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February 01, 2006
Brent Dowe of the Mellodians Passes On
By: Jigga YardFlex Reporter
Legendary singer Brent Dowe of Mellodians fame died suddenly of a heart attack last Sunday, January 28. He was 59 years old.
It is hard, but we are trying to cope. He didn't have any heart conditions, he drinks a lot and smokes a lot, the autopsy showed his arteries were black. We have four kids together, the youngest is four years old," his wife of 6 years, Sonia Dowe told YARDFLEX yesterday. The couple had been together for 29 years.
"I loved him a lot, he was a good man, loving husband, good father...a tremendous singer...I'm going to miss him so much."
The funeral will be held on February 12th at a venue yet to be announced.
Dowe was known for the smash hits 'Sweet Sensation', and 'Little Nut Tree', but it is the spiritually charged 'Rivers of Babylon' with its haunting, looping rhythm for which the Mellodians will be forever known.
The local music fraternity was shocked, and disheartened as news of Dowe's death spread.
"I knew that he was kinda overweight, but it still came as a terrible shock to me. I am going to miss him, we grew up together in the sixties, and we had a good relationship, 'cause we used to congregate at the same places and so on. He had a phenomenal career with big hits such as 'Rivers of Babylon' with Mellodians who were a great group because Porky can lead, and Tony and J could also lead. It's a big loss," Ken Boothe told YARDFLEX.
Dawn Henry of DNA Productions, which does bookings for a number of vintage artistes, was also saddened by the news.
"He was an excellent performer, and writer, and a good showman. He really left a tremendous legacy behind and I spent all of Sunday listening to Bob Clarke play Mellodians songs last Sunday, and I was blown away by the great songs they had," she said.