Gregory Isaacs

One of Jamaica's true living legends, Gregory Isaacs has spent the better part of four decades breaking new ground in roots reggae, lovers rock, and dancehall. Reliable estimates approximate his output at the over-the-500 mark — not singles . . . albums — a figure that makes the tag prolific seem barely adequate. Start with "Night Nurse" (released in 1982 and covered by Simply Red in 1997) and "My Only Lover" from 1973, his big breakthrough.

Delve into Isaac's fertile '70s output in Next Steps.

During the mid-'70s, Isaacs produced a deluge of hits and albums: "Love Is Overdue" appears on In Person (1975), which arrived at a time when he was starting to show his versatility. This period would deliver the mainly self-produced Rasta Business, featuring the unflinching, socially conscious lyrical dynamite of "Black Against Black" alongside lovers' classics like "If I Don't Have You". Soon Forward ended the decade in style, boasting rock-solid protest tracks like "Universal Tribulation".

Over the years, Gregory Isaacs has released so much material it's hard to know where to begin, which makes our selection of his killer tracks the perfect key to unlocking his legend. Isaacs represents a one-man Jamaican timeline from roots to dancehall, and his reggae family tree has branches extending to practically every significant producer and session musician, from the Roots Radics to Prince Jammy, King Tubby, Niney Holness, Alvin Ranglin, and Gussie Clark. Whether he's singing about the "Slavemaster" or the "Night Nurse", Isaacs lives up to his moniker: the Cool Ruler.