Skatalites

thumb|250pxThe Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period, including Bob Marley & The Wailers, on their first single “Simmer Down”. They reformed in 1983 and have played together ever since.
The founders of the Skatalites were Tommy McCook (died 1998), Rolando Alphonso (died 1998), Lester Sterling (died 2023), Lloyd Brevett (died 2012), Lloyd Knibb (died 2011), Don Drummond (died 1969), Jah Jerry Haynes (died 2007), Jackie Mittoo (died 1990), Johnny Moore (died 2008) and Jackie Opel (died 1970). These ten musicians started to play together from 1955, when Kingston's recording studios started to develop.
In spring 1964, The Skatalites recorded their first LP, “Ska Authentic”, at Studio One in Kingston and toured Jamaica as the creators of ska. The Skatalites led sessions with top artists and worked with young talents such as Delroy Wilson, Desmond Dekker, The Wailers, Lee Perry, etc.
Trombonist Don Drummond had at least 200 tunes to his name by 1965. On 1 January 1965, Drummond was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, Anita "Marguerita" Mahfood. He was later convicted and remanded to the Bellevue Asylum. In August 1965, The Skatalites played their last show. They broke up into two supergroups, Rolando Alphonso and the Soul Vendors and Tommy McCook And The Supersonics.
In April 1967, The Skatalites' ska adaptation of the theme to the film “The Guns of Navarone” entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Don Drummond died on 6 May 1969, in the Bellevue Asylum.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links to Peel ==
Peel is not known to have played the Skatalites on his Radio One shows before 1979, when the UK ska revival based on 2 Tone Records encouraged him to play vintage material from the original Jamaican artists who had inspired bands such as the Specials, who recorded a cover of the Skatalites 1967 hit “Guns of Navarone”.
It is unlikely that Peel played the original Skatalites single of “Guns Of Navarone” when covering for other DJs on the pirate station Radio London, as although the station included ska, blue-beat and reggae records in its daytime playlists, there is no mention of the single in the online archive of Fab Forty chart listings and weekly playlists. (It did however make the charts of rival pirate station Radio Caroline.) . Furthermore, he had not yet acquired a liking for Jamaican music and did not play such material on his own late-night Perfumed Garden show. On a daytime show on 02 August 1967 he did play a new single by the "Techniques with Tommy McCook and Supersonics Band" and the Fab Forty Index explains the confusion caused by the artist name given on the label. 
In the 1980s and beyond, the DJ would continue to play occasional recordings by the Skatalites, as well as solo material by former band members. In later years, he gave generous airtime to new releases of dub material with King Tubby from abortive reunion sessions in the mid-1970s. 
Peel also played many Jamaican reggae artists who used the Skatalites or former band members as uncredited backing musicians in the studio.
== Plays ==
;1970s
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*13 March 1979: Guns Of Navarone
*17 September 1979: Independent Anniversary Ska (Various LP - Intensified! Original Ska 1962-1966) Island (cover of “I Saw Her Standing There” by the Beatles)
;1980s
*11 March 1980: Sucu-Sucu (v/a album - More Intensified! Original Ska 1963-67 Vol. 2) Island/Mango
*11 March 1980: Dick Tracy (v/a album - More Intensified! Original Ska 1963-67 Vol. 2) Island/Mango
*24 March 1980: Lucky Seven (v/a album - More Intensified! Original Ska 1963-67 Vol. 2) Island/Mango
*10 April 1980: Lucky Seven (v/a album - More Intensified! Original Ska 1963-67 Vol. 2) Island/Mango
*02 November 1982 (with Jackie Mittoo): Killer Diller (split 7" with Patrick Hylton)
*06 September 1983: Sucu Sucu
*07 September 1983 (BFBS): Dr. Kildare
*10 September 1983 (BFBS): Sucu Sucu
*03 September 1984: Dick Tracy
*19 August 1985: Dick Tracy
*02 September 1988 (BFBS): Latin Goes Ska (Compilation LP-Dance Crasher: From Ska To Rock Steady)' (Trojan)
*21 September 1988: Beardman Ska [v/a LP - Dance Crusher (Ska To Rock Steady)] Trojan  
*05 October 1988: Beardman Ska (v/a LP - Dance Crasher: From Ska To Rock Steady) Trojan
*11 October 1988: Street Corner (LP – Dance Crasher: From Ska To Rock Steady) Trojan
*22 November 1988: Ball O' Fire (v/a LP - Dance Crasher (Ska To Rock Steady)) Trojan
;1990s
*20 October 1998: Jones Town Special (split 7” with Eric Morris) King Edwards 
*29 October 1998: Red China
*24 February 1999 (meet King Tubby): Zion I Dub (LP: Heroes Of Reggae In Dub) Motion
*03 March 1999: (meet King Tubby): Rocky Road (LP - Heroes Of Reggae In Dub) Motion
;2000s
*24 October 2001: Whispering Dub (LP – Herb Dub Collie Dub) Motion
*05 November 2001 (BBC World Service): Whispering Dub (LP - Herb Dub - Collie Dub) Motion
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*09 May 2002 (meet King Tubby): Starlight (LP – The Legendary Skatalites In Dub) Motion 
*15 May 2002 (with King Tubby): Fugitive Dub (LP – The Legendary Skatalites In Dub) Motion
*28 May 2002 (with King Tubby): Bottom Dub Dub (LP – The Legendary Skatalites In Dub) Motion
*29 May 2002 (with King Tubby): African Roots Dub (LP – The Legendary Skatalites In Dub) Motion
*13 June 2002 (Radio Eins) (with King Tubby): African Roots Dub (album - The Legendary Skatalites In Dub)
*15 June 2002 (BBC World Service) (with King Tubby): Bottom Dub (LP - The Legendary Skatalites In Dub) Motion 
*25 June 2002 (meet King Tubby): Fugitive Dub (LP - The Legendary Skatalites In Dub) Motion
*04 July 2002 (Radio Eins) (meet King Tubby): Fugitive Dub (album - The Legendary Skatalites In Dub)
*11 July 2002 (Radio Eins) (meet King Tubby): African Roots Dub (album - Skatalites In Dub)
;Tommy McCook
*06 September 1979: Rocket Ship (Various LP - Intensified! Original Ska 1962-1966) Island (JP: "Well there's another one that sounds as though it had been pressed on tarmac. Tommy McCook, from 1965, and that's called 'Rocket Ship'. In 1965 of course, I was in short pants - because that's what Dallas high school girls wore in September.")
*15 March 1982: Soul For Sale (v/a album - Gems From Treasure Isle Or Real Cool Rock Steady) Trojan
*13 December 1982: Black Power (7") Treasure Isle
*13 September 1989 (& Richard Hall): Dirty Harry (v/a album - Check The Winner The Original Pantomine Instrumental Collection 1970-74) Greensleeves
*21 September 1989 (Radio Bremen) (& Richard Hall): Dirty Harry (v/a album - Check The Winner The Original Pantomine Instrumental Collection 1970-74) Greensleeves
*07 April 1995 (& The Aggrovators): Inspiring Dub (LP-King Tubby Meets The Aggrovators At Dub Station) Trojan
*15 April 1995 (BFBS) (& Agrovators): Inspiring Dub (LP-King Tubby Meets The Agrovators At Dub Station) Live And Love
*21 April 1995 (& The Agrovators): The Dub Station (LP - King Tubby Meets The Agrovators At Dub Station) Basement
*24 April 1995 (BBC World Service) (& The Agrovators): Inspiring Dub (LP - King Tubby Meets The Agrovators At Dub Station) Attack
*29 April 1995 (BFBS) (& Agrovators): The Dub Station (LP-King Tubby Meets The Agrovators At Dub Station) Live And Love
*23 October 1997 (& Don D. Jr): Fisherman Special (Compilation CD-Jesus Dread 1972-1977) Blood & Fire
;Tommy McCook & The Supersonics
*02 August 1967: (& The Techniques): You Don’t Care (single) Treasure Isle
*22 September 1987: Mabrouk (Wailing) (v/a album - Gems From Treasure Isle Or Real Cool Rock Steady) Trojan
*10 February 1988: Black Coffee
*20 February 1988 (Radio Bremen): Black Coffee
*16 April 1993: Second Fiddle (album - Down On Bond Street) Trojan
;Jackie Mittoo
*17 April 1979: Instramanic
*21 February 1980: Mash Down Babylon (12" - Ayatollah) Nefertiti
*02 November 1982 (with Skatalites): Killer Diller (split 7" with Patrick Hylton)
*03 March 1986: Crawfish
*16 May 1989: Put It On (v/a album - Feel Like Jumping - Rock Steady And Reggae From Jamaica 1966-68) Receiver
*20 January 1995: Wire Higher (Compilation CD-Respect To Studio 1) Heartbeat
*28 January 1995 (BFBS): Wire Higher (2xCD-A Tribute To Jackie Mittoo) Heartbeat
;Don Drummond
*10 September 1979 (& Drumbago): Stampede (Various LP - Intensified! Original Ska 1962-1966) Island
*16 October 1979: University Goes Ska (LP – Intensified! Original Ska 1962-1966) Island
*17 January 1980: Man In The Street (album - Creation Rockers Volume 3) Trojan
*01 May 1980: Man In The Street (7”) Coxsone
*07 September 1983: Musical Storeroom
;Lester Sterling
*10 November 1982 (BFBS) (& Stranger Cole): Bangarang
*12 July 1988: Forest Gate Rock (Peel thinks the track is called Another Night, but thinks listeners will correct him)
*05 April 1989: Tribute To King Scratch (v/a album - Jumping With Mr. Lee 1967-68) Trojan
Soul Vendors (see also Soul Brothers)
*01 April 1980: unknown
*26 December 2001 (& Gaylads): Sound Of Silence (7 inch) Studio One
*06 February 2002 (& Gaylads): Sound Of Silence (7 inch) Studio One
*21 August 2002 (And The Gaylads): Sound Of Silence (7") Studio One
== See Also ==
*Cover Versions
*Trojan Records
*Reggae Compilations
*Gigography 1968
Category:Artists