AS a budding entertainer in the 1990s, Tom Laing was influenced by several singers. One of them was Gregory Isaacs. The New York-based Laing salutes his hero by covering Front Door, which Isaacs did in the 1980s when he was riding high as the Cool Ruler.

“I’m the biggest fan there is, I have known ‘Toothache’ (his nickname for Isaacs) from I was 12 years of age. Front Door is my favourite Gregory,” Laing said.

Laing produced Front Door for his Top Tier label. It may be included on his debut album which he plans to release next year. He was in his early teens at the time Isaacs cut Front Door with the Roots Radics band in 1981. Isaacs died from cancer in 2010. It was not until 2006 that Laing began recording.

He reckons he has done 60 songs since then, mainly released for the New York City market. He took a four-year sabbatical in 2008 to concentrate on improving productions from Top Tier, which has released songs by several artistes including Chuck Fenda and Luciano.