Meets Scientist At The Dub Station (King Tubbys)

Yabby You, who has died of a stroke aged 63, was one of Jamaican music’s most individual figures. Known as the “Jesus Dread” because he wore dreadlocks but adhered to the Christian faith rather than the conventional beliefs of Rastafari, he produced a series of sublime devotional recordings from the mid-1970s onwards. The apocalyptic spiritualism of his lyrics, the superb musicianship of his backing band, and the uncommon arrangement of his material, kept his output among the most compelling roots reggae releases ever issued. He was taken to church from an early age. As recounted in Randall Grass’s book Great Spirits, he was fascinated by the Bible and decided that the best way to understand its words was to directly experience them. Choosing to emulate Jesus, he left home at the age of 12 to discuss religious doctrine with the learned men of the land. This led him to various Rasta communities on the periphery of the west Kingston ghettos, while he earned a living at a metal foundry in the Waterhouse district.