Ruddy Thomas (12 July 1951 – 10 June 2006) was a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

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 the ...

singer, musician, and recording engineer, who had his greatest successes as a singer in the late 1970s and early 1980s with

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, Coli ...

songs.

Biography

Thomas worked for producer

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...

in the 1970s, running and arranging recording sessions, and providing percussion and backing vocals. He recorded several singles for Gibbs, including "Every Day Is a Holiday", "Let's Make a Baby" and a version of

Dobby Dobson Highland Ralph Dobson OD (5 July 1942 – 21 July 2020) was a Jamaican reggae singer and record producer, nicknamed "The Loving Pauper" after one of his best known songs. Biography Dobson began singing while a student at Central Branch Sc ...

's "Loving Pauper". Thomas's version of "Loving Pauper" was the number one song of the year on the 1978 RJR Top 100. He had a number one reggae hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1981 with "Just One Moment Away". In 1983, he recorded the duet "(You Know How to Make Me) Feel So Good" with Susan Cadogan, which topped the reggae charts and was followed in 1984 by another duet with Cadogan, "Only Heaven Can Wait", and an album. Thomas also recorded duets with J.C. Lodge ("Time for Love"),

Marcia Aitken Marcia Aitken (born c. 1956, Hannah Town, West Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer best known for her recordings in the late 1970s, produced by Joe Gibbs along with Errol Thompson.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Music: an Encyclopedia o ...

("The Closer I Get to You"), Pam Hall ("You Can't Hide") and Cynthia Schloss ("Don't Want to Lose You", "How Can I Let You Get Away", and "There Is a Fire"). Thomas provided backing vocals on several albums, including Peter Tosh's ''No Nuclear War''. He was also part of the horn section on

Cornell Campbell Cornel Campbell aka Don Cornel or Don Gorgon (born 23 November 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer, best known for his trademark falsetto voice, and his recordings at Studio One in the late 1960s and his later work with Bunny Lee i ...

's 1982 album ''What's Happening To Me''. Thomas later joined Tommy Cowan's Talent Corporation roster. Thomas also acted as recording engineer on many releases by the likes of Boris Gardiner,

Leroy Smart Leroy Smart (born 1952), is a reggae singer-songwriter and record producer from Kingston, Jamaica. Biography Smart was born in 1952 and orphaned at the age of two. He was raised at Maxfield Park Children's Home The Maxfield Park Children's h ...

Sugar Minott Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott (25 May 1956 – 10 July 2010)Campbell, Howard (2010)Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54, Associated Press, 11 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010Peru, Yasmine (2010)Godfather of Dancehall, Sugar Minott, dead at ...

, The Wailing Souls,

Beres Hammond Beres Hammond OJ (born Hugh Beresford Hammond; 28 August 1955, in Annotto Bay, Saint Mary, Jamaica)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. ...

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

Frankie Paul Paul Blake (19 October 1965 – 18 May 2017), better known as Frankie Paul, was a Jamaican dancehall reggae artist. Born blind, he has been dubbed by some 'The Jamaican Stevie Wonder'. Biography Born in Jamaica in 1965, Blake was born blind bu ...

, and

Dean Fraser Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer) (born 4 August 1957)Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Mu ...

. He was also credited with co-producing the 1982 album ''Superstar

Yellowman Winston Foster , better known by the stage name Yellowman, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay, also known as King Yellowman. He first became popular in Jamaica in the 1980s, rising to prominence with a series of singles that established ...

Has Arrived With Toyan''. He died after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

while performing at the Popular Song Contest Street Blocker at

Port Antonio Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991. It is the island's third largest port, famous as a shipping point for ban ...

Portland, Jamaica Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica, containing part o ...

Discography

Albums

*''First Time Around'' (Joe Gibbs Music, 1981) *''Reggae By Ruddy Thomas'' (Friends Records, 1983) *''When I've Got You'' (Hawkeye, 1983) *''The Very Best of Ruddy Thomas'' (Mobiliser, 1983) *''Ruddy Thomas and Susan Cadogan'' (with Susan Cadogan) *''Don't Want to Lose You'' (World Enterprise, 1987) *''Time for Love'' (C & E Records, 1989) *''Long Lost Lover'' (TekTwo, 1990) *''Greatest Hits'' (Rhino, 1997) *''Sings Bob Marley'' (Disky, 1997) *''Sweet Lovers Rock'' (P-Vine Japan, 2003)

References

External links

Ruddy Thomas at discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Ruddy 1951 births 2006 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians