Bobby Dixon (March 11, 1961 – May 22, 2020), known as Bobby Digital, was a Jamaican

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

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 reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

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 Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD (born 17 January 1966), better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throu ...

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.

Biography

Dixon was born on March 11, 1961, the third of five children in the Waterhouse district of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. He grew up attending dances in the 1970s, which featured

sound systems Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

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 The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 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. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

,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 Colvin George Scott (3 September 1959 – 11 March 2025), better known as Cocoa Tea, was a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. Life and career Born in the fishing village of Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica on 3 September 1959, Cocoa ...

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 DJ and toaster who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s danc ...

and Garnett Silk.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 Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the ho ...

. He also formed his own

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

Heatwave. In the late 1990s he began to work with artists such as Morgan Heritage,

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 Dance ...

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", "Ear ...

. He was the producer of Sizzla's '' Black Woman and Child'' 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 various singles and dubplates for VP RECORDS. Dixon produced more albums for

, 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.

References

External links

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