Bob Andy
Encyclopedia
Bob Andy is a Jamaica
n reggae vocalist and songwriter. He is widely regarded as one of reggae
's most influential songwriters.
, along with Tyrone Evans and Howard Barrett. His first solo hit record in 1966, "I've Got to Go Back Home," was followed by "Desperate Lover," "Feeling Soul", "Unchained," and "Too Experienced", amongst others. He also composed songs for other reggae artists, including "I Don't Want to See You Cry" for Ken Boothe
, and "Feel Like Jumping," "Truly," and "Melody Life" for Marcia Griffiths
.
He had several hits in the late 1960s, including "Going Home," "Unchained," "Feeling Soul," "My Time," "The Ghetto Stays in the Mind," and "Feel the Feeling". Some of these, and his 1992 hit, "Fire Burning", have come to be regarded as reggae
standard
s and several have been covered
several times by other artists.
In the early 1970s, he recorded
with Marcia Griffiths
as Bob and Marcia
, under producer Harry J's tutelage. These included the UK
hits "Young, Gifted and Black
" and "Pied Piper". In 1978, Andy put his music career on hold and concentrated on his career as an actor
, starring in the film
s, Children of Babylon in 1980, and The Mighty Quinn (1989).
In 1997 he released a new album, Hangin' Tough, produced
by Willie Lindo.
Andy toured Africa
for the first time in 2005, performing at the Bob Marley
60th birthday concert
in Addis Ababa
, and while in Ethiopia
also sang at the President's Palace and gave benefit concerts for the Twelve Tribes organization at the Rastafari movement settlement at Shashamane
.
The Jamaican government conferred the Order of Distinction
in the rank of Commander (CD) on Keith "Bob Andy" Anderson in October 2006 for his contributions to the development of Jamaican music.
Michael Prophet
cites Andy as his main influence as a singer.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae vocalist and songwriter. He is widely regarded as one of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
's most influential songwriters.
Career
Bob Andy was one of the founding members of The ParagonsThe Paragons
The Paragons were a rocksteady band from Kingston, Jamaica, active in the 1960s. Their most famous track was "The Tide Is High", written by band member, John Holt.-Career:...
, along with Tyrone Evans and Howard Barrett. His first solo hit record in 1966, "I've Got to Go Back Home," was followed by "Desperate Lover," "Feeling Soul", "Unchained," and "Too Experienced", amongst others. He also composed songs for other reggae artists, including "I Don't Want to See You Cry" for Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe OD is a Jamaican recording artist.-Biography:Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston in 1948, the youngest of seven children, and began singing in school...
, and "Feel Like Jumping," "Truly," and "Melody Life" for Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Llyneth Griffiths is a successful female singer, also called the "Queen of Reggae". One reviewer described her noting "she is known primarily for her strong, smooth-as-mousse love songs and captivating live performances".Griffiths started her career in 1964...
.
He had several hits in the late 1960s, including "Going Home," "Unchained," "Feeling Soul," "My Time," "The Ghetto Stays in the Mind," and "Feel the Feeling". Some of these, and his 1992 hit, "Fire Burning", have come to be regarded as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
standard
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
s and several have been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
several times by other artists.
In the early 1970s, he recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
with Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Llyneth Griffiths is a successful female singer, also called the "Queen of Reggae". One reviewer described her noting "she is known primarily for her strong, smooth-as-mousse love songs and captivating live performances".Griffiths started her career in 1964...
as Bob and Marcia
Bob and Marcia
Bob and Marcia were a Jamaican vocal duo, that consisted of Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths. They had a #5 UK hit single in 1970 with "Young, Gifted and Black". They followed up with "Pied Piper", which peaked at #11 in the UK Singles Chart in 1971. Those two releases spent a total of twenty five...
, under producer Harry J's tutelage. These included the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hits "Young, Gifted and Black
To Be Young, Gifted and Black
"To Be Young, Gifted and Black" is a song by Nina Simone with lyrics by Weldon Irvine. It was written in memory of Simone's late friend Lorraine Hansberry, author of the play Raisin in the Sun. The song was originally recorded by Simone for her 1970 album Black Gold; released as a single, it became...
" and "Pied Piper". In 1978, Andy put his music career on hold and concentrated on his career as an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, starring in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, Children of Babylon in 1980, and The Mighty Quinn (1989).
In 1997 he released a new album, Hangin' Tough, produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Willie Lindo.
Andy toured Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
for the first time in 2005, performing at the Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
60th birthday concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, and while in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
also sang at the President's Palace and gave benefit concerts for the Twelve Tribes organization at the Rastafari movement settlement at Shashamane
Shashamane
Shashamane is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. The city lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town, about from the capital of Addis Ababa...
.
The Jamaican government conferred the Order of Distinction
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
in the rank of Commander (CD) on Keith "Bob Andy" Anderson in October 2006 for his contributions to the development of Jamaican music.
Michael Prophet
Michael Prophet
Michael Prophet is a roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977.-Biography:...
cites Andy as his main influence as a singer.
Albums
- Bob Andy's Song BookBob Andy's Song BookBob Andy's Song Book is a 1970 album of songs by Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter Bob Andy, recorded between 1966 and 1968. Andy had first found fame as the lead vocalist of The Paragons, but his peak as a solo artist came in the late '60s when he recorded a string of singles for Clement...
(1970) - Sweet Memories (Bob and Marcia) (1976)
- The Music Inside Me (1976)
- Kemar (Bob and Marcia) (1977)
- Lots of Love and I (1978)
- Friends (1983)
- Really Together (Bob and Marcia) (1987) (Kemar reissue plus extra tracks)
- Freely (1988)
- Hanging Tough (1997)
- Reggae Land (2006)
Songwriting credits
- "Check It Out" - Tony RebelTony RebelTony Rebel is a Jamaican reggae deejay. He was initially a singer, appearing as Papa Tony or Tony Ranking in local talent contests and on sound systems including Sugar Minott's 'Youth Promotion'...
- "Feel Like Jumping" - Marcia Griffiths
- "Fire Burning" - Tony Rebel, Marcia Griffiths
- "Half Idiot" - Cutty RanksCutty RanksPhilip Thomas, , better known as Cutty Ranks is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist.-Biography:Thomas was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1965. He began his career as a reggae artist at the age of 14 with the Gemini sound system, before moving on to work with Tony Rebel's Rebel Tone and Papa Roots,...
- "I've Got to Go Back Home" - Freddie McGregorFreddie McGregorFreddie McGregor has been variously a singer, musician and producer. According to Allmusic he is one of reggae's most durable and soulful singers, with a steady career that started in the 1960s, when he was just seven years old.-Biography:In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to...
- "Melody Life" - Steely & ClevieSteely & ClevieSteely & Clevie, aka Wycliffe Johnson and Cleveland Browne, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae production duo. It worked with artists such as the Specials, Gregory Peck , Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and No Doubt....
- "My Time" - Gregory IsaacsGregory IsaacsGregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....
, Barrington LevyBarrington LevyBarrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...
, Ocean Colour SceneOcean Colour SceneOcean Colour Scene are an English Britpop band formed in Moseley, Birmingham in 1989. They have had five Top 10 albums and six Top 10 singles to date.-Early days :... - "Peace of Mind" - Harry J & His Friends
- "Really Together" - Jeb Loy Nichols
- "The Right Track" - Mickey General
- "Too Experienced" - The Bonedaddys, Ms. DynamiteMs. DynamiteNiomi Arleen McLean-Daley , who performs as Ms. Dynamite, is a double BRIT Award and three time MOBO Awards winning UK garage, R&B and hip hop singer and rapper.-Biography:...
- "Unchained" - SanchezSanchez (singer)Sanchez is a Jamaican Reggae and dancehall singer-Biography:Jackson was given the nickname 'Sanchez' due to his football skills - a reference to a footballer of that name. After working with several Kingston sound systems he began recording and had his first hit with "Lady In Red", recorded for...
See also
- List of reggae musicians
- List of roots reggae artists
- Trojan RecordsTrojan RecordsTrojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
- List of stage names
External links
- "Bob Andy's website"
- "The Paragon: Bob Andy", Washington Post Express, August 2, 2007
- "Bob Andy: One of Reggae's last great soldiers", Jamaica Observer, August 13, 2006
- "Bob Andy takes Coxsone to task" Jamaica Observer, November 18, 2002