Jacob Miller

"I was born on Rousseau Road/the number was 21A," so Jacob Miller sang on "Killer Miller." In actuality, the star apparently hailed from Mandeville, in the Jamaican hills; however, his single mother sent her son to live with his grandparents in Kingston, and thus he did indeed grow up on Rousseau Road. His date of birth is equally contentious, with claims made for both 1952 and 1955, while one can infer from interviews with Augustus Pablo an even later date, circa 1960. There's no doubt though that Miller was a handful, star struck, and desperate to be a star himself. Coxsone Dodd gave him his first shot in 1968, when the youth recorded a few songs for the producer, including the single "Love Is the Message." It barely caused a ripple, but did catch the attention of Augustus Pablo, who gave the song airing at his Rockers Sound System. That wasn't enough to keep Dodd's interest, and Miller's career seemed to be over before it had even begun. However, Miller continued practicing, hanging around the studios, watching the stars, and jovially boasting about his talent to anyone who would listen. In 1972, Pablo and his brother Garth Swaby launched their own Rockers label, initially a home for Pablo's own instrumentals, but soon branching out to vocal cuts. In 1974, Pablo brought Miller into Dynamic Studios to re-record "Message," resulting in the phenomenal "Keep on Knocking," one of the foundation stones of the new Rockers style. Over the next 18 months, the young singer cut five more songs for Pablo, each one a Rockers classic -- "Baby I Love You So," "False Rasta," "Who Say Jah No Dread," "Each One Teach One," and "Girl Named Pat" -- and all boasting seminal dubs from mixer King Tubby on the flip. It was with these early singles, most deeply dread in theme, that Miller...