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The Skatalites

The Skatalites: Kingston ska band formed 1964 by Studio One and Treasure Isle session players. “Guns of Navarone” (UK Top 40, 1967), “Freedom Sounds”, “Ball of Fire”; backed the Wailers on “Simmer Down”.

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Formation

The Skatalites came together in early 1964 in Kingston from the musicians who were already playing on most Jamaican sessions of the period. The founding line-up was Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso (tenor saxophones), Lester Sterling (alto saxophone), Don Drummond (trombone), Johnny "Dizzy" Moore (trumpet), Jackie Mittoo (piano), Jah Jerry Haynes (guitar), Lloyd Brevett (bass) and Lloyd Knibb (drums), with Doreen Shaffer as vocalist and Lord Tanamo also singing with the band. Their first public show was at the Hi-Hat Club in Kingston in May 1964.

Studio work

As a unit and as individual session players they recorded for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, Duke Reid at Treasure Isle, Prince Buster, Leslie Kong and Sonia Pottinger. Instrumentals such as "Freedom Sounds", "Ball of Fire", "Eastern Standard Time", "Dr. Kildare" and "Occupation" came out of these sessions. They also backed singers, including Bob Marley and the Wailers on "Simmer Down" (1964), Toots & the Maytals, Delroy Wilson and Desmond Dekker.

Split

The band played its last show in August 1965, months after Don Drummond was arrested and institutionalised. Members split into two house bands: Tommy McCook led the Supersonics at Treasure Isle, and Roland Alphonso and Jackie Mittoo formed the Soul Brothers, later the Soul Vendors, at Studio One.

Guns of Navarone

Their ska arrangement of the theme from the 1961 film The Guns of Navarone, issued in the UK by Island, entered the UK Top 40 in April 1967, after the group had already broken up.

Reunion

The Skatalites reformed at Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay in June 1983 and toured and recorded from then on. The albums Hi-Bop Ska (1994) and Greetings from Skamania (1996) received Grammy nominations, and the band played on Toots and the Maytals' True Love, which won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Personnel changed over the decades as original members died, including Lloyd Knibb in 2011 and Lloyd Brevett in 2012.

Press play

Watch

Now playingThe Skatalites - “Ball of Fire” [Official Audio]
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The Skatalites - “Ball of Fire” [Official Audio]
The Skatalites - “Ball of Fire” [Official Audio]Studio One
The Skatalites - “Freedom Sounds” [Official Audio]
The Skatalites - “Freedom Sounds” [Official Audio]Studio One
The Skatalites - “Dr. Kildare” [Official Audio]
The Skatalites - “Dr. Kildare” [Official Audio]Studio One
The Skatalites - Eastern Standard Time
The Skatalites - Eastern Standard TimeTrojan Records Official
Guns of Navarone - The Skatalites
Guns of Navarone - The Skataliteskkhue3x
Every record

Discography

Pulled from Discogs. Titles in yellow have a full page on Breakbeat Archive.

Studio albums 25

  1. 1965Ska Boo-Da-Ba (Top Sounds From Top Deck)Top Deck RecordseBayDiscogs
  2. 1974Best Of The SkataliteStudio OneeBayDiscogs
  3. 1976Herb Dub - Collie DubJigsaweBayDiscogs
  4. 1976The Legendary SkatalitesJam SoundseBayDiscogs
  5. 1983Latin Goes Ska: Live At The Blue Monk Jazz Gallery, Kingston, JamaicaJump BeateBayDiscogs
  6. 1984Return Of The Big GunsIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  7. 1984Scattered LightsTop Deck RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 1984Live At SunsplashSynergyeBayDiscogs
  9. 1986Stretching OutROIReBayDiscogs
  10. 1988Ska-Ta-ShotsNEC AvenueeBayDiscogs
  11. 1993Ska VooveeShanachieeBayDiscogs
  12. 1994Hi-Bop SkaShanachieeBayDiscogs
  13. 1996Greetings From SkamaniaShanachieeBayDiscogs
  14. 1997Ball Of FireIsland Jamaica JazzeBayDiscogs
  15. 2000BashakaMarston Recording CorporationeBayDiscogs
  16. 2001Nucleus Of Ska Music ClubeBayDiscogs
  17. 2002From Paris With LoveCelluloideBayDiscogs
  18. 2003Roots PartyXIII BIS RecordseBayDiscogs
  19. 2005In Orbit Vol. 1Grover RecordseBayDiscogs
  20. 2007Rolling Steady The 1983 Music Mountain SessionsMotion RecordseBayDiscogs
  21. 2007On The Right TrackAIMeBayDiscogs
  22. 2009In Orbit Vol. 1 & 2 (En Vivo En BS AS)Subterrannia Discos, Sony Music, Muzik VibeseBayDiscogs
  23. 2012Walk With MeWrasse RecordseBayDiscogs
  24. 2016Platinum SkaParking Lot SoundseBayDiscogs
  25. 2022In DubPeckings RecordseBayDiscogs

Collaborative albums 11

  1. 1964Latin Goes SkaTommy McCook & The Skatalites · Treasure IsleeBayDiscogs
  2. 1967Ska AuthenticThe Original Ska-Talites* · Studio OneeBayDiscogs
  3. 1969The SkataliteThe Skatalite* · Treasure IsleeBayDiscogs
  4. 1983The Skatalites With Sly And Robbie And The Taxi GangThe Skatalites With Sly And Robbie* And The Taxi Gang · Vista SoundseBayDiscogs
  5. 1995Blazing Horns In DubSly & Robbie Presents Dean Fraser, Tommy McCook And The Skatalites · Rhino RecordseBayDiscogs
  6. 1999Ska Titans: Laurel Aitken & The SkatalitesLaurel Aitken & The Skatalites · Moon SkaeBayDiscogs
  7. 1999Heroes Of Reggae In DubThe Skatalites Meet King Tubby · Motion RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 2001Guns Of NavaroneSkatalites* · Harry May Record CompanyeBayDiscogs
  9. 2001Starlight / Sealing DubTony Brevett & The Israelites / The Skatalites · Motion RecordseBayDiscogs
  10. 2006Live At Lokerse FeestenSkatalites* · Charly FilmseBayDiscogs
  11. 2017Marley Tribute / One Heart (Traditional)Charles "Organaire" Cameron, The Skatalites, The Pressure Tenants, Calypso Joe, Lord Dango & Yeyo Montana, Akasha · Jump Up! RecordseBayDiscogs

Compilations 17

  1. 1986Celebration Time Studio OneeBayDiscogs
  2. 1989Jamaican Authentic SkaAlpha EnterpriseeBayDiscogs
  3. 1990The Legendary Godfather Of Ska, Vol. 3Unicorn RecordseBayDiscogs
  4. 1991Hog In A CocoaEsolduneBayDiscogs
  5. 1991Tribute To The Ska-talitesLagooneBayDiscogs
  6. 1992Skament-MovementAlpha EnterpriseeBayDiscogs
  7. 1997Foundation Ska (32 Authentic Ska Hits)Heartbeat RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 1999Tribute To Tommy - The Best Of Tommy McCook And The SkatalitesHeartbeat RecordseBayDiscogs
  9. 2003The Legendary Skatalites In DubMotion RecordseBayDiscogs
  10. 2003Guns Of Navarone (The Best Of The Skatalites)Trojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  11. 2004In The Mood For SkaRecall 2cdeBayDiscogs
  12. 2005Kingston 11King EdwardseBayDiscogs
  13. 2007The Skatalites Play SkaKingston SoundseBayDiscogs
  14. 2010Rollin' OnKing EdwardseBayDiscogs
  15. 2011Treasure Isle TimeKingston SoundseBayDiscogs
  16. 2016Independence Ska And The Far East Sound (Original Ska Sounds From The Skatalites 1963-65)Soul Jazz RecordseBayDiscogs
  17. 2023Essential Artist CollectionTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
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