TIGER-BACK FROM EXTINCTION

photo by BETH LESSER

Not much was written about the man, uh I mean, the cat known as TIGER. The man was born Norman Jackson in the jungles of KINGSTON JA. Most of what I learned about him came from Beth Lesser’s amazing books. Someday I’ll get around to telling ya all about them. Till then…

Tiger would set up some CASIO keyboards and drum machines on his porch. A crowd would gather round too listen. TIGER would keep layering and tweaking the sound till he got the RIDDIM just right. And how did Tiger know when he hit it just right? When the gathered crowd started uncontrollable grooving. Created in real time before a lively audience. That’s how he would test his tunes. Before he even voiced a RIDDIM he already knew the beats would get the Ladies hips shaking and the Gents feet shuffling.

A best of collection of early massive chart smashes. Awesome place to start hunting down TIGER'S tunes. A RAS Records release.

TIGER was an instant DANCEHALL smash. So big was his success that after playing local star he signed to the major international power house...Columbia Records. He was something completely new. Unique at the mic like EEK-A-MOUSE but with a style all his own. His tunes were catchy get stuck in your head tunes but TIGER always prowled a fine line between artistic genius and gimmick. When inspiration got a little on the thin side he started to lean heavy on his repertoire of proven vocal stunts. (Animal noises.) Umm, it did get old after awhile and TIGER was listed as an ENDANGERED SPECIES! Fads fade so quickly where the youth are concerned.

As ELEPHANT MAN so eloquently states in the tune Replacement Killers….”And TIGER Seh Mi Fi Beat Red Stripe Offa ZEBRA.”

I never thought I would quote Elephant Man.

I guess Jamaica has a soft spot in its heart for the growling TIGER because as the years progressed into now, ZEBRA picked up TIGER’S style and began hitting the charts with it until he was sentenced to 30 years hard labor for carnal abuse and buggery. There is never a dull moment in Jamaica’s music industry.

I Googled TIGER for any new info and learned that he was mashed up real bad inna motorcycle accident early 1994. I always figured a fickle Dancehall scene was behind his disappearance. It was both because by that time in his career music was changing fast. On a positive note TIGER is injury recovered and released this comeback effort in 2003.

Not great but not bad either…Glad to see that top cat landed on all four of his claws.