Knollis Watson of Stanley and the Turbines has died

Knollis Watson, one of the founding members of foundation mento group, Stanley and the Turbines, has died. He was 84.

His son, reggae singer Real VI, said that his father, who was a patient at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) passed away on September 12 after experiencing a series of health issues.

“He was ailing for some time with multiple illnesses. When I took him to KPH last, he had a stroke and his blood pressure was really high,” said Real VI, whose real name is Cosmo Watson.

Stanley and the Turbines was formed during the 1970s. Headed by their lead singer, Stanley Beckford, the group, inclusive of Watson, delivered a number of mento hits including Brown Gal, Come Sing With Me, Leave mi Kisiloo, and Soldering. Beckford died from complications of throat cancer in 2007.

Real VI described Watson as a dedicated father and one who served as an inspiration in his music career.

“My father helped to spark the love of music in me and you can hear that in my sounds. He was an amazing father and he did what he needed to do. He never abandoned us, and helped us to pass the worst,” he said.

In 2003, Real VI was shot in the back by gunmen in Seaview Gardens, an attack that damaged his spinal cord and left him paralysed from the waist down. Between tears, the entertainer said his father never left his side.

“When I got shot and was hospitalised my Dad was there right through ... and I watched mi father get grey in the space of a week. I never like to know that a me make him hair grey in space of no time. I never said anything to him about it, but it always bother me,” Real VI said.

A date for the thanksgiving service for the late mento singer will be announced later.