The Skatalites

The Skatalites

The Skatalites are a ska group from Kingston, Jamaica, active from 1964 to the present. They play a major role in the development and popularisation of ska, a Jamaican style that draws on boogie-woogie blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, mento, calypso and African rhythms. The group also works across reggae, rocksteady and dub.

Early years and original lineup

The original 1960s lineup includes Tommy McCook on tenor saxophone and flute, Roland Alphonso on tenor saxophone, Lester Sterling on alto saxophone, Don Drummond on trombone, Johnny “Dizzy” Moore on trumpet, Lloyd Brevett on upright bass, Lloyd Knibb on drums, Jerome “Jah Jerry” Haynes on guitar, Jackie Mittoo on piano and Jackie Opel on vocals. The group’s founding members are associated with this period of formation and early studio work.

During 1964 and 1965, The Skatalites record many of their best known songs, including “Guns of Navarone”. They also play on records by Prince Buster and many other Jamaican artists. Several musicians work with the group extensively in the studio during this period, including Tony Gregory, Doreen Shaffer, Lord Tanamo, Dennis “Ska” Campbell, Oswald “Baba” Brooks, Frank Anderson, Ernest Ranglin and Lyn Taitt.

Key songs and members

Don Drummond is a central composer for the group and for ska more broadly. His composition “Man In The Street” enters the UK Top 10, and he is credited with at least 200 tunes by 1965. On 1 January 1965, he is jailed for the murder of his girlfriend, Anita “Marguerita” Mahfood, and the group gives its last show in August that year. Drummond later dies at Bellevue Asylum on 6 May 1969.

Break-up, reunion and later activity

After the split, two related groups form: Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Brothers, later called the Soul Vendors and then Sound Dimension, and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. The Skatalites reform for a reunion performance at Sunsplash in Montego Bay in 1983. Between 1985 and 1988, core members emigrate and eventually come together again in the north-east of the United States. They give their first U.S. concert at The Village Gate and their first U.S. tour in January 1990, then their first European tour in 1992. Their first world tour begins in 2002 and covers the United States, Europe, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Russia and Japan.

Recordings and recognition

The group receives Grammy nominations for Best Reggae Album for Hi Bop Ska and Greetings From Skamania, both issued by Shanachie. In 2012, the band announces a single and album titled All Roads, with the album featuring the last recordings of founding member Lloyd Knibb.

Later lineups

Later members and collaborators include Doreen Shaffer, who later joins full-time after the reunion, as well as Nathan Breedlove, Cedric “Im” Brooks, Karl “Cannonball” Bryan, Devon James, Welford “Will” Clark, Vin “Don D. Junior” Gordon, Bill Smith, Ken Stewart, Clark Gayton, Cary Brown and Louis Bonilla. A later lineup also includes Azemobo “Zem” Audu, Andrae Murchison, Kevin Batchelor, Val Douglas, Natty Frenchy, Cameron Greenlee and Trevor “Sparrow” Thompson.