Fans mourn as Gregory Isaacs takes final bow

Almost nine years to the month he performed before sell-out crowds in Nairobi and Mombasa, The Cool Ruler, or Gregory Waithaka, as his Kenyan fans called him, left the stage for the last time on October 25, 2010.

The death of Jamaican singer Gregory Isaacs did not come as a shock to those who followed his career into its sunset days. He was a shadow of his former self, the ravages of lung cancer having taken their toll on the man celebrated for his smooth and seductive voice.

Gone was the trademark swagger, most of his teeth had fallen off and there were only traces of that distinctive voice on his last album, ironically titled Brand New Me.

Yet, the death of Isaacs brought an outpouring of grief which, perhaps the world of reggae last witnessed four years ago, with the passing of Joseph Hill, lead singer of the band Culture.

While Hill and Bob Marley before him, were social commentators, whose music reflected the harsh realities of life in Jamaica and every downtrodden ghetto in the world, the legacy of Gregory Isaacs is the brand of romantic reggae known as lover’s rock.

He and fellow singer, Dennis Brown popularised a vocal style that was the antithesis of the bad boy image associated with reggae in the 1970s.

“Bob was one of my favorite singers because he was politically conscious,” Isaacs said, defending his own style by adding: “Rastas fall in love too, you know.”

He is credited with recording the first ever lover’s rock single, My Only Lover in 1973. His stage presence was not complete without his elegant fedora hat, suit and tie, with one side of his shirt hanging below the jacket.

It is this look that led his legion of Kenyan fans to call him “the Kamaru of reggae” comparing his outfits with those worn by musicians from central Kenya.

“The Bible says a man must always wear a crown,” Isaacs would say when asked about his trademark hat.

The ‘Cool Ruler’ wasn’t always cool with his own life and his brushes with the law and addiction to drugs are almost as legendary as his biggest music hits.

When he finally kicked the cocaine addiction he famously said: “It was the greatest college ever, but the most expensive school fees ever paid. The Cocaine High School.”

After serving a six-month prison sentence in Kingston in 1982 for possession of unlicensed firearms, Isaacs celebrated his release with the album Out Deh!

Many critics agree that the international breakthrough album for Gregory Isaacs was Night Nurse, released in 1982 and containing reggae anthems like the seductive title track, Stranger In Town, Objection Overruled, Sad to Know and Cool Down The Pace.

Ironically, it was after his success with this album, recorded at Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica, that Gregory would face his legal problems and the long battle with cocaine addiction.

The Grammys might have eluded Gregory Isaacs, but he received three nominations for the music industry’s most prized honour, including for his last album Brand New Me.

His last performance was in July at a show called Live at Studio 38, where he appeared alongside other living legends like John Holt, Beres Hammond, Freddie McGregor and The Mighty Diamonds.

“When you hear someone like Gregory Isaacs pass away, its like you are never ready for that happen,” says McGregor.

His wife, Linda Isaacs, revealed that the 59-year-old singer was diagnosed with cancer in August this year.

Within two days of his death, online sales of albums by Gregory Isaacs had jumped to the Top 10 in 22 countries including the US, UK, France, the Netherlands and Spain with Night Nurse as the most popular album.

Before he died in London on Monday, Isaacs is said to have released more than 500 albums, and written most of those thousands of songs himself.

He was also dominating online chatter with the news of his death being the sixth most tweeted topic on the social networking site on the day of the announcement.

The legacy of Gregory Isaacs is a huge body of work and an unmatched vocal style, which won the hearts of the millions who idolised him as The Cool Ruler.