July 15, 1951 – October 25, 2010
Gregory Isaacs, OD was described as the Reggae Singer with the most exquisite voice. The government of Jamaica bestowed on him the honour of the Order of Distinction. He was later dubbed the “Cool Ruler” for his smooth, romantic singing style, and he popularized the reggae subgenre known as Lovers Rock.
Like many upcoming Jamaica singers in the early days, Gregory became a veteran of talent shows. In 1973 he was credited with the first Lover’s Rock record ever made, “My Only Lover”. It was a huge hit and there was no looking back. Gregory recorded for many top producers and unleashed a string of colossal hits, many became Reggae Anthems. By the late 1970s, he became one of the biggest reggae performers in the world, regularly touring the US and the UK, and challenged only by Dennis Brown and Bob Marley.
Gregory was in the film Rockers. He worked with the best labels, and in 1982 he gave the world a massive hit, “Night Nurse”. It was the title track from his first album with Island Records.
Although it was widely known about his drug problems, the hits kept coming. It is said that Gregory put out approximately 500 albums. His last album, Isaacs meet Isaac, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011 posthumously.
Hits include:
- “Cool Ruler”
- “All I have is Love”
- “Soon Forward”
- “Mr. Brown”
- “Oh What a Feeling”
- “Red Rose for Gregory”