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From left: Garnett Silk and Peter ToshTamara King, Staff Reporter
When the roll is called up yonder
Tenor Saw will be singing there
When the roll is called up yonder
Nitty Gritty he's gonna be there
- Tenor Saw
When a 'celebrity' dies, not only his family and friends feel the impact of their passing, but their fans also share the pain. The impact is even greater if the death occurs suddenly.
Gospel promoter and veteran MC, Tommy Cowan believes that the perception of and reaction to an entertainer's death is directly linked to his or her lifestyle. "When an entertainer dies and it affects the wider community, the effect is dependent upon the life that the entertainer lived. When an entertainer who is a Christian dies, as a fan you are hurt, but you have an assurance that his contribution to life was positive, therefore there is nothing to worry about," Mr. Cowan said.
The reaction is different for those entertainers who lived 'on the edge', "Even though you might be saddened by the death, you are definitely not shocked," Mr. Cowan added.
While some persons are quickly forgotten after they pass away, the death of an entertainer, especially a popular and well-loved one, leaves a considerable 'fan club' struggling to come to terms with the loss.
"Entertainers come into someone's life and add value to it. They make you think and they make you smile. They touch you and, when they die, it is as if you lose something personal," says psychologist Leachim Semaj.
"It is a feeling of collective loss. If your close relative dies, it is a loss within the family. But if an entertainer dies, it appears the loss is compounded, as the entire island mourns," he concluded.
Several of Jamaica's entertainers' lives have been cut short by the gun. However, at least one took their last breath when he was pelted by stones. Poet Michael 'Mikey' Smith was stoned to death on August 17, 1983, in Stony Hill, St. Andrew, as he passed a political meeting.
Smith was known for his scathing commentaries about the harsh realities of Jamaican life, as described in his often-recited poem Mi Cyaan Believe It. Earlier this year he was remembered by his renowned colleague, Linton Kwesi Johnson, who spoke about Mikey Smith at the second Caribbean Conference on Culture held at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus.
According to Mr. Johnson, 'The late Jamaican poet, Michael Smith, was to my mind one of the most interesting and original poetic voices to emerge from the English-speaking Caribbean during the last quarter of the 20th century. He was the quintessential performance poet, with an actor's sense of the dramatic and a musician's acute sense of 'rhythm'. It is not clear why Smith was stoned to death, but many assert that his death was politically instigated.
Prince Far I, a deejay, was shot dead on September 15, 1983. He was described by his biographer as 'a man to grace any style with wisdom, a chanter to quake the walls of the city, a preacher to strike fear in the weakheart, humble in the garden and proud in the city'. He became popular in the 1970s with Heavy Manners and Deck of Cards.
September 11, 1987 was a sad day in Jamaica, as the country reeled from the news that one of the original Wailers, Peter Tosh, along with his disc jockey and recording artiste friend, Free I, and 'Doc' Wilson had been killed at the singer's Barbican, St. Andrew, home.
Tosh's songs and speeches were played repeatedly on radio and the phone lines were jammed as people bombarded the airwaves, desperate to pay their last respects and prolong the memory of a man who was controversial, yet inspiring.
Another victim of the gun was Marcus 'Bionic Steve' Townsend, an entertainer made popular by his feisty song Fly the Gate, which was turned into a political anthem. Bionic Steve was shot and killed on January 17, 1997. His mangled body was found in a gully on Spanish Town Road.
Patrick 'Hammermouth' Woodburn is also on the long list of Jamaican entertainers whose life was snuffed out by the gun. He died on December 24, 2001, at his home in Spanish Town. The Spanish Town police believe that his death sparked a reprisal killing of two other men on December 26. The entertainer was a protege of lengendary producer, Maurice 'Jack Scorpio' Johnson and had a popular song entitled Selassie.
On Good Friday of 1987, news about Carlton Barrett's death made the rounds. The original drummer of the Wailers was allegedly ambushed at his gate. His death sparked many glowing tributes and he was hailed as one of the greatest drummers to emerge from the island of Jamaica. He reputedly originated the 'One Drop' rhythm and has songwriting credits on two songs from Bob Marley and The Wailers' Natty Dread album - Talkin' Blues and Them Belly Full.
General Echo, also known as 'Ranking Slackness' was shot and killed in an alleged shoot-out with the police on Constant Spring Road in 1980. Flux and Big John, two members of his sound system, Echo Tone Hi Fi, also died in the incident. Part of Echo's legacy is his hit song Arlene.
Major Worries was shot and killed by a security guard in Spanish Town in August of 1987. He was a deejay on the King Jammy's sound system, along with eventual superstar Shabba Ranks.
Yet another artiste from the King Jammy's stable, singer Nitty Gritty, was shot dead in New York, outside Super Power Record Shop.
Tenor Saw, who sang prophetically that 'when the roll is called up yonder he and Nitty Gritty would be there', was killed abroad in August 1988. Early B was shot and killed after he performed at a dance in New York.
Like Early B, Garnett Silk also lost his life in December of 1994. Silk died with his mother at their Manchester home when an explosion resulted in their house being razed. Delroy Pottinger, 34, an avid fan of Garnett Silk, was badly shaken by the artiste's death. "The death of Garnett Silk touched me because I saw him as someone who had a message to his music," he said.
Keith 'Slim' Smith, who Michael Barnett of MBK productions described as 'one of Jamaica's greatest vocalists', bled to death from an allegedly self-inflicted injury to his wrist.
His death at his home in Franklyn Town on October 12, 1972, stunned the entertainment fraternity. Barnett, an avid fan of Smith's music, said the entertainer had reportedly become mentally unstable. He was reportedly locked in a room from which he tried to break out by pushing his hand through a window. He slit his wrist during this wild attempt to escape confinement. He gave music lovers hits such as Let Me Go Girl and Conversation.
Jacob Miller died on March 23, 1980, after his car crashed into a utility pole on Old Hope Road. Popular disc jockey G.T Taylor admitted that Miller's death 'hit home' to him. "I saw Miller the evening of his death and that made it even more shocking," he said. Alton Black, who had a hit I See The Clock Upon The Wall also exited stage-left via the car crash route.
Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, credited with discovering talent such as Barrington Levy on his Volcano sound system and record label, was shot to death in England last year.
Junior Braithwaite, an original member of the Wailers also fell victim to the gun. He was shot to death in Duhaney Park on June 2, 1999. He was the lead singer on the Wailers' song It Hurts To Be Alone.
Papa San lost two entertainer brothers, Dirtsman and Gravel, to the gun, while deejay Panhead, who paid homage to the African Princess, also met the same fate.
The latest entertainer to be cut down was Black Rat, who was killed in August of this year.
