57 years old Phillip 'Fatis' Burrell passed away on Saturday December 3, 2011, at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. The legendary producer reportedly suffered a stroke and was hospitalised since. After spending the night at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he was transferred Friday afternoon after having a second stroke, he died early Saturday morning.
Born in Whitfield Town, Kingston JA, Phillip Burrell aka "Fatis" migrated to the United States when he was only five years old and returned years later as a teenager. He operated one of the most progressive production outfits working in the Jamaican studios from the '90s up to the early years of the new millennium. Then, after having taken a kind of a break from production work, "Fatis" Burrell reactivated his Xterminator imprint in 2010 with digital single releases from Sizzla and up-and-coming artists such as Jesse Royal and Kyala Bliss.
It took "Fatis" a decade to become one of Jamaica's leading producers of the '90s. It were Robbie Shakespeare and George Phang who encouraged him to take up production. In 1984 he started releasing a couple of Sugar Minott tunes including "More Dogs To The Bone" on his short-lived Kings & Lion label. In 1986 he founded the Vena label, kicking off with 12" singles by Leroy Mafia; the following year he was recording Jamaican singers such as Sanchez, Pinchers and Thriller U. Frankie Paul and Red Dragon both voiced hit tracks, and sampler albums from 1988 reveal established names such as Gregory Issacs, Charlie Chaplin and General Trees alongside Burrel protégés such as Quench Aid, Lukie D, Conrad Crystal and Daddy Freddy, whose 1989 "Cater Fi She" album for "Fatis" was his debut. That same year saw the introduction of 'live' dancehall sets, and some seriously militant marketing of the Exterminator (later Xterminator) label, which mirrored the hard, driving riddim tracks and often uncompromising material found on it.
Throughout 1990-91 artists of the calibre of Ninjaman, Ini Kamoze, Cocoa Tea, Admiral Tibett, Tony Rebel, Frankie Paul, Gregory Isaacs, Beres Hammond, Johnny Osbourne, and Tiger, appeared as part of "Fatis" Burrell's roster. In the next three years he issued a prolific number of exceptional releases including albums from Capleton, Beres Hammond, Sugar Minott, Cocoa Tea, Pinchers, and Sanchez. However it was his working with Luciano and Sizzla that brought him and these artists huge success and international acclaim. Under the wings of "Fatis", Luciano and Sizzla and also artists like Mikey General, Prince Malachi, and Jesse Jender were responsible for a shift in Jamaican popular music, "Rasta renaissance".
Phillip "Fatis" Burrell's productions have always been among the best crafted, whether on refreshed vintage riddims or innovative drum-dominated tracks.
Sources: The Rough Guide To Reggae, Wikipedia, The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae.
1954-2011
SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:
Albums:
- Al Campbell - Road Block (1997)
- Beres Hammond - Full Attention (1993)
- Capleton - Almshouse (1993)
- Charlie Chaplin & Josey Wales - Kings Of The Dancehall (1994)
- Chezidek - Harvest Time (2002)
- Chezidek - Rising Sun (2005)
- Cocoa Tea - One Up (1993)
- Cocoa Tea - Tune In / Good Life (1994)
- Cocoa Tea - Israel's King (1996)
- Cocoa Tea - Feel The Power (2001)
- Cocoa Tea - Save Us Jah (2006)
- Dean Fraser - Taking Chances (1992)
- Dean Fraser - Deans Plays Bob (1994)
- Dean Fraser - Dean Plays Bob Vol. 2 (1996)
- Fred Locks - Never Give Up (1998)
- Frankie Paul - Freedom (1996)
- Gregory Isaacs - Midnight Confidential (1994)
- Lady G - God Daughter (1995)
- Luciano - Moving Up (1993)
- Luciano - One Way Ticket, Luciano (1994)
- Luciano - Back To Africa, Luciano (1994)
- Luciano - Where There Is Life (1995)
- Luciano - Messenger (1996)
- Luciano - Sweep Over My Soul (1999)
- Luciano - Duets (2002)
- Mikey General - Stronger Rastaman / Sinners (1995)
- Nadine Sutherland - Nadine (1997)
- Ninjaman - Out Pon Bail (1990)
- Prince Malachi - Prophet, Priest & King (1999)
- Prince Malachi - Watch Over Me (2000)
- Roaring Lion - S/T (1998)
- Sanchez - Boom Bye Bye (1993)
- Sanchez - Praise Him (1995)
- Sizzla - Burning Up (1995)
- Sizzla - Praise Yeh Jah (1997)
- Sizzla - Freedom Cry (1998)
- Sizzla - Kalonji (1998)
- Sizzla - Be I Strong (1999)
- Sizzla - Royal Son Of Ethiopia (1999)
- Sizzla - Bobo Ashanti (2000)
- Sizzla - Words Of Truth (2000)
- Sizzla - Taking Over (2001)
- Sizzla - Rastafari Teach I Everything (2001)
- Sizzla - Ghetto Revolution (2002)
- Sizzla - Stay Focus (2004)
- Sizzla - Jah Knows Best (2004)
- Sugar Minott - Run Things (1993)
- Turbulence - S/T (2000)
- Turbulence - The Truth (2003)
- Turbulence - Hail To The King (2003)
- Turbulence - Songs Of Solomon (2005)
- Various - Exterminator Vol. 3 (1991)
- Various - Muslim Vol. 1 (1992)
- Various - Muslim Vol. 2 (1992)
- Various - Best Of The Best Vol. 2 (1994)
- Various - Boom Reggae Hits Vol. 4 (1994)
- Various - Armageddon Time (1998)
- Various - The Herbalist (1999)
- Various - The World Shall See (2000)
- Various - Armageddon Time Vol. 2 (2000)
- Various - Rough Inna Town : The Xterminator Sound (2002)
- Various - In The Producer's Hot Seat (2005)
