On Tuesday, longtime CFRU volunteer and programmer Nicky Taylor, better known by stage name Nicky Dread as the host of the weekly show The Crooked Beat and as a popular DJ around town, passed away at his home in Guelph surrounded by family.
His show has been playing weekly on CFRU since 1981 and is known to share reggae in all forms from all over the world.
Taylor grew up in Georgetown, Guyana, and moved to Guelph in 1977 to study science at the University of Guelph.
He began what would be a 42-year venture starting in 1979 at the university’s community radio station, CFRU.
Despite reggae being what he is known for by the community, his wife Karin Davidson-Taylor said he was a man of many interests with many hidden elements that not everyone was able to see.
“He was a campfire builder extraordinaire, I would be putting up the tent and putting the sleeping bags in it and everything like that, but the campfire was his domain,” said Karin, “and that's where his time in the scouts in Guyana and love of nature came from.”
An avid outdoorsman, Taylor and his family would go camping across Ontario in the summers, branching out to their favourite sites but never afraid to pitch a tent at a new campsite.
“He loved rocks and he was fascinated by the shapes of them, the wear in them and rocks was something special. He was a rock of a man, too. There were a lot of hidden elements in him, said Karin.”
John Leacock, a long-time friend of Taylor, said he was a great dad to his kids, taking priority of them and his wife.
“He taught me how to listen to reggae music and how to understand the importance of the history behind every reggae album on his show,” said Leacock. “He had the knowledge and he provided not only the exposure to the music like popular radio would do, he would provide a biography of the performing artists.”
Taylor brought with him a strong interest in increasing the knowledge of reggae to his listeners.
“His collection of music is not very rivalled on the planet. It’s extensive. He told me he might have had close to two terabytes of digital reggae music from all over the world, a huge and extensive vinyl and reel to reel collection of music,” said Leacock. “Before he died he spoke of us finding a way to protect it through different organizations in Guelph including the Guelph Black Heritage Society.”
According to his social media profiles, he spent a brief period of his life in Bridgetown, Barbados, as well as London, England, before working for the Wellington Catholic District School Board as a systems database manager for over 25 years.
“Nicky obviously was already a legend as a program and community builder both in Guelph among CFRU community and internationally as an ambassador for the music that he loved,” said Bryan Webb, operations communicator with CFRU. “I think he spent his life in service of that music and the people who made it, which was a beautiful thing.”
Webb has been with CFRU for over a decade, working in both the programming and tech departments.
“This loss is huge for CFRU and the wider community,” said Webb.
A list of his accolades provided by the Guelph Black Heritage Society and shared by CFRU show Taylor was a titan of the reggae scene.
During his time as a radio host, he was awarded the Canadian Black Music Award for Top Radio Disk Jockey in 1983, received a Certificate of Appreciation from the 4th International Reggae Music Awards in 1985, served on the Canadian Black Music Awards Committee & the Black Music Advisory Committee to the Juno Awards in the 1980s, received the Peter Tosh Memorial Award for dedicated services to reggae in Canada at the Canadian Reggae Music Awards in 1998, and judged twice on the Canadian Juno Reggae category. He celebrated 40 Years of Reggae Radio Revolutions at the eBar in 2019.
“Nicky was not just a programmer, he was an ambassador for CFRU," said Christopher Currie, programming director at CFRU.
Recalling Taylor’s in-depth and encompassing knowledge on reggae music, Currie recalled one time stumbling across a reggae group from the Solomon Islands which he thought would be interesting to share with Taylor.
Already up to date on the small South Pacific island nation’s budding reggae scene, Taylor then offered up another group from the country for Currie to listen to.
“It’s a show that everyone regards with tremendous respect. Nicky’s knowledge of the genre of reggae music is unparalleled and everyone looked at the show as an incredible asset that we had,” said Currie.
Currie worked with Taylor for the last 12 years, noting that when he arrived at the station Taylor was already someone who had already reached the level of being recognized as an institution.
“This was more than just a regular program at CFRU radio, this was something that represented us in the world at large, it was something that had a broad international audience and national,” said Currie. “Nicky was someone who was extremely well known within the reggae music community, and not just locally but in a broader sense as well, and we were lucky at the station to have the legacy of the program as a continued, ongoing, active part of our schedule.”
CFRU said it will be paying tribute to Nicky Dread and all that he's done. Those who wish to be involved can email [email protected].
