 |
| Sadly, Toronto-based roots reggae great Errol Gale aka Rothadam has passed away at 79. He'll be greatly missed but his rebel spirit will live on! |
Writes Chris Flanagan of Shella Records...
Errol Monteval Gayle better known to the world as Rothadam has passed away at 79. I attended his funeral in Oshawa and was honored to be asked to be a pallbearer by his wife Lisa.
After leaving Trenchtown, Rothadam favoured quality over quantity, only making a few 45s in Canada on Half Moon, Ron Lew and Sid Lovejoy’s LMP imprint. Some of these tunes have since become sound system anthems 50 years on, championed by heavyweights like Amsterdam's King Shiloh Sound System.
Since the 2017 reissue, Rothadam was thrilled that there is a new, younger audience for his music and he loved hearing stories of his songs being played across the globe.
I'm sharing a clip of him singing along to his "Rebel" 45 in the lobby of his building in Flemingdon Park, Toronto (view here).
If his music has made an impact on you please comment below and let us know where you’re tuning in from, I’d love to share this with his family.
Plans are in the works to make “Rebel/I was Born To be a Rebel” available later this year.
R.I.P King Rothadam, I’m so glad to have known you!
