The Skatalites

The Skatalites are a Jamaican band that played a major role in popularizing the ska music genre. They recorded many of their best known songs, including "The Guns of Navarone", between 1964 and 1965. In addition to releasing their own recordings, they performed on records by Prince Buster and many other Jamaican artists. Trombonist Don Drummond's composition "Man In The Street", entered the Top 10 in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. In January 1996, the Skatalites were nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Reggae Album for their 1995 Shanachie Records release, Hi Bop Ska. They were again nominated for a Grammy Award in the same category for their 1996 Shanachie release Greetings From Skamania in January 1997. Drummond was the Skatalites' busiest composer and one of the most productive songwriters in all of ska, with at least 200 tunes to his name by 1965. On January 1, 1965, Drummond was jailed for the murder of his girlfriend, Anita 'Marguerita' Mahfood. In August of that year, the Skatalites performed their last concert (until they reformed decades later). The breakup resulted in the formation of two supergroups, Rolando Alphonso and the Soul Vendors and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. Drummond died in the Bellevue Asylum on May 6, 1969 at age 37. In June 1983, the Skatalites reformed to prepare for a reunion performance at the Sunsplash festival in Montego Bay in July. Between 1985 and 1988, the core members of the Skatalites emigrated, and eventually coalesced in the northeast of the United States. They played their first U.S. concert at The Village Gate, and toured the U.S. for the first time in January 1990. After touring the U.S., they toured Europe for the first time in 1992. The Skatalites began their first world tour in February 2002, performing in the United States, Europe, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Russia, and Japan over a period of nine months. In 2006, they recorded a CD in Australia.

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