‘Crime will kill Jamaican reggae’ - Attorney laments murder of Tabby Diamond

As he mourns the loss of The Mighty Diamonds' lead singer Donald 'Tabby Diamond' Shaw, who was shot dead on Tuesday night, entertainment attorney Lloyd Stanbury fears that the local music industry could be affected negatively by news of violence being broadcast to the world.

"At the rate we are going, crime and ignorance will for sure kill Jamaican reggae music. The fact that we appear to resolve all disputes by using guns [or other weapons] and it is a message that is constantly in and around our music, it does have grave impact on the way people view our culture. The poor values and attitudes of the loudest members of the Jamaican public will reduce our ability to be competitive in the global music market," Stanbury told THE STAR.

He said that Jamaica as a brand is "much larger than we can imagine" and that this is evident in the outpouring of love and support on social media as persons reacted to Shaw's murder.

According to the police, about 9:40 p.m., a lone gunman walked up to a group of persons standing along McKinley Crescent and opened fire. Five persons were shot. Shaw and another person perished. Senior Superintendent of Police Kirk Ricketts, who is the commanding officer for the St Andrew South Police Division, said that the community has been affected by gang violence. Police are also probing if the murder is linked to alleged activities of Shaw's son, who is in police custody on murder charges. Stanbury said that the theories about Shaw's son was "shocking news for me and the music industry".

DISHEARTENING NEWS

"We don't know what it means, but it's interesting that the law enforcers chose to release the information today," Stanbury said. "Though I am not familiar with his son, this idea that he is involved in violence or has beef with someone and that Tabby's death could be the result of a reprisal is disheartening."

"What messages are we sending? I don't know what conclusions and assumptions the police expect the public and the wider world to draw from the reports about the son," he said.

Stanbury lauded the work of The Mighty Diamonds, which also includes Lloyd 'Judge' Ferguson and Fitzroy 'Bunny' Shaw.

"The Mighty Diamonds was probably the vocal group with the longest ongoing career as recording and performing artistes from Jamaica, primarily defined by the remarkable voice of Tabby Diamond. He was one of the leading vocalists of all time. Tabby's life was cut short by violence," Stanbury said. "All the violence aside, it will be very difficult to replace Tabby's vocals, but all things remain possible if the group, with the strength, continues to record and perform."