The TVJ broadcast of We Remember Bob Andy, a musical tribute to the iconic singer and songwriter took place on Sunday, February 26th at 9 p.m. The broadcast was presented in association with the Jamaica Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, as the official finale to Reggae Month Jamaica 2023.
Filmed on location at TVJ studios in Kingston, the show featured new performances of 10 reggae classics written by the late Bob Andy. Featured performers included Dean Fraser, Tarrus Riley, Nadine Sutherland, Lukie D, Nicky Burt, Duane Stephenson, Romain Virgo, Kumar, Qyor, Sherieta, and Beres Hammond.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport, Babsy Grange said:“Bob Andy and his catalog of songs is important to Reggae’s storybook. His contribution to the genre and his songwriting are worthy to be celebrated. This is an excellent performance to close Reggae Month”.
Nadine Sutherland said of Bob Andy : “He was so wise, he was very very wise, and spiritual too. That was just an incredible man. For me I’m glad that our paths crossed. Because I think I rubbed shoulders with greatness”.
Tarrus Riley who sings the version of Andy’s song “Desperate Lover” added : “You can always maybe find yourself in a Bob Andy song, or you know somebody whose been the subject of the song… so maybe I can relate to the Desperate Lover… but you know, that is why music is here. Music is what feelings sound like. Bob Andy really captured the feeling in the songs.”
The album We Remember Bob Andy, released February 10, 2023 on CD, vinyl, and all streaming platforms, includes 15 all-new recordings of Bob Andy compositions from the artists above, plus Luciano, Sanchez, Bitty McLean, Richie Spice, Mikey Spice, and Olaf Blackwood, extended with ten instrumental versions all produced by Dean Fraser.
Bob Andy, born Keith Anderson, is celebrated as one of Jamaica’s greatest songwriters, with a catalog including influential tracks like “Too Experienced”, “My Time”, “Unchained”, “Sun Shines For Me”, “Fire Burning”, and “I’ve Got To Go Back Home”, among dozens of evergreen anthems. About his music Andy said during an interview : “Music touches the emotions, but each of us deal with our emotions differently. And so, this I wouldn’t have been able to explain then, because I was just a child fascinated by something in the air, but I didn’t realize then that music is the soundtrack of life”.
The first single from We Remember Bob Andy was Bitty McLean’s take on “Let Them Say,” released on what would have been Bob Andy’s 78th birthday, October 28, 2022. The song was accompanied by a video directed by Fredi Nwaka.
Alaine and Lukie D’s update of Bob Andy and Marcia Griffith’s “Always Together,” entitled “Really Together” was included on VP’s Strictly The Best Vol. 62 on November 18th, 2022.
Tarrus Riley’s “Desperate Lover” was released as a single on January 13th, 2023. (VP Records)
