 2019
marks the 55th Anniversary of The Skatalites. The original members
had played on hundreds of recording sessions before forming the
band in 1964. They backed most of the vocalists in Jamaica at that
time, including Bob Marley, Toots and The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff,
Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, and many more. After disbanding in 1965,
the individual members continued playing in various groups as the
music evolved from ska to rocksteady to reggae. In the late 70's,
a resurgence of interest in the music began in the U.K. which caused
the creation of many bands such as The Specials, The English Beat,
Madness, The Selecter, and Bad Manners. This became known as the
"Two-Tone era," and these British musicians fused rock music with
the ska and reggae. In The early 80's, the music started to spread
to The U.S.A and other parts of the world, and bands began to emerge
everywhere playing different flavors of ska and reggae fused with
whatever else they wanted to throw in, including hard core , jazz,
and even punk. In 1983, The Skatalites reunited to play Reggae Sunsplash
in Montego Bay and subsequently in London at The Crystal Palace
for the U.K version of The Sunsplash event. A few years later, they
began emigrating to the U.S.A, and in 1986, the first US shows began
at The Village Gate in NYC. In 1989, the band supported Bunny Wailer
on The Liberation Tour, and in 1990 they embarked on their first
headline tour of The U.S.A. and have not stopped touring the world
ever since. The band is available for festivals and also plays in
intimate club settings. Their unique infectious brand of real Jamaican
ska pleases audiences of all ages across the globe year after year.
"We hope you will enjoy listening to our music as much as we enjoy
performing it for you."Forever indebted to the inspiration and talent of: Roland Alphonso, Lloyd Brevett, Tony DaCosta, Rupert Dillon, Don Drummond, Joseph "Lord Tanamo" Gordon, Jerome "Jah Jerry" Haynes, Lloyd Knibb, Tommy McCook, Donat Roy "Jackie" Mittoo, John "Dizzy Johnny" Moore, Jackie Opel, Doreen Shaffer, Lester Sterling.  |
