AUGUSTUS PABLO (1954 - 1994)
Augustus Pablo was born Horace Swaby on June 21, 1954 in St. Andrew. He attended Kingston College where he made his first connections in the music business through a classmate – Clive Chin, whose family ran one of the most popular record stores – Randy’s. The Chin family included Herman Chin Loy, who in 1969, set up his own record store and labels both called Aquarius. It was to this label that Swaby turned when he was ready to begin his musical career in 1970 at age fifteen. His friendship with Clive ensured that he was given an audition, but it was his keyboard playing that convinced Chin Loy to take him into the studio. Over the next year, Swaby, who adopted the name Augustus Pablo, a moniker Chin Loy used for his studio instrumentals, cut several singles including Still Yet, The Moor and Snowball and Pudding. However, it was the piece East of the River Nile that had the greatest impact. The instrumental, featuring a duet between Pablo’s melodica and the organ played by Glen Adams and set to a rhythm bought from Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, was remarkable for the fact that it featured a musician playing an instrument, (the melodica) hitherto considered a child’s toy and therefore not taken seriously. With his childhood friend, Clive, Pablo created the seminal Java rhythm, one of the most influential of that time.
After partnerships
with such persons as Leonard Chin on his Santic Label – Pablo in Dub;
Paul Whiteman/Blackman – Say So; Lee Perry – Hot and Cold; Gussie
Clarke – No Entry; Bunny Lee – The Great Pablo & Pablo’s Desire,
Pablo realised that he was seeing little actual returns on his music. As a
result, he and his brother set up their own label, Rockers taken from the
name of their sound system. Over time, other imprints followed: Hot Stuff, Pablo
International, Rockers International and Message. As a producer Pablo saw major
success with such hits as Fred Locks’ Black Star Liner which led to
collaborations with artistes such as Horace Andy, Freddie McKay, Jacob Miller,
I-Roy and King Tubby among many others. Despite having his own label, Pablo
continued to collaborate with other producers resulting in first class albums
such as Rebel Rock Reggae – This is Augustus Pablo produced by Chin;
Ital Dub (with King Tubby) produced by Tommy Cowan and Warwick Lyn
and in 1978, the classic album East of the River Nile which was recorded
at Lee Perry’s Black Ark studio.
Though Pablo’s popularity began to decline in the 1980s due to changing musical tastes, he still continued to collaborate and record numerous singles and albums. He suffered for many years from a nerve disorder which kept him in delicate health. On May 18, 1994 he died at the age of 40.