Vivian Neville Jackson (14 August 1946 – 12 January 2010), better known as Yabby You (or sometimes Yabby U), was a

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 ...

vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s through his uncompromising self-produced work.

Biography

Jackson was born in the Waterhouse district of

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 the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

in 1946. One of seven children, Jackson left home at the age of twelve to find work at a furnace in Waterhouse. At seventeen, the effects of

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

had left him hospitalized, and on his release, he was left with severe

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

which had partially crippled his legs. His physical condition meant that he was unable to return to his previous work, and he was forced into hustling for a living on the streets of Kingston. His beliefs were markedly different from that of his

Rastafarian Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of the movement and much ...

contemporaries, believing in the divinity of Jesus rather than

Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

, earning him the nickname 'Jesus Dread'; This often prompted debate on religio-philosophical matters, and it was after one of these discussions that Jackson first headed towards a recording studio, having heard music ''"like a strange ting, inside a my thoughts – like an angel a sing"''. Another spell in hospital meant that finding money for

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

was difficult, but eventually, the "Conquering Lion" single was released late in 1972, credited to 'Vivian Jackson and the Ralph Brothers'. Cut for

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub music in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's studio work, in which as a mixing engineer he achiev ...

, the popularity of the song and its distinctive introduction (the chant of ''"Be-you, yabby-yabby-you"'') earned Jackson the nickname "Yabby You", which remained with him during his entire career. The next few months saw the recording of several more singles, released under different names on various record labels (although usually credited to 'Vivian Jackson and the Prophets', and often featuring a King Tubby 'version' on the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

), culminating in the release of the ''Conquering Lion'' album. A King Tubby mixed dub set, ''King Tubby's Prophesy of Dub'', was also issued, albeit on a limited run of 500 copies, helping to establish Jackson as a

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

artist. Yabby's success allowed him to branch out as a producer, and he began working with both upcoming and more established artists, including Wayne Wade, Michael Rose,

Tommy McCook Tommy McCook (4 March 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel ...

Michael Prophet Michael George Haynes (3 March 1957 – 16 December 2017), known professionally as Michael Prophet, was a Jamaican roots reggae singer known for his "crying" tenor vocal style, whose recording career began in 1977. Prophet was one of Jamaica’s ...

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

, Dillinger and

Tapper Zukie Tapper Zukie (or Tappa Zukie) (born David Sinclair, 1955, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica) is a roots reggae Deejay (Jamaican), deejay and record producer, producer.Greene, Jo-AnnTapper Zukie Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-02-15 Biog ...

, while continuing to release his own material. Jackson continued to record, produce and perform (often with the aid of crutches) until the mid-1980s. He re-emerged in the early 1990s, issuing both new and old material, and his recordings have been the subject of several high quality reissues in recent years. In 2000, he released a singles

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

project with

Glen Brown Glenmore Lloyd Brown (1943 or 1944Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)Tough Times for Glen Brown", ''Jamaica Observer'', 15 July 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2014Larkin, Colin, ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', 1998, Virgin Books, . – 4 O ...

. The album included remixes of "Conquering Lion" by Smith and Mighty, and a remix of Glen Brown by Small Axe and Terminal Head.

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey–based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word '' seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distr ...

released a three-CD box set in 2014. Shanachie Records chief Randall Grass explained in an interview with the website ''Midnight Raver'': On 14 August 2014, Shanachie Records announced their plans to release a Willi Williams/Yabby You project titled "Unification: From Channel One To King Tubbys With Willi Williams And Yabby You," which includes tracks recorded in the late seventies and never released.

Death

He died on 12 January 2010, aged 63, after suffering a ruptured

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

.Modell, Josh (2010)
And another: R.I.P. Yabby You
, ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'', 14 January 2010Yabby You s'est éteint
", Reggaefrance.com, 14 January 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010

Discography

*'' Conquering Lion'' (1975) Vivian Jackson (released as ''Ram A Dam'' in the UK, by Lucky) *'' King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson'' (1976) Prophet (also known as ''Walls Of Jerusalem'', released as ''Chant Down Babylon Kingdom'' in the UK by Nationwide) *''Deliver Me from My Enemies'' (1977) Grove Music *''Beware'' (1978) Grove Music (reissued (1991)

ROIR ROIR (pronounced "roar"), or Reachout International Records, is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper. Background ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label ex ...

) * ''Jah Jah Way'' (1980)

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

*''African Queen'' (1980) Clappers *One Love One Heart (1983) Shanachie *''Fleeing from the City'' (1991) Shanachie *''Yabby The You Man'' (1995) *''Jah Will Be Done'' (1997) Prophet Records Compilations *''Jesus Dread 1972–1977'' (1997), Blood and Fire *''Deeper Roots'' (2012), Pressure Sounds – Yabby You & Brethren *''Deeper Roots Part 2'' (2014), Pressure Sounds – Yabby You & the Prophets Compilation appearances *''

The Rough Guide to Reggae ''The Rough Guide to Reggae'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1997. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album broadly covers the reggae genre originating in Jamaica. The album was curated by Steve Ba ...

'' (1997),

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competi ...

*'' The Rough Guide to Dub'' (2005), World Music Network Collaborations *''King Tubby's Prophesy of Dub'' (1976) Prophets (reissued (1994) Blood and Fire) *''Vocal & Dub'' (1979) Prophet (Yabby You and

) *''Yabby You Meets Trinity at Dub Station'' (circa 1979) Yabby U (with

) *''Yabby You & Michael Prophet Meets Scientist at the Dub Station'' (1981) Prophet (with Michael Prophet and

Scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

) *''Time to Remember'' (1982) Prophet (with

) *''Prophecy'' (1982) WLN (with Michael Prophet and Wayne Wade) *''Yabby U Meets Sly & Robbie Along With Tommy McCook'' (1982) WLN (with

) *''Yabby You Meets Mad Professor & Black Steel in Ariwa Studio'' (1993)

References

External links

Yabby You biography at Billboard.comYabby You at Roots Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yabby You 1946 births 2010 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican dub musicians Jamaican record producers ROIR artists Jamaican reggae musicians Deaths from intracranial aneurysm Island Records artists