Reggae giant Bob Andy has died. Reports are that the 75-year-old legend who had been ill for some time passed away in his sleep on March 27, 2020.
Bob Andy (born Keith Anderson) emerged as a solo star in 1966 with the smash hit "I've Got to Go Back Home", a song which has become a much-loved anthem for Jamaicans. He had served his singing and songwriting apprenticeship with the legendary vocal group The Paragons, which he founded with Tyrone (Don) Evans and Howard Barrett, later joined by John Holt. The Paragons had several hits for producer Coxsone Dodd including the Number One "Love At Last", penned by Bob.
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Bob was one of the first [reggae] artists to establish his own publishing company, Andisongs, and served as one of the prime movers in the attempt to establish a Caribbean Copyright Organisation.
For those who don’t know, this other Bob was just as militant, just as uncompromising, just as inspiring as his more widely known contemporary Bob Marley. Bob Andy was a prolific songwriter, an intellectual giant, an astute businessman, an actor, and a singer with a unique sound all his own. He strode across the musical landscape leaving one iconic song after another in his wake.
His music for many was like the sound track to the black power movement coming into the 1970s and a call for self-actualization for descendants of enslaved Africans in the diaspora particularly when he teamed with singer Marcia Griffiths to produce the anthem 'Young, Gifted and Black',” the PNP said in a statement.
“Bob Andy's reach as an artiste spans continents and cultures, but most importantly his gift to humanity beyond his music was his humble spirit and enlarged compassion for and understanding of the struggles of the underprivileged.
Tributes from those who knew him
From the Gentleman Rude Bwoy of Reggae, David Rodigan himself:
People may know the Queen of Reggae music, Marcia Griffiths ( she of “Electric Boogie” fame ), from her time as a member of the I-Threes who provided background vocals for Bob Marley, but long before that she was Bob Andy’s musical (and personal) partner. Bob and Marcia, as the duo was known, recorded their version of Nina Simone’s “Young, Gifted and Black” which rivaled the original in popularity especially in Europe.