Bob Andy

Bob Andy (born Keith Anderson) is one of reggae’s most influential singer/songwriters. Many of his songs, written both for other artists as well as himself, have been covered numerous times and are considered reggae standards. Some of his biggest hits written for other artists include Ken Boothe’s “I Don’t Want to See You Cry,” Delroy Wilson’s “It’s Impossible (Impossible Love),” and Marcia Griffiths’ “Feel Like Jumping” (co-written by Jackie Mittoo). Andy first attracted attention as a founding member of ’60s rocksteady vocal group the Paragons. His solo career began in the late ’60s when he recorded a string of singles for Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One. In 1972, these singles, including “I’ve Got to Go Back Home,” “Too Experienced,” and “Unchained,” were compiled on an album, The Bob Andy Songbook. From 1969 through the early ’70s, Andy teamed with Marcia Griffiths to record several singles and albums, including the U.K. hits “Young, Gifted and Black” and “Pied Piper,” as the duo Bob & Marcia. As a solo artist, Andy released The Music Inside Me in 1975 and Lots of Love and I in 1977; these albums included classics such as “Fire Burning,” “The Ghetto Stays in the Mind,” and “Feel the Feeling.” In 1978, Andy took a five-year sabbatical from music to concentrate on his career as an actor. Andy’s albums Friends (1983) and Freely (1988) were released on his own label, I-Anka Records, as was Bob Andy’s Dub Book (1989), mixed by Mad Professor. Also in the late ’80s, Andy worked as an A&R director for Tuff Gong Records, the label founded by Bob Marley in the early ’70s. Fire Burning, a collection of Andy’s ’70s work, was released by Trojan Records in 1995. Hanging Tough, a full-length produced by Willie Lindo, was released by VP Records in 1997. In 2006, the Jamaican government awarded Andy the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for his contributions to the development of Jamaican music. A major tribute concert took place in Kingston in 2011, honoring Andy’s life and music, and he continued writing, performing, and recording. ~ Craig Harris