Vivian Jackson, AKA “Yabby You” was one of the most fascinating and innovative artists and producers of the “roots reggae” period of the 1970s.

Poverty-stricken his entire life, Jackson was in ill-health as a result of living at and working in a garbage incinerator in Waterhouse, Jamaica since he was a young child. After a spell in the hospital for malnutrition, his legs by then crippled with arthritis, 17-year-old Jackson was told that he could no longer return to his former job and moved to Kingston, where he eked by, earning a precarious living in the streets. Although he more or less identified as a Rastafarian, Jackson did not believe in the divinity of Emperor Haile Selassie I and his Christian beliefs were at odds with the other Rastas he knew.  “Dem use to deal with Ras Tafari, an’ I deal with Jah through Jesus Christ” he said. Jackson was given the nickname “Jesus Dread” as a result of his argumentative nature when it came to the topic of religion.
 

 
One night an ethereal song came to Jackson as he was talking about religion with friends: “Like a strange ting, inside a-my thoughts, like an angel a-sing.” Although his poverty slowed the recording process down, many top musicians and master producer, King Tubby were impressed with Jackson’s unwavering passion that this song must be brought into the world, and volunteered their services. Yabby You performed and directed his vocal group, the Prophets, standing with the help of crutches. The resulting album, Conquering Lion is a dark, brooding masterpiece of true religious fervor and a seminal reggae classic, his lyrics inspired by the New Testament, especially the prophetic Book of Revelations. The Prophets’ chant of “Be-you, yabby-yabby-you” gave Jackson another nickname, “Yabby You,” which he used for the rest of his career. In many ways, I see this song as a reggae equivalent to “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys. Listen to the way the voices are layered. No other Jamaican artist was doing anything even remotely similar at the time. Nor have any since.

The Conquering Lion album was pressed in a run as small as 500 copies when it was first released in 1975 and it took another 22 years before the LP was widely heard outside of Jamaica, with the deluxe 2 CD edition of Jesus Dread (1972-1977) featuring the entire album plus various “versions” of the song released by UK reggae label, Blood and Fire. Now it’s considered a classic.

Vivian Jackson passed away in Jamaica on January 12, 2010 of an aneurysm. He was 63. A 3-CD box set of his work, Dread Prophecy: The Strange and Wonderful Story of Yabby You was released by the Shanachie label earlier this year as interest in his work continues to grow.
 

 
Here’s the entirety of the incredible (out of print) Jesus Dread compilation. It starts with “Love Thy Neighbor” and “Conquering Lion” is the second track, beginning its distinctive skank at around the 3:30 mark. After that, the song is pulled apart and put back together in striking ways, the backing track (“riddim”) being chanted over, massaged and WARPED by the likes of Big Youth, Augustus Pablo, Trinity, saxophonist Tommy McCook, a young Michael Rose (later of Black Uhuru), Dillinger, Tappa Zukie, and of course, the legendary dub producer King Tubby. It’s probably the closest 70s reggae came to producing an actual symphonic work. Mesmerizing, beautiful and wholly hypnotic, this is music that needs to be heard: