Dobby Dobson

Highland Ralph 'Dobby' Dobson (b. 1942, Kingston, Jamaica) is a popular and highly regarded, iconic reggae singer and producer (nicknamed 'The Loving Pauper' after one of his best known songs). Dobby began singing at school whilst in Jamaica W.I. , and successfully took part in Jamaican impresario Vere Johns 'Opportunity Hour talent contest as a member of The Twilights. He began recording in the ska and rock-steady eras as a member of Chuck and Dobby, and The Deltas, the latter along with Howard Barrett (who later formed The Paragons). The group recorded a few tracks for Lindon and Sonia Pottinger, with "Cry The Cry" topping the RJR chart, but soon split up, with Dobson continuing to record for Pottinger. He later moved on to work with both popular producers: Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid,;recording as a member of both The Virtues and The Sheiks, and recorded another hit: "Loving Pauper" with Reid, which became his signature tune. Despite his musical success, Dobson kept his job as a salesman and proof-reader for The Jamaican Gleaner. In 1971, he recorded "That Wonderful Sound" for Rupie Edwards, which sold over 40,000 copies in the Caribbean, and was followed up by the equally successful "Endlessly", which was also a minor hit on the UK Singles Chart. Dobson soon to moved into record production (acts included The Meditations' late 1970s albums Message From The Meditations and Wake Up, as well as early work by Barrington Levy). In 1979, Dobson emigrated to New York, where he worked in real estate, although he would still occasionally visit the recording studio, and performed at both the Reggae Sunsplash, the Reggae Sumfest and many other music festivals. He continues to be popular internationally with old and younger fans, and is still regularly releasing albums in the 21st Century, for the Gospel Market. In 2008, legendary Canadian Actor/Film-maker/Director/Entertainer/Recording artist/Producer/Star Tony 'Tex' Watt of his legendary films such as Frankenpimp had one on one a sit-down interview with Dobson; at a Toronto Hotel [after a local sold out performance], that was produced an intensely revealing 'Rockumentary': "Dobby Dobson: An Interview With Jamaica's Music Ambassador, that had a world premier in 2009 ; at Toronto, Canada's Night of the Living Film Fest which Tony 'Tex' Watt is a highly respected at. Dobby has also contributed some of his popular, self-written music-tracks to the feature 'genre' movie: Vixen Highway 2006 (2010) featuring and co starring legendary Tony 'Tex' Watt. On 6th, August, 2011, being the 49th anniversary of the country's independence, the Governor-General of Jamaica conferred the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) upon Dobson, for his contribution to reggae music and representation of Jamaican culture.