Reggaeobit: Wycliffe Johnson

Reggae producer Wycliffe Johnson has died, his daughter has announced.

Known professionally as Steely, Johnson had all the right connections, including a spell at Studio One and time playing keyboards for Bob Marley. His lasting partnership with Cleveland Browne - Clevie - started at the age of 12; the pair would be the first in reggae to seriously experiment with digital techniques.

As producers and inspirations, Steely and Clevie would shape the popular end of reggae for two decades (Johnson's production work is still being sampled and mashed, probably even as we speak.)

Survived by his mother and five children, Johnson died following a heart attack brought on by pneumonia. The 47 year-old had been in poor health for some time.

Buffalo wings Soldier

I suppose Bob Marley being used to flog things isn't new - but the latest plans from the Marley estate are step-up from selling posters to every student house in the UK and letting Persil use Three Little Birds:

Bob Marley drinks, luggage, stationery, hotels and video games could soon appear after the late reggae star's family struck a merchandise deal.

"We're open to licensing just about anything," said the late reggae icon's daughter Cedella. But she added: "If it is not right, we will not do it."

It's a little tricky, after you've thrown off your clothes and started rubbing dollar bills all over your naked skin, to then try and suggest you're doing so with dignity, isn't it?

Ms Marley said interest in her father was growing, almost 30 years after his death. "The things that dad spoke about are still the things that we all need to fix and work on," she said.

"Sometimes when you put on his records it's like he's talking about today, right now.

"The message is still about hope and peace and all of us coming together. That's what makes him special. All of us can relate to him."

Ah yes. The songs of struggle, and hope, that Bob was known for. How best can you capture that essential, dignified struggle?

There is already a Bob Marley Resort & Spa in the Bahamas, which could be the springboard for a string of Marley hotels.

That would be the way.

Songwriterobit: Vincent Ford

The death has been announced of Vincent Ford, reggae songwriter.

Ford is credited with writing No Woman, No Cry, although some claim that the tune was written by Bob Marley with the credit gifted to Ford. Whatever the truth of the creation, the money raised by the song did a lot of good - Ford used the regular royalty cheques to keep a soup kitchen in Trenchtown, Kingston, afloat.

Ford was 68; he died of complications related to his diabetes.

No Marty, no cry

Martin Scorsese has decided he doesn't want to be involved any longer with the Bob Marley biopic - down to "scheduling conflicts", apparently.

Not to worry, though: Jonathan Demme has got some spare time and is stepping in to the project instead. There are now a slew of producers who seem to move from one music biopic to the next. Doubtless if Demme had also been busy, Pennebaker would have been next on the speed-dial.

Jamaican Broadcasting Company loses Tosh and more

If you're read the introduction to Clive James' TV criticism book Visions Before Midnight, you'll be familiar with his argument that the archive programmes wiped by a BBC keen to reuse tape was merely a physical manifestation of the act of forgetting which humanity needs to do to stay sane. Perhaps that's the best spirit to approach the discovery that "a massive number" of rare recordings have vanished from the Jamaican Broadcasting Company's collection.

The missing stuff dates from the 70s, and includes rare recordings of Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, along with footage of Castro's 1977 visit to the island and god knows what else.

Mojo give the gongs

We're a little surprised that in these multimedia end days in which we live that Mojo appear to have not bothered covering their own awards online, allowing the BBC to carry the winners first. Like not eating the cake at your own birthday party, surely?

Or perhaps they're just a little awkward about the winners:

Butter-advertising Ozzy Osbourne has won the Icon Award; Rehab was the song of the year; The Stooges picked up lifetime achievement awards and, while Ike Turner's habit of beating the shit out of Tina might be causing problems for him at the Edinburgh Jazz festival, it hasn't stopped Mojo presenting him with Best Legend.

Actually, can Legends be comparative? "I'm a better legend than you"? Alice Cooper picked up the hero prize, which is different to being a legend, of course.

Best album has gone to The Good, The Bad and the Queen; Arcade Fire are best live act; Surprisingly, Seasick Steve won the breakthrough act, which will probably do him about as much good as it did Colin Barely Rae last year.

Surviving Marleys a-plenty came out to accept the classic award for Exodus on behalf of Bob; Bjork took what the BBC call "the prestigious inspiration award" - we suspect the adjective is the BBC's, but we're not sure; Joy Division outstanding contribution and Suicide the inspiration in sound prize, whatever that means.

Apparently, all the EMAP magazine awards shows are henceforward going to be sponsored by Bitburger beers:

Adnams marketing director Steve Curzon said: "We know that music and movies are two subjects that score highly among the Bitburger target audience.

"Q, Empire, Mojo, Kerrang and Arena are all titles that embody socialising and exclusivity - these are watchwords of the Bitburger positioning within the UK."

We're not entirely sure that if we were trying to position a lager as exclusive we'd throw it at the Kerrang awards, but then we don't work in advertising.

Ride the Hendrix dipper

Proving that there's no brand extension too tacky for some franchises, the Hard Rock cafe people are going to add to their overpriced burger bars, casinos, hotels and lucrative "selling unflattering t-shirts to timid tourists" business by opening a theme park in South Carolina.

This, apparently, is to be the largest tourist initiative ever in South Carolina - which is a little bit like "the most welcoming pub in the Gorbals" in the 1980s, to be honest.

As you can see, to celebrate the groundbreaking on the project, they built a massive sand sculpture called Mount Rockmore (but of course) - we're not quite sure, but we think the featured figures are Rufus Hound, Billie Jean King, Estelle Getty and Bill Webster.

(Actually, the press release reckons they're "Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix" - Bob Marley?)

So, what can visitors expect?

With more than five years in creation and design, the innovative Hard Rock Park will feature six unique “rock environs” celebrating rock’s culture, lifestyle, legends and irreverence. Appealing to the family audience, the destination theme park will offer a diverse blend of rides, shows and interactive elements creating a totally immersive full day experience.

The rock lifestyle and irreverence, eh? So there's going to be a drug ride (the ultimate trip), a dubious under-age sex zone, and a Swearatholon machine where you can try and outrage public decency by saying "cock" on an authentic recreation of a... oh, hang about, it's going to be some rollercoasters with paintings of Dolly Parton on the cars, isn't it?