Bagga Matumbi

Lannie Glenmore "Bevin" Fagan (aka Bagga Matumbi), singer, songwriter and record producer, born May 11 1953; died April 3 2008 Born near Kingston, Jamaica, Fagan moved to the UK aged seven and settled in Battersea, south-west London, where his father was minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion church; Fagan first learned to sing there and the soulful voices of visiting brethren from church branches in the US influenced his singing. While attending Spencer Park secondary school, Wandsworth, Fagan became friendly with Barbados-born Dennis Bovell, who had already formed a psychedelic rock band called Stonehenge with another Caribbean immigrant classmate, Errol Pottinger, on lead vocals. Although never officially a member of Stonehenge, Fagan demonstrated his ability to harmonise with Bovell and Pottinger in the school playground. Stonehenge disbanded in 1970 and from its ashes rose Matumbi, a Yoruba word signifying rebirth. Although the group already had Pottinger and Tex Dixon handling vocals, Bovell recruited Fagan, who had briefly worked as a bank clerk after leaving school, to allow for three-part vocal harmony. In its early days, Matumbi gained kudos backing visiting Jamaican stars Ken Boothe and I-Roy, sharing the stage with luminaries including Peter Tosh. Their earliest recording, a cover version of Hot Chocolate's Brother Louie, led by Bovell, gained them a contract with Trojan records, who also issued Wipe Them Out, the first release featuring Fagan on lead vocals, as well as the significantly more popular After Tonight, led by Pottinger. Their reputation was boosted by a cover version, with Fagan on lead, of The Man in Me, a Bob Dylan song the group first became aware of when covered by the Persuaders; Matumbi's rendition was the bestselling British reggae single of 1976. Tired of being pigeonholed as a covers band and generally displeased by Trojan's strategy, Matumbi broke away after a problematic period that saw Dixon, keyboardist Nick Bailey and Pottinger moving on, resulting in Fagan being promoted to official lead vocalist and his younger brother Glaister joining the group. In 1978, the revitalised band signed to EMI's Harvest label, and the resultant album, Seven Seals, contained the nostalgic Blue Beat and Ska, as well as the theme song to the television series Empire Road, which Fagan had a large hand in writing. They also toured extensively with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, which broadened their following, while band members were also involved in side projects, including one featuring Fagan's older sister Sylvia, who recorded under the name Guardian Angel. Matumbi's follow-up album, Point of View, with several songs co-written by Fagan, provided a pinnacle of popularity when its title track reached No 35 in the UK pop charts in 1979. Their final eponymous disc for EMI, and their 1982 album Testify, recorded in Jamaica and co-produced by Fagan and drummer Euton Jones, were less successful. (Source: The Guardian)