Inner Circle’s Founding Members Say Overwhelming Grief Over Jacob Miller’s Death Led To Miami Migration

Inner Circle’s founding members, Ian and Roger Lewis, have revealed that it was the overwhelming grief they felt following the tragic death of the band’s lead singer Jacob Miller, which led them to migrate to Florida and consequently establish their Circle House studios there.

The two brothers were speaking with Onstage’s Winford Williams when they made the revelation, in response to a question about their choice of Miami over Kingston.

For Ian Lewis, the pain over the death of Jacob, who they fondly called Jakes, was so unbearable that the band, which was formed in 1968, did not play for an entire six years, as Jacob was like a blood brother to them.

Jacob Miller, also known as Killer Miller, died on 23rd March 1980 in a car crash at age 27.

“It was in the interim, right after Jacob died.  And we were kinda just feeling generally down, depressed and we kinda moved up here.  And Roger was still in Jamaica; I was up here and just backing and forthing,” Ian outlined.

“It was hard to play music without Jakes because it’s one (thing) to have a lead singer in the band, but it’s another thing to have a brother, where you and him eat, drink cornmeal porridge, play domino, everything everyday.  So, when you lose that element of somebody, you kinda want change di surroundings,” he added.

“It wasn’t like seh wi waan leave Jamaica.  But in the depression mode, wi jus kinda seh bwoy, meck wi find a change a scenery and maybe… It took us six years before wi play one more note, you know.”

For Roger Lewis, the death of jovial Jacob, made him unable to function musically at the time.  The fact that the band members all lived together in the same house, made the loss even more excruciating.

“I always seh it was like a solar plexus that left one bewildered for a while.   Not sure if yuh want go back in the music because, you don’t just replace Jacob.  Jacob was really an integral bredrin part a our ting,” he said.

“The thing about Inner Circle is that the core was always there – me Ian, Touta.  Because we used to live together enuh, in a house, in a home together,” he added.

Roger also recounted fond memories of Jacob, who joined the band after other original members including Car Coore split and went on to form their own band in 1973, opening up a space for Jakes who had been demanding for some time, that he be incorporated into the band.

“1973 was when we had that split.  But with that split came the great Jacob, who used to follow us all around and seh: ‘Inner Circle will never be great unless you have di great Jake’s a sing -Jakes, Jakes, Jake’s,” he said in amusement.

“We got so tired a Jake’s that when the split finally came, we said:  ‘allright Jake’s, you is a man (with) pure moutn.  Meck wi see what you can do’”, Roger added.

What happened the following morning, Roger said was hilarious, yet shocking to him.

“Now I think di man is coming by himself di next day, to give us this great audition and this great singing. When I hear ‘beng-beng’ outta di gate, mi si di man wid 11 people. Di man bring him whole band,” he said erupting in laughter.

In outlining the tragic events which led to the Manchester native’s death, The Jamaica Observer’s Executive Editor Vernon Davidson, in 2018 noted that Miller died shortly after returning from Brazil with his friend Bob Marley.

Both men had traveled to the South American country to participate in the launch of a new office for their label, Island Records.  According to a Gleaner article, “the story was that Jacob Miller had been driving and a piece of cane dropped and he picked it up, and subsequently crashed into a wall”.

Jacob Miller came to the fore with Keep On Knocking, which was released in 1974. He also recorded another hit All Night Till Daylight which lit up the 1976 Festival Song Contest, and even though it did not win the competition, was an instant hit with the public, even though it took second place to Freddie McKay’s Dance This Ya Festival.

Prior to that, he had his first hit in 1968 as a teenager with Love is a Message, which was produced by producer Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd at his legendary Studio One.   In the early 1970s, Miller also voiced songs for musician/producer Augustus Pablo, making a mark with edgy songs such as Keep on Knocking, Each One Teach One and Baby I Love You.

Among Jacob’s other hits were Mr. Officer, False Rasta, Who Say Jah No Dread, Disciplined Child, Tenement Yard, Chapter A Day, I’ve Got The Handle, Mixed Up Moods, Peace Treaty, Standing Firm, Suzy Wong and Tired Fi Lick Weed in a Bush.

Miller, who was described as a good-humored young man, is notably remembered for his performance of Tenement Yard in the classic Jamaican film titled Rockers.

His performance at 1978’s One Love Peace Concert at the National Stadium in Kingston on April 22, 1978, was also deemed historic, as while performing his set, Miller brazenly put a policeman’s hat on his head, and lit up a gigantic ganja spliff, also known as a “big head spliff” much to the delight of the audience.

Ian and Roger Lewis, have declared May 4, Jakes birthday as Jacob Miller Day in tribute to their fallen friend.   In January 2015, Inner Circle led a tribute to Miller at the Rebel Salute show at the Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St. Ann, which featured a cameo performance by Chronixx, with whom they had produced an updated version of Tenement Yard dubbed Newscarrying Dread, which was a big radio hit in Jamaica.