Augustus Pablo passed away on May 18th, after suffering a rare nerve disorder.

Pablo was born Horace Swaby on 21st June 1953 in St Andrew, Jamaica. He took up the piano while still at school, where, along with a younger pupil called Tyrone Downey, he would try and play the latest Jackie Mittoo numbers.

One day in 1969, he entered Herman Chin-Loy's Aquarius Record Shop, carrying a melodica he had borrowed from a friend. Chin-Loy asked Swaby if he could play the instrument, and when Swaby answered in the positive, he told him to come to Randy's recording studio the following day.

The track that emerged was 'Iggy Iggy', a melodica take on The Heptone's 'Why Did You Leave' with a great deejay intro. The record was released with the credit Augustus Pablo, a name used on various keyboard instrumentals released by Herman Chin-Loy, usually by session player Glen Adams.

The follow up single set the mood for most of Pablo's best work. Taking the 'far east' sound originated by Don Drummond in the early '60's, Pablo adapted it to the reggae beat and his melodica, and came up with 'East Of The River Nile'. This type of minor chord composition, alluded toward the orient, and was reflected in the title of Pablo's biggest hit 'Java', and subsequent other titles released over the following years.

After working with a number of producers, ranging from Lee Perry to Bunny Lee, Pablo set up his own label in 1972. The label was originally called Hot Stuff, but Pablo soon decided to rename it Rockers, after his brother Garths' sound system. The initial releases were a mix of Studio 1 updates, such as Skanking Easy, Frozen Dub and Rockers Rock, to stunning original compositions, like Cassava Piece and 555 Crown Street.

Pablo still occasionaly recorded for other producers. Herman Chin-Loy produced the classic 'This Is Augustus Pablo' album, which contained various keyboard instruments being dubbed over some of Randy's best rhythms. Pablo also moved into producing other artists himself. The first artists he produced were the group Te-Track, and then Hugh Mundell (the classic Africa Must Be Free from 1975). He also enjoyed varying degrees of success with Jacob Miller and Junior Delgado.

In 1977 he released the classic King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown album, which, as the title suggests, was mixed by the late great King Tubby. The title track was a dub cut to Jacob Millers' 'Baby I Love You So', which was so popular that when the track was picked up by Island Records, they put the dub on the A side, with Millers' original 1974 vocal on the flip.

The first straight instrumental set that Pablo produced was issued in 1978 as East Of The River Nile, which was recorded at Lee Perrys' legendary Black Ark studio. From here on, Pablos' music sold better in album form, especially overseas. Hugh Mundells' 'Africa Must Be Free' album, was mixed into a dub set and released by Greensleeves in the UK in 1979, and sold vety well.

By the early '80's, Pablo's releases slowed. He worked with a few artists such as Norris Reid, Jah Bull and Delroy Williams, but his career floundered slightly, until he resumed his partnership with Junior Delgado in 1986.

The single 'Raggamuffin Year', over a tough digital rhythm, was a major hit, and was followed by an album of the same name, which featured a duet with Junior and Johnny Osbourne 'Closer & Closer'. The pair followed up this success with another album 'One Step More', which features the essential singles 'Forward Revolution' and 'Hanging Tree'. A dub version of the album was also released.

1988 saw the release of the 'Rockers Come East' album, which was followed two years later by 'Blowing With The Wind', a set which many rate as Pablos' best since 'East Of The River Nile'. The album featured a couple of nyahbinghi workouts as well as the trumpet of the great Johnny Moore.

'Hearticle Chant' was released in 1992, and a flurry of compilations, drawing from a vast back catalogue also appeared in the early '90's. Pablo's last album, 'Valley Of Jehosephat', was released by Ras Records just before his untimely passing.

Recommended Albums:

This Is Augustus Pablo
King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown
East Of The River Nile
Original Rockers
The Red Sea
Rockers Come East
Blowing With The Wind
Golden Melodies

Junior Delgado: Raggamuffin Year
Junior Delgado: One Step More
Hugh Mundell: Africa Must Be Free By 1983
Hugh Mundell: Time & Place
Jacob Miller: Who Say Jah No Dread?