Don Drummond

Early years

Don Drummond was born in Kingston on 12 March 1934 (some sources give 1932). He studied at the Alpha Boys School, where he later helped teach trombone to the younger Rico Rodriguez. From 1950 he played jazz with Eric Deans' orchestra and in Kingston club bands through the 1950s.

Session player and composer

By the late 1950s Drummond was a regular session trombonist for producers Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid. When the Skatalites formed in 1964 he was their main composer, writing minor-key instrumentals that drew on jazz and Rastafarian themes, among them "Man in the Street", "Eastern Standard Time", "Confucius", "Addis Ababa", "Far East" and "Occupation". His embrace of Rastafari influenced other members of the band.

1965 and after

On 2 January 1965 his partner, the dancer Anita Mahfood, was found stabbed to death. Drummond was tried in 1966 and was committed to Bellevue Hospital in Kingston after being deemed criminally insane. His arrest contributed to the end of the Skatalites, who played their last show in August 1965.

Death and legacy

Drummond died at Bellevue on 6 May 1969. The official cause was given as natural causes; Heather Augustyn's 2013 biography argued his medication was a factor. Studio One issued posthumous compilations including Best of Don Drummond and In Memory of Don Drummond, and Rico Rodriguez, whom he had taught, recorded tributes to him, including "Tribute to Don Drummond" for Pama. Pianist George Shearing is reported to have ranked him among the top five trombonists in the world.