R.I.P. Duke Vin & Bertram 'Ranchie' McLean

Vincent George Forbes aka. Duke Vin was born in Jamaica, but arrived in the UK as a stowaway (!) in 1954. There he founded the very first sound system 'Duke Vin's The Tickler' in 1955 and helped promote ska and later on reggae. In 1973 Duke Vin was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Notting Hill Carnival, an event which he would participate in himself for no less than 37 years straight. The 2009 documentary 'Duke Vin and the Birth of Ska' offers a deeper insight into his career. In 2010 Duke Vin was scheduled to perform at the Reggae Geel festival, but the performance was cancelled last-minute because Vin suffered a stroke.

For more details, check:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Duke-Vin--sound-system-pioneer\_13006764

Ranchie McLean (1948-2012): real Revolutionary

There was a time you couldn't find any reggae record without Bertram 'Ranchie' McLean on the cover. Most of the time he was listed as a bass player,often together with Robbie Shakespear. We honestly never heard any difference on all those records played by Skin, Flesh & Bones, The Revolutionaries, The Aggrovators, The Professionals or whatever other name this loose group of studio musicians surrounding Sly & Robbie might have used back in the 1970's. Sometimes Ranchie played the guitar, especially in the early years of the Impact All Stars. He also worked for Coxsone Dodd and Sonia Pottinger, but his true success came when he recorded some hit tunes with Mighty Diamonds for producer Ernest Hookim.

Researching this article we discovered Ranchie McLean even wrote one worldwide hit: 'Rub-a-dub partner' by Jimmy Cliff (bought on 12" at the time), and we've probably seen him playing live with that same Jimmy Cliff. 'Club Paradise', a cocktail movie that takes place in Portland, is really worth checking out. Ranchie was one of the songwriters for the soundtrack of the movie and he even plays a small role in it as well.

Ranchie McLean's bass and guitar lines will be forever engraved in our hearts. His name's been on hundreds of album covers and in even more CD booklets which we will continue to look at for years. Rasta never die.

(There only seems to be 1 picture of Ranchie McLean - actually just a still of a video - still in circulation)

For more details, check:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/-Ranchie--McLean-is-dead\_13044689