Music
By Kevin Jackson Observer writer
Friday, November 12, 2004
Early 1990s deejay Simpleton died on Sunday night at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in Kingston. Simpleton, who reportedly suffered from high blood pressure, collapsed and was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 33.
Producer Ray Vertex, who recently recorded new tracks with Simpleton, said the industry had lost a talented artiste with a lot of promise.
"He was in the hospital two months ago getting treatment for high blood pressure. And on Sunday he just collapsed and suffered a heart attack. It's really sad," Vertex said.
Originally from the Tavern area of St Andrew, Simpleton, born Christopher Harrison, shot to fame in 1992 when he scored a number one hit on the JBC Radio One and RJR Top 40 charts with Coca Cola Bottle Shape. In the mid 1990s he hit the Top 10 on the charts with Quarter to Twelve, produced by Anthony Red Rose.
Producer Collin Walters whose Collin Fat label was responsible for the success of Coca Cola Bottle Shape (the song was from a rhythm called Gigeie, that scored hits with Wife by Joseph Stepper, When I See You Smile by Singing Sweet, and Lotto by Balloon), remembers Simpleton as determined and talented.
"I produced his very first song. Coca Cola Bottle Shape was the first song he ever recorded and it became his biggest hit song. I had met him through a school friend of mine, and he asked me to record him on a rhythm I was working on at the time. It was Simpleton who introduced me to Round Head. From the moment I met Simpleton, I knew that there was something about him as far as the music was concerned', said Walters.
Simpleton is survived by three children.
