The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars (381 page)

The world lost another very contrasting talent on the same day–Jamaican singer and producer Yabby You. Born Vivian Jackson in Kingston, the artist overcame considerable poverty and even malnutrition to make a decent name for himself in reggae music. Before his music career, Jackson had undergone lengthy hospitalization which left him crippled and unable to work, the would-be musician forced to take to the streets.

Yabby’s firm Christian beliefs meant that he was to some extent at odds with the largely Rastafarian reggae community, but his faith somehow directed him toward the studio with the small amount of money he’d accrued. The eventual result was a strong single, ‘Conquering Lion’ (1972, with The Ralph Brothers). One of the many admirers of this record was King Tubby (Osbourne Ruddock), the pioneering producer and sound engineer with whom Jackson was to cut several further records throughout the seventies: the first single’s distinctive opening chant of ‘be you, yabby-yabby-you!’ also gave the new star a nickname that was to last the remainder of his life. Despite this, his next few releases emerged under the name of Vivian Jackson & The Prophets–the latter also the label under which he self-produced the
Conquering Lion
album (1975) that was to receive glowing reviews. To many, it remains the man’s finest work.

Yabby remained a popular character (he was also ‘Jesus Dread’ to his strict-Rasta pals) using the profile gained through his succeeding releases to branch into production. Here, he guided the work of Tommy McCook (ex-Skatalites), Big Youth and Dillinger, while offering a helping hand to newcomers Tony Tuff and Wayne Wade. Jackson–who issued seven Yabby You albums–also continued to record, tour and produce well into the eighties, until a recurrence of his previous poor health necessitated a break from this testing work schedule. He reemerged a few years later to record the last of his own studio outings,
Fleeingfrom the City
(1991).

Perhaps always unlikely to see old age, Vivian ‘Yabby You’ Jackson died in a Kingston hospital having suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm.

See also
Tommy McCook (
Golden Oldies #6)

Wednesday 13

Teddy Pendergrass

(Theodore DeReese Pendergrass–Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 26 March 1950)

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

(The Cadillacs)

Often misrepresented as purely the schmaltzy/sensuous ‘ladies’ man’ of his later career, Teddy Pendergrass developed one of the finest soul voices of his generation.

Pendergrass dealt with the murder of his absent father at just twelve years of age; the young man had already been ordained as a minister two years previously and saw his faith as the only realistic calling. The empowerment of song proved life-changing, though, and Pendergrass was soon drawn toward the potential of music as a career: the boy was frequently to join his mother at her supper club, where he could sneak a glimpse of performers like Chubby Checker. At the now-defunct Thomas Edison High School, he shone as a baritone with The Edison Mastersingers–and was even given the opportunity to record a single (‘Angel with Muddy Feet’) at just eighteen.

Despite all this, it was his proficiency as a drummer that earned Pendergrass his decisive break in the industry. While playing with Philadelphia R & B unit The Cadillacs (one of several groups of that name), ‘TP’ (as he was known) became one of the musicians ‘merged’ with the embryonic Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes–and it was not long before the troupe’s front man recognised the power of Pendergrass’s voice as the percussionist sang along in the studio. With the group signing to Philadelphia International in 1971, composers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff offered them the song ‘I Miss You’ (written originally for The Dells), which became Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ first 45 with Pendergrass as lead. This was a minor hit, but its successor–also initially intended for another artist (Patti Labelle)–became a classic. ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ (1972, US Top Three; US R & B number one; UK Top Ten) made a major international impact, showcasing Pendergrass’s gruff-yet-controlled delivery at its best. Further Blue Notes recordings were illuminated by the man’s voice, including ‘The Love I Lost’ (1973, US Top Ten; UK Top Forty), the stunning ‘Wake Up Everybody’ (1975, US Top Twenty; 1976, UK Top Forty) and ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ (1977, UK Top Five–despite a closely fought duel with Thelma Houston’s simultaneous disco version).

By this last hit, however, Pendergrass and Melvin were at odds–with billing and, naturally, money the clear flashpoints. The singer, angered by Melvin’s control of the group’s finances–and frustrated at being referred to as ‘Harold Melvin’–left for a solo career in 1977. While his former group struggled and began to fade without him, Pendergrass emerged with an introspective debut album that contained some decent moments, such as the R & B hits ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ and ‘The Whole Town’s Laughing at Me’. At this point Philly began to recognise the potential of repackaging their prize asset as a sensual, sexual soul-seducer, his target audience comparable to those of multiplatinum artists like Marvin Gaye and Barry White. While purists might argue that this wasn’t the best use of his talents, Pendergrass settled smoothly into the style for which he’s mainly recalled, running off four further platinum albums to 1981–making him the first black artist to score five consecutively–and becoming one of the most fervently sought box-office attractions in showbusiness. (Spotting a male audiencemember among the tens of thousands that attended TP’s early shows became such a forlorn task that tours were eventually designated as ‘female-only’.)

The ladies loved Teddy–with or without strings

Then, in March 1982–disaster. While his female companion walked away virtually unscathed, Pendergrass was left paralyzed from the waist down following a crash in his RollsRoyce that crushed his spine. Despite completing months of physical therapy, the singer was largely confined to a wheelchair thereafter, making only sporadic live appearances. The first of these was an emotional appearance at Live Aid in 1985. Sadly, despite achieving a rare R & B chart-topper with ‘Joy’ (1988), this disempowerment was to affect his record sales as well. Pendergrass announced his full retirement in 2006, although he returned to play a twenty-fifth anniversary concert the following year that was to raise money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance.

Having undergone successful surgery for colon cancer in June 2009, Teddy Pendergrass returned to the hospital with respiratory issues some weeks later. After some months at Philadelphia’s Bryn Mawr Hospital, the singer passed away from respiratory failure, leaving four children, three step-children and his third wife, who was to oversee Pendergrass’s estate. The singer was just two months from his sixtieth birthday.

See also
HaroldMelvin (
March 1997); Lawrence Brown (
April 2008). Blue Notes Franklin Peaker (2006), Roosevelt Brodie (2010) and Bernard Wilson (2010) have all died, as have later leads John Atkins and David Ebo. Respected keyboardist George Melvin–who worked with both Melvin and Pendergrass–passed away in April 2010.

Monday 18

Kate McGarrigle

(Montreal, Quebec, 6 February 1946)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle

(The Mountain City Four)

Much loved and revered as a duo, Canadian singer/songwriter sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle began to capture the attention of the folk scene during the mid-1960s. Between 1963 and 1967 the sisters made up half of The Mountain City Four, with musicians Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon. This group specialised in bringing the songs of folk legend Wade Hemsworth to the public’s attention–although ultimately it was to be for their own compositions that the McGarrigles were to earn lasting respect.