Super Cat, Nicodemus (Stur Mars in York Town)

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With his tough, trancelike flow, Anthony William Maragh aka Super Cat is one of the most respected deejays of his generation. Raised in the musical hothouse of Kingston 11, coming from Indian/West Indian parentage, he first appeared at the microphone in a dance aged around seven years old.
After a spell in prison during adolescence, he began taking his calling seriously in the early 80s. His abilities on the sound systems King Stur Gav, a clash conquering Killamanjaro and Stereo Mars led to some immortal recordings as the reggae world was turning digital. These included Trash and Ready (on King Jammys Sleng Teng rhythm) and Boops (for Winston Riley).
When the decade ended the Cat relocated to New York, where he had another brush with the law (ultimately being cleared of involvement in singer Nitty Gritty’s death), landing on his feet with a contract from Sony/Columbia Records. In Jamaica he was a conjoiner of the live instrument and computer eras; in NYC he was instrumental in keeping the link between dancehall and hip hop, working with Heavy D and even child duo Kris Kross.
Due respectability comes with age or absence: as demonstrated when Super Cat returned to Sting 2013 (site of a 1991 clash with Ninjaman where bottles were thrown) to a hero’s welcome. This summer he performs in Europe at Roma Red Hot in Italy, Reggae Geel in Belgium, and Rototom Sunsplash in Spain, and consequently granted Reggaeville the following rare interview.
Super Cat has a unique mode of expression - his rhythmic, serene utterances take on the riddle-like quality of a Holy man. Yet amidst the many allusions to horseracing, classic Western and gangster movies, his speech is riddled with fascinating historical references to Jamaica in the 70s and 80s.
It should be noted that his management stipulated we avoid certain topics of conversation. Even so, this short discussion gives a flavour of the man: who, despite an at times complicated life, has maintained a simple focus on his craft.
Cecil Wellington (1957-1996), better known as Nicodemus, was a Jamaican reggae deejay who released a string of albums in the 1980s and 1990s. Nicodemus was a pioneer of dancehall music and is credited with positively influencing many aspiring DJs. He is truly a dancehall legend. Partnering with the iconic Super Cat since the late-1970s, the dynamic duo (Nicodemus & Super Cat) released a string of local and commercially successful reggae hits. Hit songs that spring to mind are "Cabin Stabbin'" and "My Prerogative. " Nicodemus died on August 26, 1996, of complications with diabetes.
Born in Jamaica in 1957, he began his career in 1976 as a deejay with the Socialist Roots sound system. He moved to Prince Jammy's sound system in 1978 and towards the end of the decade also made his first studio recordings. His style was compared to Prince Far I and Prince Jazzbo. He had a big hit with "Boneman Connection" in 1981, and remained popular throughout the first half of the 1980s, becoming regarded as a dancehall veteran. His influence was clear on younger deejays such as John Taylor, aka Nicodemus Junior, who later had greater success after changing his stage name to Chaka Demus. After a lean period between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s, when his releases were less frequent, he re-emerged in 1994 with the album The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Crazy, which was followed by Dancehall Giant in 1995, for which he embarked on a 7-week tour of the western United States alongside artists from the San Francisco based Positive Sound Massive label (including Major Terror, Grandson Demus, and Stand Out Selector), and backed by the Chico CA-based dancehall outfit Cornerstone Featuring Levi Jr. In 1996, he died from complications related to diabetes, aged 39, with a posthumous album, Dancehall Greats, issued two years later.