From Byron to Gregory

Groundins

By: Charles H.E. Campbell

ALTHOUGH it has been almost two weeks since the transition of Gregory Isaacs, and during that time so much has been written about him, Gregory and his signature 'Lovers Rock' was such a game-changer for Reggae music that, today it is essential to pay my last respects to him.

Some time ago, I had decided to refrain from immediately acknowledging the passing of fraternity members, because suddenly, it seemed to be occurring with such rapidity that my articles could become morbid, as I would be caught in a perpetual focus on this subject. Also, I tend to subscribe to elements of the Buddhist/Hindu principle of karma, and irrationally hoped that by publicly ignoring them, I could somehow slow down the rate of industry persons' demise.


ISAACS... He rebranded, rebounded and rebuilt his career and life so many times, he and us, thought he was invincible

Unfortunately, from the evidence of the past year, this approach has paid paltry dividends. Last Thursday, November 4, makes it two years since Byron Lee — another cultural giant and icon — died. Between then and this moment, we have lost so many other musical pioneers and stalwarts; it should now be clear to everyone, that we are witnessing a generational baton change, not only in Jamaican music, but it's practitioners as well.

I was informed on Saturday, October 23, that Gregory's attending physician had indicated to his family members, that no further treatment could reverse the terminal onslaught of the cancer, and that it was now only a matter of time. I was told that Gregory had made his peace with his Creator, was no longer able to communicate, and was prepared for the inevitable. I thought it would have been good indeed, for all his colleagues, compatriots and fans to send him appropriate messages of appreciation and respect, while he was still alive, but tradition got in the way. As a people, we still hold fast to some very superstitious habits.

As someone who was never afraid to recognise, openly reflect on and address his foibles, I think that, were they to have been received by him while he was on his death bed, Gregory would have cherished the many tributes that have been pouring in since he physically left this world. Gregory had two songs in particular, Hard Drugs and Rumours that openly addressed issues pertinent to his personal life, which were in the public domain.

I remember the first time he performed Hard Drugs on Sunsplash, having been recently released from prison. In his customary fashion, rather than at stage side, he collected the mike in his dressing room, and as the backing band played the musical introduction to his (then) new hit, while making his entry, Gregory adlibbed "tired a de jailhouse, but jail house never tired of me." The immediate applause and outbreak of laughter from the audience, in appreciation of his witty self-depreciating comment, was an awesome display of his ability to connect with the soul of his audience, and still remains for me, one of the most magical moments in Sunsplash history. He also coined a similarly witty phrase to mock the mongers, for when he opened his act with Rumours.

I detect a contradiction in some of our evolving cultural nuances where-in, while we are losing our sense of empathy, we latch on for dear life, to some outmoded rituals in order to preserve, it seems, what little is left of our traditional cultural mores. This has been buttressed by the growing popularity of new age neo-conservatism in our social, religious and political practices.

It would be healthy, if our society used this sad moment to reflect on how we treat and deal with certain Human maladies and frailties, such as mental illnesses and retardations, physical deformities, and drug addiction. To be frank, we tend to treat these people like outcasts, rather than in a more enlightened, embracing, rehabilitative manner. Truly, this approach belongs to the dark ages, and often robs our nation of the fruits of rich, but under-tapped talent, especially in the artistic arena. Before it is too late, we should be doing more to help such awesome talents like Junior Byles and Harold Butler, as we will all be singing praises to their genius, brilliant works and profound impact, long after they have gone.

For years, when many other local promoters abandoned him because of his drug problems, Gregory was a mainstay on the stages of 'De Bus' and 'Bourbon Beach' where' I am told he ultimately did more than a thousand performances. This gave him not only sustenance, but tremendous, sustained, international exposure through the tourists vacationing in Negril.

As a maturing fraternity, and with the wisdom gained through age and the passage of time, we have to admit that for decades, the abuse of hard drugs has had quite a deleterious impact on individual careers, and the entire genre. Furthermore, we have still, to come up with a successful strategy for mitigating against its tragic consequences. Gregory rebranded, rebounded and rebuilt his career and life so many times, he and us, thought he was invincible. We have all been proven wrong. Other similar stories abound. It is imperative that we change our policy of simply turning a blind eye, and hoping it will disappear ... only more icons are in danger of doing so.

While writing, I have been informed of the passing of Professor Barry Chevannes. Another keeper of the faith, whose work we have benefited from over the years.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com