“You can maybe find yourself in a Bob Andy song, or you know somebody whose been the subject of the song. So maybe I can relate to the ‘Desperate Lover’” – Tarrus Riley, February 2023
Tarrus Riley’s live performance of Bob Andy’s “Desperate Lover” is excerpted from We Remember Bob Andy – Live, a Reggae Month 2023 culminating concert to celebrate the work of the late Jamaican singer/songwriter and the Dean Fraser-produced album, We Remember Bob Andy. The album, released February 10, 2023, features 15 songs from the Bob Andy catalog re-recorded by Tarrus Riley, Beres Hammond, Sanchez, Romain Virgo, Luciano, Richie Spice, Nadine Sutherland, and others.
Born Keith Anderson on October 28, 1944, Bob Andy was a key figure in the development of Jamaican music, launching his career at the end of the ska era and bringing reggae to international mainstream acceptance via his smash hit duet with Marcia Griffiths, “Young Gifted And Black.”
Songs from the Bob Andy catalog have been covered or adapted hundreds of times over the decades and form a key part of the greater Jamaican cannon of original songwriting and recordings. Whether through popular interpretations like Barrington Levy’s version of “Too Experienced” or through the rhythmic framework of tracks like “Desperate Lover,” Bob Andy’s melodies, lyrics, and rhythms are woven through the entire fabric of Jamaican popular music across more than five decades.
“[This] celebratory project offers nuanced remakes for a contemporary audience [of the] beloved singer-songwriter’s best known anthems.” – MOJO
Learn more about We Remember Andy