ABOUT JOE HIGGS

Joe Higgs, the "father of reggae", who has died aged 59, was the man who taught Bob Marley to sing. He was more than just a surrogate parent for the groups of ghetto urchins who liked to gather around his house on Third Street in Trenchtown, Jamaica. He was also their brother, uncle, guardian, friend, tutor, and spiritual, moral and musical guide.

Higgs is often ranked with Bob Marley as one of the greatest singers Jamaica has produced, and he was clearly reggae's major theoretician, describing himself usually as a protest singer. His unadorned style was not unlike that of the old Jamaican country singers, and it was in these informal evening sessions in his backyard that Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Bob Andy, Derrick Harriott, and the Wailing Souls learned their craft.

This was 1960. Higgs was the ghetto boy made good: he was one of Trenchtown's most famous residents, having already achieved success as part of the Higgs and Wilson duo, together with another reggae legend and Trenchtown neighbour Delroy Wilson. He had also recorded a number of ska tunes, starting with Manny-o, for the West Indies recording company owned by Edward Seaga, later prime minister of Jamaica. His hits include The World Is Upside Down, Fireburning, Don't Mind Me and Wave Of War.

Higgs was taught to sing by his mother, a pillar of the local church choir. The first thing the future reggae legends were to learn at his impromptu seminars was the umbilical link between the musical and spiritual aspect of Jamaican culture; his musical successes, primarily Marley, did nothing but mix music with creed. Higgs preferred to show that reggae music had power enough to change the system. He also taught his pupils breath control, melody, and gave them guitar song-writing lessons.

Forty years later, it is easy to underestimate the contribution these early sessions were to have on the reggae industry. Marley himself credited Higgs with his success. "Joe Higgs helped me understand music, he taught me many things."

In 1973, when founding member Bunny Wailer quit the Wailers, Higgs joined the group for an American tour and co-wrote Tosh's signature tune Stepping Razor. Incredibly, this was Higgs's greatest moment for, despite his early success, it was not until 1973 that he released his debut solo album Life Of Contradiction. This mild-mannered man preferred to stay out of the limelight.

In 1973, when founding member Bunny Wailer quit the Wailers, Higgs joined the group for an American tour and wrote Tosh's signature tune Stepping Razor. Incredibly, this was Higgs's greatest moment for, despite his early success, it was not until 1973 that he released his debut solo album Life Of Contradiction. This mild-mannered man preferred to stay out of the limelight.

Higgs has usually been regarded as a shadow figure in reggae music. His disdain for the commercial side of the industry - and his dislike of the spotlight - relegated him to a supporting role, where perhaps he did his best work.

For the last 15 years, he lived in Los Angeles, where he continued his musical master classes for a new generation of reggae stars. Sadly, the lessons were terminated by a recurring battle with cancer, although he recently worked on a cross-cultural project recorded at U2's studio in Dublin, collaborating with Gaelic artists in Irish-jazz-reggae-improvisations.

Higgs was a perfectionist. He was notorious for interrupting a song on stage to tell the musicians to start again and play it better. His biographer Roger Steffens described him as a complicated and disciplined self-taught person.

He is survived by 12 children, several of them professional musicians.

Joe Higgs, musician, born 1940; died December 18 1999

- - The Guardian