Last month saw the passing of Vivian Jackson (Yabby You) in May Pen, Clarendon, from an aneurism. He was 63 years old. Yabby You is rated among the great dub artistes of the 1970s, alongside the likes of Osbourne 'King Tubby' Ruddock and Augustus Pablo. While His 1975 debut album, Conquering Lion, has been described as a 'true cornerstone of Jamaican roots music' by British reggae historian, Steve Barrow.Yabby was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1946 and his early years make for sorrowful reading. As one of seven children he left home at the age of twelve to find work making Dutch pots in a furnace located near the gully bank in the ghetto district of Waterhouse. Then in only his seventeenth year he was taken seriously ill, suffering the effects of malnutrition, and had to be hospitalized. On his release he was left with severe arthritis which had partially crippled his legs. His physical condition meant that he was unable to return to his previous work, and he was forced into hustling a living on the streets of Kingston.
Although he considered himself a Rastafarian, Yabby did not believe in the divinity of Emperor Haile Selassie and his Christian beliefs were at odds with other Rasta’s he knew. This led to him being given the nickname "Jesus Dread" as a result of his argumentative nature; because his Christian beliefs were markedly different from that of his Rastafarian contemporaries. It often prompted debate on religion and philosophical matters, and it was after one of these discussions that Jackson was inspired, "like a strange ting, inside a my thoughts - like an angel a sing", to head towards a recording studio.
He needed money to hire the studio and the best way he knew how was at the furnace. He had been warned by doctors at the hospital that this could be hazardous to his health and sure enough he was taken sick again and had to go back to hospital where this time they operated on his stomach. Despite this his time at the furnace meant he had earned just enough money to buy a 2-inch tape and hire Dynamic studio for half an hour. Luckily as well musicians such as Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Earl "Chinna" Smith and "Familyman" Barrett were willing to play free. The result of this session was the mighty "Conquering Lion" single, credited to 'Vivian Jackson and the Ralph Brothers'. Cut for King Tubby, the popularity of the song and its distinctive introduction (the chant of "Be-you, yabby-yabby-you") is what earned him his most and best known moniker "Yabby You”.
The next few months saw the recording of several more singles, released under different names on various record labels, (although usually credited to 'Vivian Jackson and the Prophets', and often featuring a King Tubby 'version' on the b-side); culminating in the release of the Conquering Lion album. A King Tubby mixed dub set, King Tubby's Prophesy of Dub, was also issued, albeit on a limited run of 500 copies, helping to establish Yabby as a prominent roots artist.
This success also allowed him to branch out as a producer, and he began working with both upcoming and more established artists including Wayne Wade, Michael Rose, Tommy McCook, Michael Prophet, Big Youth, Trinity, Dillinger and Tapper Zukie, while continuing to release his own material.Yabby continued to record, produce and perform (often with the aid of crutches) until the mid 1980s. He re-emerged in the early 1990s, issuing both new and old material, and his recordings have been the subject of several high quality reissues in recent years. In 2000 he released a singles remix project with Glen Brown. The album included remixes of "Conquering Lion" by Smith and Mighty, and a remix of Glen Brown by Small Axe and Terminal Head.
Controversial to some, but popular with many, Yabby had a lot of fans around the globe and his passing will be mourned by them, but his memory will never fade thanks to making some of the most incredibly vibrant and spiritual music of the last 40 odd years and I dare anyone not to warmed by his infectious smile.
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