Description
This first print run is just 750 copies. It comes with a downloadable single by Swiss ska band the Skatanauts and features a print of the cover.
17x26x0,5cm - 44 pages - english/patois (comes with lexicon of jamaican words and phrases)
Don Drummond was the original trombone player in Jamaican ska legends the Skatalites. As a child he was sent to Jamaica's renowned Alpha Boys' School, a childrens' home run by strict Sisters of Mercy nuns. It was here that he learnt to play trombone and was recognised as a young age as being a musical prodigy. He became a major jazz star in Kingston during the early 1950s, but was dogged by mental health problems that led to several long stays in a brutal Victorian style mental asylum. His career was revived in the 1960s with the birth of ska. As the chief composer in the Skatalites he channelled his talents to create timeless ska-jazz instrumental classics. As in-house band at Studio One, the Skatalites backed numerous future giants of ska and reggae such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe and many more. Sadly the glory was short lived and Don's mental health deteriorated, resulting in him murdering his lover, a much loved dancer by the name of Margarita Mahfood. After a lenghty court case, Drummond was declared 'guilty but insane' and spent the rest of his life in Bellevue Mental Asylum.
The influence of Don Drummond cannot be underestimated, as the videos on this channel all pay testimony to his towering legacy. Roots to the Bone has interviewed some of the world's leading reggae and ska trombone players and they all cite Don Drummond as their #1 influence when it comes to Jamaican roots music.
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.