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An Easter Weekend Note To Our Readers
Today’s newsletter is shorter than normal because of the holiday, but we promise to return Monday with a full complement of news and columns.
Apr 19, 2019
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Jamaica Gleaner
Ernie Smith
FYI
Obituaries: Jamaican-Canadian Reggae Star Ernie Smith, Taylor Kirk of Timber Timbre
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Traffic co-founder Dave Mason, Delta 72 frontman Gregg Foreman and Alan Osmond, oldest brother in the family band The Osmonds.
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Ernie Smith (born Glenroy Anthony Michael Archangelo Smith), a Jamaican-Canadian reggae singer, guitarist and songwriter who found major success in the '70s, died on April 16, at age 80.
As a kid, the Jamaican-born Smith was influenced by his father’s music and guitar-playing. After high school, he played as lead guitarist for The Vandals a band he put together himself.
Smith's initial goal was to be a radio announcer, but he later applied to work for Federal Studios, writing songs and he eventually recorded songs himself. Recording initially in an easy listening style, Smith's first chart success came in the late 1960s with "Bend Down," which was followed by Jamaican number one hits in "Ride on Sammy," "One Dream" and "Pitta Patta," all produced by Richard Khouri at Federal, the latter based on Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Musical Transplant" riddim.
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In 1972, Smith won the Yamaha Music Festival in Japan with "Life Is Just For Living," a song originally written for a Red Stripe commercial. In 1973, he was honoured by the Jamaican government with The Badge of Honour For Meritorious Service in the Field of Music.
The album Life Is Just For Living followed in 1974 on Trojan Records. "Pitta Patta" was followed by further Jamaican hits with "Duppy or Gunman" and "Key Card." Smith also had success with covers of popular songs such as "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "Everything I Own," and as a songwriter he had success at the Festival Song Contest in 1974 with Tinga Stewart's "Play De Music."
Smith's "I Can't Take It" topped the UK Singles Chart in 1975 when recorded by Johnny Nash under the title "Tears on My Pillow." The change of title led to Smith initially missing out on royalties due to confusion with the Little Anthony song of the same name.
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The Canada Black Music Archives reported that "In 1976, Smith moved his family to Toronto after his song 'The Power and the Glory,' perceived as a critique of then Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, brought death threats."
A 2021 Toronto Star profile of Smith and his Toronto band Roots Revival further explained the situation, noting that "in the 1970s, Toronto became a major hub for live reggae music, as Jamaican superstars such as Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles and Ernie Smith, who became the leader of Roots Revival, migrated north. After a 1976 assassination attempt was made on reggae superstar Bob Marley, political violence made the island unsafe for outspoken artists, says Toronto reggae historian Dr. Jason Wilson.
"After having written ‘Jah Kingdom Go to Waste,’ Ernie Smith knew his life was in danger,' Wilson stated. 'The song was considered incendiary by the Jamaican government. As a result, Smith packed his bags for Toronto.'"
Within two years, Smith had formed the Roots Revival band, featuring guitarist Paul Corby, bassist Clive Ross and drummer Wadi Daniel. In a Facebook post, Corby noted that "Jamaican celebrity trumpeter Jojo Bennett [later of the Sattalites] would join the band as musical director later that year."
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The group had a major impact on the Toronto reggae scene, performing at such venues as Tiger's Coconut Grove, The Horseshoe, Harbourfront Centre and The BamBoo. A sold-out “reggae Woodstock” in 1980 in Toronto featured performers such as Smith, Messenjah and Truths & Rights.
Corby stated that "Ernie was a Jamaican superstar, a sort of Jamaican Charley Pride." Together, Smith and Roots Revival recorded the acclaimed albums To Behold Jah (1979) and Skareggae (1981) in Toronto.
Roots Revival won best band at the Black Music Awards in 1979 but disbanded the following year when Smith returned to Jamaica after the death of his father. He would later divide his time between Jamaica and Florida.
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Corby and the remaining members carried on with the gigs they had booked, with Jojo Bennett as provisional band leader. “When it became clear that Ernie wasn’t coming back, Jojo left to form the Sattalites and we continued on, quite successfully, as Bloodfire," Corby (still active as a reggae musician and radio host) told The Toronto Star. Look for Corby's upcoming tribute to Ernie Smith in Roots Music Canada.
In the late 1970s, Smith also pivoted into gospel music, releasing such gospel-influenced records such as 1978's I'll Sing For Jesus album.
Substance issues and money trouble then reportedly hampered his career. 1n 1987, legendary Jamaican film director Perry Henzell (The Harder They Come) asked Smith to write songs for his Marcus Garvey musical.
Smith returned to Jamaica in the wake of 1998's Hurricane Gilbert, and began recording and performing again, initially with a new band, The New Agenda. In 1996, he released the Dancehall Ernie Cleans It Up album, featuring new recordings of some of his best known songs. In 1997, Smith and his wife/manager Janet produced a show, After 30 Years, Life Is Just For Living, accompanied by an album with 31 tracks.
In 2008, Smith returned with Country Mile, an album that was preceded by the singles "That's The Kinda People We Are" (a duet with Pluto Shervington) and "Give Her a Lion" (featuring Ron Muschette). Collections of his work includeThe Very Best of Ernie Smith (1998 on Rhino), Greatest Hits (1999 on K&K) and The Best of Ernie Smith – Original Masters (2010).
Toronto friends and colleagues of Smith have expressed sorrow at his loss.
In a Facebook post, Toronto music journalist and historian Nicholas Jennings noted that "Like Leroy Sibbles, Jackie Mittoo and others, Smith deeply enriched the music of Toronto and will be missed."
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Phil Vassell, executive director of Canada Black Music Archives, offered this tribute to Billboard Canada: "I didn't know Ernie personally but growing up in Jamaica in the early '70s, one could not help hearing his songs in that distinctive baritone voice on the radio. Whether it was 'Life is Just for Living,' which won the first international music award of any Jamaican, in Japan, or 'Duppy or Gunman' which became a folk anthem, Ernie stood out for his lyrics – totally relatable. In fact most Jamaicans of a certain age can sing those lyrics on command. Lol.
"Moving to Canada in 1976 as he also did in the mid-'70s, I again became very aware of him. I was too young to go to the clubs then, but Ernie and his band Roots Revival became a fixture in Toronto clubs. His impact was also felt in Miami, where his wife lived and where he later relocated in 1976.
"And of course he wrote a hit song redone by Johnny Nash in the UK that became a huge success. With a 50 year music career and many albums, the legend of Ernie Smith will live on – not just among Jamaicans in the diaspora but among many reggae fans that loved his music. Ernie, R.I.P."
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Toronto reggae authority Blair Moody sent Billboard Canada this tribute: "I knew Gentleman Ernie as such a nice warm hearted guy! I met him through JoJo Bennett, a long time friend and music collaborator and a member of The Roots Revival. I got to know Ernie more when he returned to Jamaica from Canada, and actually 'performed' with him, JoJo and others twice. By then, Ernie was gigging at some of the north coast hotels that had strict entry terms....only way I could gain entry was to be listed as a band member! I was staying with Joe in Ocho Rios, given a quick tutoring, handed a tambourine, cowbell and sticks, and instructed to mek good riddim."
Taylor Kirk, a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known as leader of folk-noir project Timber Timbre, died on April 14, at age 44. A cause of death has not been reported.
Kirk was raised near Brooklin, Ontario, and an Exclaim! feature noted that "Kirk spent his first few years in Toronto as a drummer and guitarist in various bands without a burning desire to start his own. Timber Timbre came about after an extended stretch in a cabin in the woods. 'When I started to write, I was looking at recordings of old folk music and kind of imitating that songwriting. I've tried to move away from relying on that sort of thing,' said Kirk. His first album, 2006's Cedar Shakes, yielded a deeply introspective but not melodramatic soul whose music had a strong back porch vibe."
Timber Timbre gradually evolved into a full and collaborative band. Over a career spanning two decades, the group released seven studio albums and two EPs and received critical acclaim in Canada and internationally.
Billboard Canada reports that the moniker of Timber Timbre refers to an early series of recordings that Kirk made in a timber-framed cabin set on the outskirts of Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Timber Timbre released two albums independently, while their third release, 2009’s self-titled album, was distributed under the now-defunct Toronto indie label, Out of This Spark. Following that album’s success, they were subsequently signed to Arts & Crafts and chose to re-release the record.
The Timber Timbre album was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and some of its cuts were featured on the soundtracks of such films and TV series as Breaking Bad, The Good Wife, The Gambler and more. 2011’s Creep on Creepin' On and 2014’s Hot Dreams were both short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize, peaking at No. 20 and No. 21 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, respectively. The latter album's track "Run From Me” earned major synch placements in Orange is the New Black, Good Girls and Barry.
During this period, Timber Timbre toured in support of artists including Arcade Fire, Feist and Laura Marling and the group's profile was boosted by a set on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series that attracted nearly a half-million views.
After parting ways with Arts & Crafts, Timber Timbre signed with indie Berlin-based record label City Slang Records, who released . the group’s sixth studio album, Sincerely, Future Pollution, in 2017. 2023’s Lovage was the group's most recent (and likely final) album.
International
Dave Mason, an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who co-founded legendary rock band Traffic and went on to a successful solo career, died on April 19, at age 79. A statement from his representative said "Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved."
In its obituary, The Guardian noted that "the British singer and guitarist wrote and performed Traffic classics including 'Feelin’ Alright?/ before platinum-selling solo albums and work with Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac and more."
"Born in Worcestershire in 1946, Mason had an unusual tenure in Traffic: a frontman who wrote and performed some of their biggest hits, but who hopped in and out of the lineup. The singer and guitarist formed the band with singer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood, the teenage prodigy who had left the Spencer Davis Group after scoring a number of hits. Mason had performed backing vocals with that band, and also played with drummer Jim Capaldi and woodwind player Chris Wood, who together became the Traffic lineup.
"Winwood’s pedigree helped them to get signed to Island Records, and they recorded their debut album Mr Fantasy, which included Traffic’s biggest chart hit, 'Hole in My Shoe,' which reached No 2 in the UK in 1967, and which was written and sung by Mason."
There was internal friction in Traffic, as Winwood later recalled: 'Dave would come in with a complete song that he was going to sing and tell us all what he expected us to play. No discussion, like we were his backing group.':
Mason left Traffic in 1967, telling the Guardian in 2024 that “I realised I needed more life experiences in order to write stuff that would become timeless." But he then rejoined, and wrote half of the songs on their self-titled second album. These included another signature track, 'Feelin’ Alright?, 'which Mason also sang. A moderate hit for Traffic, it has been covered dozens of times by artists including Joe Cocker, Lulu, the Jackson Five, Gladys Knight and Paul Weller.
Since Mason's passing, those paying tribute by performing "Feelin' Alright?" in concert have included the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Gov't Mule.
His post-Traffic career began with work with Jimi Hendrix – Mason played acoustic guitar on 'All Along the Watchtower' and backing vocals on 'Crosstown Traffic' – and contributions to the Rolling Stones’ 'Street Fighting Man. 'He toured with Delaney & Bonnie, where he came into the orbit of George Harrison, later appearing on his classic album All Things Must Pass; and of Eric Clapton, briefly joining his group Derek and the Dominos."
He rejoined Traffic’s Jim Capaldi for the latter’s 1972 album Oh How We Danced, including a co-write on 'Big Thirst.' Mason joined Fleetwood Mac in the 1990s, Mason touring with the band and playing on the album Time.
Alongside his session and touring work, he had a successful solo career, releasing 15 studio albums, the first seven of which – including a duo album with the Mamas and the Papas’ Cass Elliott – reached the US Top 50. 1977’s Let It Flow was his biggest success: a platinum seller which produced a hit single, 'We Just Disagree.'
He also founded an electric guitar company, RKS, whose instruments were used by members of the Rolling Stones and others.
He published his memoir Only You Know & I Know in 2024, and continued to tour until 2025, when he announced his retirement following a spell of ill health.
Alan (Ralph) Osmond, the eldest singing member of the famed The Osmonds family singing group died on April 20, at age 76. A cause of death has not been reported. Osmond was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987.
A Billboard obituary reports that "he and his nine siblings grew up as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, Utah, getting their start in music singing in their church choir. At age nine, he started a barbershop quartet with brothers Wayne, Merrill and Jay in 1958, with the squeaky clean group quickly picking up gigs at Disneyland in L.A. and frequent guest spots NBC’s The Andy Williams Show variety hour from 1962-1967.
"Alan, referred to as 'No. 1' by his younger brothers, took up the mantle as the group’s leader. In 1963, the brothers were joined by younger sibling and future break-out star Donny, then six-years-old, who made his debut on the Williams Show, turning the quartet into a quintet. A few years later, their youngest brother, Jimmy, joined the band as well.
"The Osmonds slowly morphed from a vocal group to a pop/rock group, signing to MGM Records and recording at the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama. It was there they recorded their only No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, 1971’s Jackson 5-esque bubblegum pop bop 'One Bad Apple.'"
Subsequent hits included “Yo Yo” (1971, No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100), “Down By the Lazy River” (1972, No. 4), the lush ballad “Love Me For a Reason” (1974, No. 10) and the rocking “Crazy Horses” (1972, No. 14), which were among the 13 songs the group landed on the Hot 100.
The Osmonds released more than a dozen albums from 1968 through their swan song, 1984’s One Way Rider, four of which landed in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Alan, in addition to singing and playing rhythm guitar, was also a producer on the ABC variety program the Donny & Marie Show (1976-1979) and a key songwriter and producer of the family band. He retired from performing in 1987 following his MS diagnosis.
Donny Osmond paid tribute to his brother on Instagram in a post that reads, in part: "He was my protector. My guide. The one who quietly carried so much responsibility so the rest of us could shine. Alan was our leader in every sense of the word. His tireless work helped build everything we became. I will always be grateful for the sacrifices he made and the love he showed — not just to me, but to every member of our family.”
Gregg Foreman, an American musician and DJ known as the charismatic frontman of post-punk band Delta 72 and a frequent collaborator with Cat Power, died on April 21, at age 53.
Foreman, born in Philadelphia, spent time in that city's post-punk/goth music scene, playing in bands and hosting a cable access music and culture show.
After high school, Foreman joined a post-hardcore band called Junction, with whom he toured and recorded. He then started the post-punk/soul/no wave band Delta 72, who toured and released records on Dischord Records, Kill Rock Stars and eventually Touch and Go Records.
An obituary in the LA Times notes that with Delta 72, "Foreman put a soulfully-scuzzy blues twist on the city’s post-hardcore sound of the era. Foreman was a distinctly charismatic frontman, pairing the flamboyant stage presence of his beloved ‘60s and ‘70s R&B acts with the live-wire tension of punk. The band released three albums before dissolving in 2001."
Foreman also played on records including Acme by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. By the mid 1990s, he started freelance writing for the Philadelphia City Paper and started a mod/soul night in Philadelphia called "The Turnaround," which became part of the nightclub Making Time. His reputation as a DJ grew, leading to gigs in Paris, Tokyo and beyond.
He joined Cat Power’s backing ensemble, the Dirty Delta Blues band, in 2006, and eventually became musical director. He most recently played on Cat Power’s Redux, January’s three-song EP celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s beloved LP The Greatest.
He was also a member of Canadian band Pink Mountaintops and psychedelic post-punk band the Meek and the Black Ryder. Pink Mountaintops is led by Stephen McBean, of Black Mountain fame, and he recruited Foreman and other noted U.S. musicians for the 2014 Pink Mountaintops album Get Back. “I basically had a list of people that I had either played with or wanted to play with,” McBean once told LA Mag. “You kind of think to yourself: Why do all these great people want to play with me?”
Contacted yesterday by Billboard Canada, McBean recalled that "Gregg had a magnetic electricity. He could create a wild scene. We were really close for awhile - bonding over Swell Maps, wonky SST stuff & the Furs. We did fun travels all over doing the rock’n’roll. Zing zing… He always got down — big time — he loved to play and the music loved him. It was fuckin’ cool. Really cool :)."
In 2015, Foreman worked on Re-Licked, a project of James Williamson of the Stooges, including Alison Mosshart from the Kills, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream, Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys and Mark Lanegan. In 2019, Foreman released an EP with Alan Vega of Suicide, featuring mixes by drummer Jim Sclavunos and composer JG Thirlwell, and musical contributions from Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and White Hills.
In 2019, Foreman joined American post-punk band The Gossip for a European tour. In 2020, Foreman began work with Kat Von D on her debut LP Love Made Me Do It and its 2024 follow-up My Side of the Mountain. He also produced live scores to underground, strange art and obscure films at the Philosophical Research Society, working with artists like Death Valley Girls, Martin Rev, David J and Paris Jackson.
Amongst those paying tribute to Foreman on social media was Toronto musician and author Don Pyle. In a Facebook post, he recalled that "my band Phono-Comb toured with the Delta 72 in ‘96 or ‘97 and they were dynamite onstage. Leader Gregg Foreman was a true wild man, a genuine rock star where others pretend to be.
"Stellar at guitar and keyboards, a massive talent. I’m moved by how many loving posts there are in tribute to him today. The hits keep coming, too fast and too hard. I can’t imagine him resting but I hope he has found peace."
To Billboard Canada, Stephen McBean also noted that "Gregg seemed transfixed in boyhood wonder … bringing love …. he could crack you up. I was struck by his sharp wit … it was unsuspecting. I’ll miss him a lot. He walked his own stride — brought the peoples together and gave his existence to make the world a better place. It’s very sad he’s split. I look forward to future daze, Mr Foreman."
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