Biography
Lynford Anderson entered the world in 1941 within Clarendon, Jamaica, West Indies. Across numerous Jamaican sessions he lent his technical hand to an assortment of vocalists and musicians. His first notable production credit arrived with George Penny’s ‘Win Your Love’, establishing his command of the studio console. In 1969 he joined forces to co-produce Derrick Morgan’s updated version of the singer’s own 1961 success ‘Fat Man’. Building on that momentum, Anderson partnered with Clancy Eccles the following year to helm the controls for ‘Herbsman Shuffle’, a chart success credited to DJ King Stitt. While still aligned with Eccles he stepped away from the board long enough to prove himself a capable performer. Taking the persona of the cantankerous comic-strip figure Andy Capp, he cut ‘Pop A Top’, whose insistent ‘chugga chugga’ organ line was punctuated by the artist’s spoken interjections: ‘Ah - The monkey speaks his mind - Pop a top - Pop a top - Sip a sup - Sip a sup - taste the tits - taste the tits’. British Radio 1 presenter John Peel aired the track, prompting listener complaints. Quoted in The Sunday Times A - Z Of Reggae, Peel observed that ‘any music which agitates the listener might be worth persevering with’, a stance reflected in his continued inclusion of reggae within his customary programming. Canada Dry later licensed the same recording for a 1970s advertising drive. Anderson reclaimed the microphone in 1971, teaming with Byron Lee on ‘The Law’, a dancehall hit whose B-side carried an extended version. The rapid rise of U-Roy’s toasting over Treasure Isle’s rocksteady catalogue rendered Andy Capp’s approach outdated almost overnight, prompting a swift return to engineering duties. His console work subsequently graced numerous dates, among them sessions for Bob Marley And The Wailers at Dynamics Studios.