Jamaican film director/music kingpin Dickie Jobson passes
Matthew Kruk
Legendary film director/music kingpin Dickie Jobson passes
By Basil Walters Observer staff reporter
Sunday, December 28, 2008
As the pattern has been since the start of the year, so it is in closing
with the passing of another legendary figure in the local entertainment
fraternity. This time the roll is called on film producer/director, music
consultant director Richard "Dickie" Jobson who died on Christmas morning at
the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital.
From a highly creative family, Jobson has been on the cutting edge of world
entertainment for almost his entire life.
A close confidante of Island Records' founder Chris Blackwell, he was made a
director of both Island Records and Blue Mountain Music at the inception,
and played a key role in the historic signing of artistes to the labels as
well as their worldwide promotion.
He managed Bob Marley and the Wailers during the defining years, 1973-1975,
among other artistes like Joe Higgs, Jimmy Cliff and Toots Hibbert. But
Dickie Jobson is best remembered as the writer/director for the 1982
groundbreaking Jamaican feature film Countryman.
With a real-life Jamaican character by the same name, Countryman was shown
at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to become a cult classic. The
soundtrack included the music of Bob Marley, and is rated among the 10 best
of such movies and is in demand up until the time this article is being
written.
The cousin of former Native Band members Wayne and Brian Jobson then went on
to create the series Runaway Bay, produced by Canal Plus and Yorkshire
Television. A total of 26 episodes were produced during the three-year
period of 1990-1993. At the time of his passing, he was still a director of
Blue Mountain Music, even though he ventured into other areas of endeavours
as he was once the director of The Fat Burger Inc, a popular eatery in Los
Angeles, as well as a director for the Jamaican organic farming and
livestock company, Allied Farms Limited.
Four years ago, Dickie Jobson began writing a new feature vehicle for
Countryman, and so started a new flick, Curse of the Golden Idol. The
producer of that film - now in its final stages of development - Arthur
Gorson, said of his associate; "Dickie Jobson was a major force in the
spread of Jamaican culture around the world."
Added Garson in tribute to his friend, "He (Jobson) always knew which way
the wind was blowing, and was first on the scene when the dust settled. An
original thinker, he brought warmth, humour and friendship to all who had
the privilege to be in his presence."
Director of Reggae Film Festival, Barbara Blake-Hannah, recalled how the
movie Countryman provided continuity for the progressive move established by
The Harder They Come, to create indigenous feature films.
"My shock at hearing of his death was somewhat eased when I remembered with
joy that the Jamaican Film Academy had honoured Dickie Jobson at the
February 2008 staging of the first Reggae Film Festival and screened his
feature film Countryman in one of its rare Jamaican showings... The name
Dickie Jobson and his beautiful film Countryman, will be forever
memorialised in the Hall of Fame of the Jamaican film industry," Barbara
Blake-Hannah said.
And musician/broadcaster Wayne Jobson hailed his departed cousin, who is
also the brother of lawyer Diane Jobson, as a true legend. "One of the
founding fathers of the Jamaican film and music business, Dickie started by
working on the first James Bond film Dr No. Then the brilliant The Harder
They Come and later wrote and directed the Jamaican classic, Countryman,"
recounted Wayne Jobson who also recalled how his cousin, through his
association with Chris Blackwell's Island Records, helped to change the
world with the management of Bob Marley and the Wailers, U2, among others.
"He was really a unique person, and kind to a fault. What I'm really happy
about is that the Film Academy of Jamaica and the Reggae Film Festival
honoured him this year in February," Colin Leslie, consultant in the
Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, told the Sunday
Observer.
"Jamaica has lost a very talented individual, we really going to miss him.
He is one of our film industry pioneers and last year we honoured him during
the Reggae Film Festival," Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and
Sports Olivia Babsy Grange said in her tribute to Dickie Jobson.