, died on April 16 at home in Kingston. He is believed to be in his 60s.

The St Mary native received his education at St Mary and Calabar high schools and at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts where he majored in theatre arts and drama education.

He taught at Stella Maris Preparatory and The Queen’s School and also worked in the tourism industry as an entertainment co-ordinator/manager with the Sandals Group.

He also did stints with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), as a producer of festival events and as a librarian/presenter/ producer at the then Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC).

He was also responsible for mounting theatrical productions and commercial ventures, such as adult dramas with the most notable and prolific being the Little Theatre Movement’s national pantomimes, of which he directed many including: Jangah Rock, Miss Annie, Comboluh, Iffa Nuh So, Zu-Zu Macca , Nuff and Plenty, and Runner Boy.

JOHNNY GOLDING

Johnny Golding, whose Swing Magazine covered the Jamaican entertainment scene for over 10 years, died on April 26 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. He was 83.

Golding, who attended Kingston College, joined his father John senior in management at the family-owned Golding Printing Service in Kingston during the 1950s.

In 1968, he launched Swing Magazine which was initially named Akara News, named after the Akara nightclub he operated at the time in Bull Bay, St Andrew.

At the height of its popularity during the 1970s, Swing Magazine covered the hottest acts in reggae as well as hip spots and sports.

Golding also staged the annual Swing Awards which honoured top performers in entertainment.

LABA LABA

DANCEHALL choreographer and former Black Roses Crew member, Labba Labba passed away at his Arnett Gardens residence on Sunday, July 5. He was believed to be in his mid-70s.

Lonsdale “Boysie Roses” Guy, a former member of the outfit, confirmed his death.

“Labba Labba drop out round a him yard Sunday… a jus’ natural causes mek him drop out still, cause him did old… him around 75 or 76. Mi nuh know him real name, but mi known him from ’bout 1997. Him a di real dancehall granfadda,” Guy told the Jamaica Observer.

“Him make up di dance dem — Swim By and Labba Labba. Him appear inna nuff video too.”

Elephant Man made reference to him in Pon Di River.

HUX BROWN

WHEN Paul Simon’s Mother And Child Reunion was released in 1972, Americans were instantly taken by the song’s reggae flavour and its unique tremolo guitar intro. That came courtesy of Lynford “Hux” Brown, an outstanding session musician who died Thursday, June 18, in Oakland, California. He was 75.

The Portland-born Brown was a member of influential bands during the 1960s including The Mighty Vikings and Supersonics. The latter was the house band at Treasure Isle studio, which is owned by producer Duke Reid, where he played on a number of classic songs such as Wear You to The Ball by The Paragons, Little Nut Tree by The Melodians, Ba Ba Boom from The Jamaicans, Phyllis Dillon’s Perfidia, and Girl I’ve Got A Date by Alton Ellis.

Along with Trinidadian Lynn Taitt, Brown was the hot session guitarist in Jamaica during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In addition to his work with The Supersonics, he appeared on productions for producer Leslie Kong including By The Rivers of Babylon by The Melodians, The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff), Pressure Drop, Funky Kingston and Monkey Man by Toots And The Maytals.

COUNT SHELLY

COUNT Shelly, considered one of the ‘Big Three’ sound system pioneers in the United Kingdom, died in St Andrew on August 16, at age 88.

Born Ephraim Barrett, Count Shelly was a champion cyclist before moving to the UK in the early 1960s. Along with Vincent “Duke Vin” Forbes and Wilbert “Count Suckle” Campbell, he popularised the sound system culture there through what was known in Jamaican circles as blues dances.

His Count Shelly ‘sound’ was resident at the 31 Club in Harlesden (north-west London), which attracted West Indians and white Britons fascinated by ska and rocksteady music.

He was also a popular draw at Four Aces Club in north London as well.

In the early 1970s, Count Shelly began his career as a producer. He recorded and released songs by Jamaican artistes who settled in the UK including Dennis Alcapone and Errol Dunkley.

Count Shelly was also a UK distributor for music producers like Bunny Lee, Harry Mudie and Ossie Hibbert.

Moving to the United States during the 1980s, Count Shelly operated Super Power Records, a distribution and retail outlet for Jamaican music in Brooklyn, New York.

He returned to Jamaica permanently in the 1990s and operated record stores in Kingston.

PAD ANTHONY

Singer Hartley Anthony “Pad Anthony” Wallace, a popular figure on the sound system circuit during the 1980s, died in Kingston on August 28.

Anthony, who was pronounced dead at the Kingston Public Hospital, was 57 years old.

Born Hartley Anthony Wallace, Pad Anthony was from the Payne Land community in Kingston. He began his recording career at Channel One studio in the late 1970s, cutting covers of Alton Ellis’ Black Man’s Word and Ray Charles’ Crying Time, backed by the Roots Radics Band.

In the 1980s, Anthony established himself as a sound system force, performing regularly on the Black Star sound system alongside fellow singers Hopeton Lindo, Danny Dread and deejay Tiger.

He also recorded and performed for producer Lloyd “King Jammy’s” James’ label and sound system. James produced Ah Murder, one of his biggest hits.

Through his association with James, Anthony developed a bond with producers Robert “Bobby Digital” Dixon and Steely and Clevie who were the in-house engineer and musicians at James’s studio.

His biggest hit was the Bobby Digital-produced Shake Them Down. Who Have The Title, produced by Steely and Clevie, remains a sound clash favourite.

DR PHILLIP “PHILLIP T” THOMPSON

DR Phillip “Phillip T” Thompson, former lead singer of the Inner Circle band, died in Freeport, Grand Bahama, on August 28 at age 72.

Thompson’s motionless body was discovered near his vehicle at a local shopping plaza. No cause of death was given in the Bahamian press.

While a medical student at The University of the West Indies’ Mona campus in Kingston during the early 1970s, Thompson was a member of Inner Circle. He shared vocal duties with Jacob Miller and Charlie Roberts from Antigua, another medical student.

Thompson recorded several songs with Inner Circle, founded in 1968 by brothers Ian and Roger Lewis. He sang lead on covers of The Hues Corporation’s Rock The Boat and Homely Girl, originally done by The Chi-Lites.

Thompson returned to The Bahamas after graduating from The UWI in 1976 and established himself as one of the country’s leading surgeons and an influential figure in the Grand Bahama Junkanoo movement.

FELUKE

Denver “Feluke” Smith, 43, died in a medical facility in Mexico on Saturday, September 5, where he was receiving treatment for colon cancer. It was his second visit to the institution, having been there in 2017.

The St James-born Smith has toured with Luciano, Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley and Stephen Marley. He was a key member of Etana’s band, playing on her big hit Warrior Love.

Smith was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014 and placed on treatment which appeared to have it under control. However, a few years ago it returned in a more aggressive form, affecting his lungs.

His songs include Soul Alive and Fine Wine.

DELROY CAROLL

Delroy Carroll, whose Solar Entertainment promoted shows featuring American soul acts from the 1970s and 1980s, died September 4 at his home in Brooklyn, New York. He was 55 years old.

Carroll partnered with the Jamaica Observer during the 1990s on several well-received shows featuring acts like The Manhattans and Ray, Goodman and Brown. The newspaper helped market the events which drew enthusiastic crowds in Kingston.

Carroll grew up in the Richmond Park area of Kingston and was a big fan of soul and Rhythm And Blues music from the 1970s.

BARRY O’HARE

Well-respected music and audio engineer Barry O’Hare died at University Hospital of the West Indies, in St Andrew, September 19. The 56-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier that week.

O’Hare has worked with Third World, Steel Pulse, and Burning Spear. He was engineer for Spear’s Grammy-winning album Calling Rastafari in 2000.

Tanya Stephens, Diana King, Yami Bolo, Jack Radics, Prezident Brown, Mikey Spice, and Jahmali have also benefited from his expertise. He also worked on sound for film and television projects including the Disney film Sebastian and the ABC series Going to Extremes which was shot on location in Jamaica. On the road, O’Hare was engineer for Shaggy for 10 years; he has also worked in this capacity for Sean Paul and Beres Hammond.

RICHIE MAC

Richard “Richie Mac” McDonald, best known as a member of vocal group The Chosen Few, died at the Kingston Public Hospital on October 28. He was 68 years old.

McDonald was born in Kingston and got involved in music during the late 1960s when the city’s live scene was hot. He joined The Chosen Few which emerged from producer Derrick Harriott’s Crystal label.

The group’s other members were Franklyn Spence, Noel “Bunny” Brown and David Scott who left and had a strong solo career as deejay Scotty. Brown died last year while Scott passed away in 2003.

Like Scotty, McDonald left The Chosen Few in the early 1970s and went solo. He had a big hit for producer Glen Brown with the horn-hooked Realise which featured saxophonist Tommy McCook.

In the 1980s, McDonald recorded the albums Jah is I Light and Missions are Possible, as well as singles such as Where is the Love. His last performance was at the Red Rose For Gregory show in Kingston last February.

COURTNEY ROBB

Courtney Robb, the veteran musician who played bass with Byron Lee and The Dragonaires for many years, died in a Melbourne, Florida, hospital on November 14. He was 71 years old.

Born in Kingston, Robb valiantly fought kidney disease for 15 years and moved to Florida for treatment. He had a kidney transplant in 2010.

He started his career in the late 1960s with the Hell’s Angels band but is best remembered for his 35-year run with Byron Lee and The Dragonaires. With the latter, Robb toured the Jamaican Diaspora in North America and United Kingdom as well as the annual Caribbean carnival circuit.

Courtney Robb is survived by his wife, six children and five grandchildren.

DENISE JONES

DENISE Jones, co-founder of Canada’s long-running JAMBANA One World Festival, passed away at her Ontario home on December 3. She was 64.

Launched in 1987 by Jones and husband Allan, JAMBANA One World Festival featured performances by internationally acclaimed bands, artistes and JUNO Award winners.

In 1993, Jones started Reggaebana which infused reggae music into the predominantly soca and calypso flavoured Caribana Festival.

Born in Portland, Jones attended Hope Bay All-Age School and Titchfield High School in the parish. She did her undergraduate degree at University of Windsor in Canada. She returned to Jamaica in 1977, then migrated to Canada after getting married in the early 1980s and has lived there ever since.

ALBERT GRIFFITHS

Albert Griffiths, the influential founder and leader of The Gladiators, died December 15, in Aberdeen, St Elizabeth. He was 74 years old.

Griffiths was born in St Elizabeth but moved to Kingston in his late teens and found work as a session guitarist at Studio One. He formed The Gladiators there in 1968 and recorded what became their signature song, Hello Carol, that year.

Known as “Youth”, Griffiths sang and wrote most of the group’s songs including Hello Carol, Roots Natty Roots and Bongo Red. After leaving Studio One, The Gladiators recorded for producer Lee “Scratch” Perry and cut an album, Trenchtown Mix Up, for Virgin Records.

The band enjoyed a revival during the 1980s and 1990s when they were linked to independent American record companies such as Nighthawk and Heartbeat. Griffiths led them on a number of successful tours of Europe and North America.

He was forced to retire from touring in 2005 when he became ill. Anthony on drums, and Al, another son who sings, tour with a version of The Gladiators.