Kenneth Rowe “Fat Man” Gordon.
Kenneth Rowe Gordon, a pioneer of the British sound system movement, died in a London hospital on December 15.
He was 78 years-old.
Known as Fatman, Gordon operated the Fatman Hi Fi and Fatman Sound for many years out of Tottenham in north London.
Born in Watt Town, St Ann, he migrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1960s.
Later that decade Gordon became part of the thriving sound system movement that emerged in areas with a large Jamaican presence such as north London, Brixton, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Bristol.
His son, Andrew, who confirmed his death, told the Jamaica Observer that his father started his career playing at blues dances (West Indian basement parties), then town halls and clubs throughout the UK.
“He definitely played a major role in spreading the music in the UK. My father was very up to date with the music because of his link with [producers] Bunny Lee, [Osbourne Ruddock] King Tubby, and [Lloyd James] Jammys,” said the younger Gordon.
His link with Lee, King Tubby and King Jammy was mutually beneficial. He helped expose their music on his sound system, as well as distributing their productions in the UK through his Fatman Records and KG Imperial labels.
Gordon was also a producer, recording songs by artistes such as Don Carlos, Pat Kelly, and The Blackstones. He returned to Jamaica permanently in 2012 and received an award from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association in 2023 for “extraordinary impact on the reggae industry”.
Kenneth Rowe “Fatman” Gordon is survived by his wife, six children, 12 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, brothers and sisters.