By Howard Campbell—-
IN the early years of Jamaica’s popular music, several pioneer artists doubled as mentors to aspiring performers.
Joe Higgs was one of them. Along with Roy Wilson, he had a hit song with the bluesy Oh Manny Oh in the late 1950s.
Their contemporaries included Bunny and Scully and Alton and Eddie who also recorded during that period and helped put Trench Town and west Kingston on the musical map.
Higgs went on to record as a solo performer, cutting outstanding songs like There is a Reward For Me, which has been covered by Freddie McGregor.
He is best known, however, for mentoring a talented harmony group out of Trench Town known as The Wailers which included Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
Higgs was part of a Trench Town movement that bore Rasta elders Mortimo Planno and Vernon ‘Gadman’ Carrington.
Joe Higgs died from cancer in 1999 at age 59. He was honored last night by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association at its awards ceremony in Kingston.
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