by Howard Campbell
Kingston, Jamaica – Bob Andy, the prolific singer/songwriter who inspired a generation of Jamaican composers, died in Jamaica on March 27 at the age of 75. Marcia Griffiths, his friend of 57 years, confirmed his death.
Griffiths did not disclose the cause of death, but Andy had been battling pancreatic cancer in recent months. A former South Florida resident, he was one of reggae’s great songwriters, composing classic songs like I’ve Got to go Back Home, Check it Out, My Time and Fire Burning.
His loss was particularly painful for Griffiths, his former companion, for whom he wrote songs like Melody Life, Feel Like Jumping and Truly. They also had a massive hit in the United Kingdom 1970 with a cover of Nina Simone’s Young, Gifted And Black.
“I was with him right up until the end. He was more than half of my life spent on this Earth, musically and otherwise. There wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t consult Keith about,” she said.
Andy was born Keith Anderson in Kingston, but spent much of his formative years in rural Westmoreland parish with his grandparents. He began recording in the early 1960s as a member of The Paragons, which was when he first met Griffiths.
They became a couple and duo at producer Clement Dodd’s Studio One in 1964, when Andy left The Paragons for a solo career. At a time when most of his contemporaries were covering American soul songs, Andy penned some of the decade’s most memorable songs including I’ve Got to go Back Home which became a cry for Afro-centric Jamaican youth.
Tommy Cowan, a former member of The Jamaicans and a longtime friend, hailed Andy as “one of the best writers the world has ever seen.”
According to Cowan, “He had a brazenness at the time to write songs like I’ve Got to go Back Home and Fire Burning which challenged the system.”
Andy’s signature piece was Songbook, an album of his songs with Studio One, released in 1972. With songs like I’ve Got to go Back Home, My Time, Too Experienced and Unchained, it is considered a standard for songwriters.
Andy remained a fixture on the Jamaican music scene in the last 25 years. He performed with Griffiths in Jamaica, North America and Europe, and acts like Barrington Levy, Sanchez and Jack Radix covered his songs and introduced them to a new generation of fans.
Andy was awarded the Order of Distinction, Jamaica’s sixth highest honor, by the country’s government in 2006.
For Marcia Griffiths, losing Bob Andy is devastating.
“When I was down and out, I would call him. He would find something to keep me laughing and most of the times what he was saying wasn’t funny…he was priceless,” she said.
