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Bobby Digital (Jamaican producer)

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This article is about the Jamaican reggae producer. For the American hip hop producer also known as "Bobby Digital", see RZA.
Robert Dixon
Also known asBobby Digital
Born(1961-03-11)March 11, 1961
Kingston, Jamaica
DiedMay 21, 2020(2020-05-21) (aged 59)
Kingston, Jamaica
GenresReggae, dancehall
OccupationRecord producer

Robert Dixon (March 11, 1961 – May 21, 2020), known as Bobby Digital, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall producer. He was given his nickname "Bobby Digital" because King Jammy, with whom he worked in the mid-1980s, had begun experimenting with digital rhythms at around the same time.[1] He owned the Digital B label, and among the artists with hits on the label are Shabba Ranks and Sizzla. He has influenced reggae artists such as Admiral Tibet.[2]

Biography

Dixon was born on March 11, 1961, the third of five children in the Waterhouse district of Kingston.[3] He grew up attending dances in the 1970s, which featured sound systems such as Socialist Roots and Tippertone.[4]

Dixon began working with King Jammy in Kingston in 1985.[5] He struck out on his own in 1988, opening the Heatwave studio and forming the Digital B label,[1][6] and thereafter a successful distribution company.[7] In the 1980s, Dixon helped stylize the computerized phase of Jamaican music, as an accomplished digital engineer.[8]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s he was the producer for works by Shabba Ranks, Cocoa Tea, Super Cat and Garnett Silk.[5][4][6] He explored styles such as dancehall, lovers rock and roots reggae. He also formed his own sound system Heatwave.[9]

In the late 1990s he began to work with artists such as Morgan Heritage, Sizzla, Anthony B and Richie Spice. He was the producer of Sizzla's Black Woman and Child album of the late 1990s.[4] Morgan Heritage's Protect Us, Jah also released in the late 1990s was another known collaboration, as well as their three-volume Morgan Heritage Family and Friends.

Dixon produced more albums for Richie Spice, Anthony B, Morgan Heritage, Chezidek, Ras Shiloh, Louie Culture, LMS, Mikey Spice, and Norris Man.

Dixon died in Kingston on May 21, 2020 at the age of 59 following a kidney-related illness.[3][10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Record Producers – The Big 5". Jamaica Observer. 2 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008.
  2. ^ Krista Henry (27 April 2008). "Admiral Tibet enjoys musical 'Serious Time'". Jamaica Gleaner News. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (29 May 2020). "Bobby Digital Dies at 59; His Reggae Rhythms Spread Worldwide". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Morgan, Simone (2012) "Going Digital – A chat with one of dancehall's top producers", Jamaica Observer, 2 December 2012. retrieved 2 December 2012
  5. ^ a b Campbell, Howard (2018) "Wicked Times: VP Revisits the Legacy of Bobby Digital", Jamaica Observer, 19 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018
  6. ^ a b Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 309-310
  7. ^ "Bobby Digital". AllMusic. AllMedia Network. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  8. ^ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 360. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  9. ^ Rovi. "Bobby Digital". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. ^ Claudia Gardner. "Dancehall Mourns The Death Of Legendary Producer Bobby Digital At 59". DancehallMag. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
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