Augustus Pablo (Horace Swaby)(1953-1999)
Legendary reggae musician and producer.
Probably his most notable act was to transform the melodica, formerly an instrument for children, into an instrument of dreams, a rod of lightning and thunder, a wand of melodical magic.
His genius created such songs as 'East of the River Nile' and 'Java' and a completely new sound style known as the 'Far East Sound'.
He was also the creator of one of the all-time best dub albums; 'King Tubby meets Rockers' a.k.a. 'King Tubby meets Rockers Uptown'.
I had the good fortune to have seen him play three summers ago at a
reggae festival in
Belgium. Thanks and praise to the Almighty, Jah Rastafari, for that weekend of pure heaven.
Sadly, Augustus Pablo died of a nerve disorder when he was 46. Last summer. We will miss you, brother. We will miss you a lot...