Robert Dixon (March 11, 1961 – May 21, 2020), known as Bobby Digital, was a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

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. He owned the Digital B label, and among the artists with hits on the label are

Shabba Ranks Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home cou ...

and

Sizzla Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high num ...

. He has influenced reggae artists such as

Admiral Tibet Admiral Tibet (sometimes Tibett), also known as "Mr. Reality" (born Kenneth Allen, Freehill, Saint Mary, Jamaica, 1960)Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides,

Biography

Dixon was born on March 11, 1961, the third of five children in the Waterhouse district of Kingston. He grew up attending dances in the 1970s, which featured

sound systems In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

such as Socialist Roots and Tippertone. Dixon began working with King Jammy in Kingston in 1985.Campbell, Howard (2018)
Wicked Times: VP Revisits the Legacy of Bobby Digital
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', 19 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018 He struck out on his own in 1988, opening the Heatwave studio and forming the Digital B

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

,Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 309-310 and thereafter a successful distribution company. In the 1980s, Dixon helped stylize the computerized phase of Jamaican music, as an accomplished digital engineer. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he was the producer for works by

Cocoa Tea Calvin George Scott (born 3 September 1959), better known as Cocoa Tea, is a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. Biography Born in Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Cocoa Tea was popular in Jamaica from 1985, but has become success ...

Super Cat William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mo ...

and

Garnett Silk Garnett Silk (born Garnet Damion Smith; 2 April 1966 – 9 December 1994) was a Jamaican reggae musician and Rastafarian, known for his diverse, emotive, powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, howeve ...

.Morgan, Simone (2012)
Going Digital – A chat with one of dancehall's top producers
, ''

'', 2 December 2012. retrieved 2 December 2012 He explored styles such as

lovers rock Lovers' rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.Larkin, Col ...

and

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

. He also formed his own sound system Heatwave. In the late 1990s he began to work with artists such as

Morgan Heritage Morgan Heritage is a Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter "Peetah" Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan, and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morga ...

Anthony B Keith Blair (born 31 March 1976), better known by the stage name Anthony B, is a Jamaican DJ and member of the Rastafari movement.Moskowitz, David V (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Danceha ...

and

Richie Spice Richell Bonner (born 8 September 1971), better known as Richie Spice, is a Jamaican reggae artist. He is a member of the Rastafari movement. Some of his most famous songs include, "Brown Skin", "Youth Dem Cold Rel Bad", "Grooving' My Girl", "Ea ...

. He was the producer of Sizzla's ''

Black Woman and Child ''Black Woman & Child'' is the second studio album by Jamaican reggae artist Sizzla. It was released on September 16, 1997 on VP Records and produced by Robert "Bobby Digital" Dixon. The title track still remains as one of his most successful hi ...

'' album of the late 1990s. 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''. Also recorded to panamanian singer

Reggae Sam Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

various singles and dubplates for VP RECORDS. Dixon produced more albums for

Chezidek Chezidek (born Desbert Johnson, 1973, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica) is a roots reggae singer. He is known for his hit singles, "Call Pon Dem" (featured in ''Grand Theft Auto IV''), "Can't Hear Must Feel", "Inna Di Road", and "Leave De Trees". Biog ...

Ras Shiloh Ras Shiloh (born Thomas Williams; January 6, 1975 in Brooklyn, United States)Album Review: R ...

, Louie Culture, LMS,

Mikey Spice Michael Theophilus Johnson (born 21 July 1965), better known as Mikey Spice, is a Jamaican reggae singer. Biography Spice sang in his father's church from age seven and learned to play guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, piano, saxophone, flute, and ...

, and Norris Man. Dixon died in Kingston on May 21, 2020 at the age of 59 following a kidney-related illness.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bobby Digital Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 1961 births 2020 deaths VP Records artists