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Bob Andy Biography

bob-andy
  • Born: in Jamaica
  • Years Active: 1960s-1990s
  • Member of: The Paragons
  • Genre: World & Reggae

Bob Andy (born Keith Anderson) is one of reggae's most influential songwriters. His late-'60s hits, including "Going Home," "Unchained," "Feeling Soul," "My Time," "The Ghetto Stays in the Mind," and "Feel the Feeling," and his 1992 hit, "Fire Burning," have become reggae standards and have been covered numerous times. Andy first attracted attention as the lead vocalist of mid-'60s reggae band the Paragons. His apex as a solo artist came in the late '60s when he recorded a string of singles for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One. In 1988, these singles were compiled on an album, The Bob Andy Songbook. During the early '70s, Andy teamed with Marcia Griffiths to record several tunes, including the U.K. hits "Young, Gifted and Black" and "Pied Piper," as the duo Bob & Marcia. In 1978, Andy took a five-year long sabbatical from music to concentrate on his career as an actor. Andy's 1988 album Freely, recorded in London and Jamaica, was re-issued in 1997. The same year, he released an all-new album, Hangin' Tough, produced by Willie Lindo. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi

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