‘Dougie’ Bryan’s quiet legacy
Radcliffe “Dougie” Bryan, an unheralded musician who helped make reggae a global force, died on October 16 in Lauderhill, Florida. He was 78.
Paula, Bryan’s wife of 55 years, confirmed his death in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.
Born in Trelawny, Bryan had a stellar career as a member of The Sensations, a harmony group that recorded at Treasure Isle, and as a guitarist with Toots and The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff’s Oneness band, and The Revolutionaries, house band at Channel One studio.
In July 2024 he received seven Grammy Certificates, sanctioned by the Recording Industry Association of America for playing on three Grammy-winning albums and four others that were nominated for that award. That ceremony took place at Island Space Caribbean Museum in Plantation, Florida. The certificates were presented by Kennedy Mensah, managing director of Back 2 Da Future Music Ltd, a London-based music publishing company.
Bryan received certificates for playing on Black Uhuru’s Anthem, Crucial! Roots Classics by Bunny Wailer, and Got to be Tough by Toots and The Maytals, who won Best Reggae Album Grammys in 1985, 1995, and 2021, respectively.
He also accepted certificates for playing on Light Your Light and Ska Father by Toots And The Maytals, Hanging Fire by Jimmy Cliff, and The Messiah by Sizzla.
“I woulda much rather the Grammy, but we give thanks all the same,” Bryan told the Jamaica Observer after the ceremony.
Bryan moved to Kingston in his early teens and began playing guitar in the mid-1960s. His music career started with The Sensations, whose hit songs include Those Guys, Baby Love, and Everyday is A Holiday.
His deft touches can be heard on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and General Penitentiary by Black Uhuru; Soon Forward by Gregory Isaacs; Monkey Man, Funky Kingston, Pressure Drop, and Sweet And Dandy by Toots and The Maytals.
Along with bassist Jackson, drummers Winston Grennan and Paul Douglas, guitarist Hux Brown, and organist Winston Wright, Bryan was the nucleus of The Maytals band for many years.
Radcliffe Bryan is survived by his widow, two daughters, four grandchildren, a sister, stepfather, and son-in-law.
A thanksgiving service for his life is scheduled for November 21 at Island Space Caribbean Museum.
— Howard Campbell
