Kulcha
ON THE night of September 11, 1987 Peter Tosh was at his Barbican home with his common-law wife, Marlene Brown, popular disk jockey, Jeff 'Free-I' Dixon, his wife Joy and herbalist Winston 'Doc' Brown. Three men knocked on the door, and when it was opened they barged in, allegedly demanding money. They were told there was none in the house and soon all that was heard were gunshots. 'Doc' was killed instantly, Free I and Tosh died later at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
News of the shooting interrupted scheduled programming on all electronic media in Jamaica. That was how Free-I's son, Knox Dixon, learnt that his father was dead.
"Mi was in Mandeville, stop by mi uncle place and mi hear it pon di news still."
Dixon, who is more popularly known as Kulcha Knox, traveled to Kingston the next morning and was given confirmation of what he had heard the night before. His father was dead. Knox was the first of Free-I's three children and at the time was 22 years old. At the time he worked part-time at the Alcan Bauxite company.
The following year, Dennis 'Leppo' Lobban was found guilty and sentenced to death for killing Tosh, Free-I and Doc. However, that sentence was commuted to life, which he is currently serving at the General Penitentiary at Tower Street in Kingston. Lobban maintains his innocence.
Meanwhile Knox seems benevolent towards him.
"Him is the one found guilty of that act, but you have some even greater criminals in this society," he told The Sunday Gleaner on the eve of the anniversary of his father's death.
"Dem programme a person and he does certain things," added Knox. Lobban had been to prison twice before, the first time at age 16. Remembering his father, Knox said they had a good relationship. "Him was one of the main persons to encourage me to go into dis business. Whenever I get day off, I would go up to visit him. Help him with the shows for Marcus Garvey and other things that he would do," said Knox.
"Is September 11, a day of mourning for you?" The Sunday Gleaner asked. "No. Everyday my father name call. Every time people see me, dem see Free-I," he responded. Knox also sees some link between the atrocities committed on September 11, 2001 with the death of Tosh and his father. "The morning of September 11, I was in Germany and I was staying with a friend who she to me "A si yuh father last night yuh know, A see a Rasta man look just like you in a white and him tell me to don't say anything.' And same time she say dat a turn on the TV and see the first plane going into the tower, and a realise is what date" he said.
Today, Knox and Andrew Tosh, son of Peter, are friends. "Him come check me a couple weeks ago, but I wasn't there so I missed him. But me and him a bredren man."
Just like his friend, Andrew, Knox carries on his father's name. "I have many songs with the word Free. Everything for me is free. My father free me up within nature. And everything is Free-I."
