Highland Ralph Dobson OD (5 July 1942 – 21 July 2020) was a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer and record producer, nicknamed "The Loving Pauper" after one of his best known songs.

Biography

Dobson began singing while a student at Central Branch School in Kingston and at Kingston College, where he sang in the chapel choir, and successfully took part in

Vere Johns Joseph Vere Everette Johns (28 November 1893–10 September 1966

''Opportunity Hour'' talent contest as a member of The Twilights.Dobby Dobson for KC fund-raiser
", ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 20 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012Black, Roy (2015)
Roy Black Column
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015 While at Kingston College he wrote the

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

song "Cry a Little Cry" as a tribute to his biology teacher. He recruited a group of schoolmates from the Delta stream at the college to back him on a recording of the song, under the name the Dobby Dobson and the Deltas;Dobson’s mastery of English language powered his songwriting skills
, ''

'', 12 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015 The group included Howard Barrett (who later formed

The Paragons The Paragons were a ska and rocksteady vocal group from Kingston, Jamaica, initially active in the 1960s. Their most famous track was " The Tide Is High", written by band member John Holt. Career The Paragons were originally Garth "Tyrone" E ...

). Released by Lyndon and

Sonia Pottinger Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD ( Durrant; 21 June 1931 – 3 November 2010)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316 Leaving school in 1959, Dobson went on record with Charles Josephs as part of the duo Chuck and Dobby, before becoming a solo artist in the early 1960s, again recording for Pottinger. He later moved on to work with both

Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...

and

Duke Reid Arthur "Duke" Reid CD (21 July 1915 – 1 January 1975) was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner. He ran one of the most popular sound systems of the 1950s called Reid's Sound System, whilst Duke himself was known as The Troja ...

, recording as a member of both The Virtues and The Sheiks, and recorded "Loving Pauper" with Reid, which became his signature tune. Despite his musical success, Dobson kept his job as a salesman and proof-reader for ''

The Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

''. In 1971, he recorded "That Wonderful Sound" for

Rupie Edwards Rupert Lloyd Edwards (born 4 July 1945) is a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer. Biography Rupie Edwards was born in Goshen, in Saint Ann Parish.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 103–105 The fam ...

, which sold over 40,000 copies in the Caribbean, and was followed up by the equally successful " Endlessly", which was also a minor hit on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Disappointing album sales led Dobson to move into production, including

The Meditations The Meditations are a reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974. They have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today. History The Meditations were formed in late 1974, when Danny Clarke le ...

' late 1970s albums ''Message From The Meditations'' and ''Wake Up'', as well as early work by

Barrington Levy Barrington Ainsworth Levy (born 30 April 1964) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Career Levy was born in Clarendon, Jamaica. He formed a band called the Mighty Multitude, with his cousin, Everton Dacres; the pair released "My Blac ...

. In 1979, Dobson emigrated to New York City, where he worked in real estate, although he would still occasionally visit the recording studio, and performed at both the

Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...

and the

Reggae Sumfest Reggae Sumfest is the largest music festival in Jamaica and the Caribbean, taking place each year in mid-July in Montego Bay.Johnson, Richard (2014)All Set for Sumfest, ''Jamaica Observer'', 8 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014 Sumfest started in 19 ...

festivals. He continued to be popular with international fans, and was still releasing albums. Dobson was featured in a 2009 3-D documentary called ''Dobby Dobson: An Interview with Jamaica's Music Ambassador'', which had the tagline: "See The Double-D in 3D". On 6 August 2011, being the 49th anniversary of the country's independence, the

Governor-General of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica is the viceregal representative of the Jamaican monarch, King Charles III, in Jamaica. The monarch, on the advice of the prime minister, appoints a governor-general as his or her representative in Jamaica. Bot ...

conferred the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

in the rank of Officer (OD) upon Dobson, for his contribution to reggae music and representation of Jamaican culture. He became a born-again Christian and recorded several gospel albums.

Death

Dobson died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, in

Coral Springs, Florida Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. C ...

, on 21 July 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Florida On March 1, 2020, the U.S. state of Florida officially reported its first two COVID-19 cases, in Manatee County, Florida, Manatee and Hillsborough County, Florida, Hillsborough counties. On April 1 Governor of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis de ...

Albums

*''Wonderful Sound'' (1970), Success *''Strange'' (1970), Pama *''God Bless Our Love'', Straker's *''Baby I'm Yours'' (1977), WIRL/Double-D *''Something Old Something New'' (1977), Double-D *''Sweet Dreams'' (1978), Federal *''Dobby Dobson'' (1978), Gorgon *''Oh God, Are You Satisfied'' (1978),

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

*''Sweet Christmas'' (1978), Top Ranking (featuring Ringo) *''Lovers Roots'' (198?), Success – split with

*''Nothing But Love Songs Vol.3'' (1980), Pioneer International *''For Lovers Everywhere'' (1983), K&K *''Sweet Dream Again! Volume 2'', Pioneer International *''Love You Thru It All'', Studio One *''History For Lovers'' (1990), Shelly's *''At Last'' (1994), Angella *''If I Only Had Time'' (1997), Angella *''Hide Under The Bed'' (2001), Innerbeat *''Lovers Prayer'' (2005) *''Those Days are Gone'' (2006) *''He Knows My Heart'' (2008), Dobby Dobson *''Tomorrow'' (2007), Dobby Dobson *''Love Songs for Jesus'' (2008), Dobby Dobson *''You Raised Me Up'' *''A Songs For Everyone'' (2011), MVD *''I'm Just a Nobody'' (2012) *''Desperation'' (2012), Dobby Dobson *'' i can't breathe'' (2020), Dobby Dobson *'' T.N.T'' (1942), AC/DC ;Compilations: *''Through The Years'' (1991), Studio One *''Best of Dobby Dobson'' (1997), Super Power *''Greatest Hits'' (1997), Sonic Sounds *''The Vintage Series'' (2000), VP *''The Best of Dobby Dobson'' (2001), TP

References

External links

*
Dobby Dobson at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Dobby 1942 births 2020 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican record producers Officers of the Order of Distinction Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida