Tyrone Taylor

Although rooted in a variety of Caribbean musical traditions, Jamaican vocalist Tyrone Taylor achieved lasting recognition chiefly through the soulful lovers rock ballad “Cottage in Negril,” which reached listeners in 1983. Born in the countryside of St. Elizabeth in 1957, he entered a studio at age twelve to record the Joe Gibbs-produced track “Delilah.” Overseas the number later appeared as the B-side of Dennis Walks’ hit “Having a Party,” yet Taylor disliked the finished version and briefly formed the Soul Menders with singer Vince Brown. Early setbacks prompted him to doubt a future in music, so he devoted several years to studying various instruments with local session musicians, most notably guitarist Willie Lindo, who ultimately persuaded him to resume singing. Returning in 1972 as a member of the Soul Twins, Taylor cut the anthems “Don’t Call Me Nigga” and “Rastafari Ruler” for producer Clancy Eccles, then resumed his solo path with modestly received singles such as “Fight It Blackman.” Significant airplay arrived in 1975 under producer Jack Ruby, yielding well-liked releases including “Life Table” and “I’d Like to Know.” The following year brought further exposure when Niney the Observer produced “Sufferation,” Taylor’s strongest single to that point and one that received a notable King Tubby remix. Subsequent efforts, among them the reggae adaptation “Can’t Stop Rastaman Now” of McFadden & Whitehead’s disco anthem “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” proved less successful. In 1981 Taylor self-produced “Cottage in Negril,” drawing on a broken romance and the recent ascent of the conservative Labor party while inserting audible cocaine inhalations between verses. The record gradually became a major hit and secured international release through MCA two years later. Its successor, “Pledge to the Sun,” failed commercially, prompting MCA to abandon plans for an album. Meanwhile Taylor’s drug dependency intensified, limiting his output over the next decade to occasional tracks such as the 1987 singles “Members Only” and “Be for Real.” Willie Lindo returned to helm 1993’s album The Way to Paradise, hailed as a creative resurgence, and Clive Hunt guided the 1994 hit “Rainy Sunset.” Persistent personal struggles culminated in several strokes that left Taylor wheelchair-bound; he succumbed to prostate cancer in Kingston on December 1, 2007.