The Skatalites: The Band That Gave Birth to Ska

The Skatalites are the band that helped turn Jamaican dance music into a new sound called ska. They formed in Kingston in 1964 and became the “house band” of Jamaica’s early record industry.

They backed singers like Toots & The Maytals, Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, Doreen Shaffer and many more. They also recorded their own powerful instrumentals – tunes like “Guns of Navarone” and “Phoenix City” – which shaped Jamaican music for decades.

Today, when we talk about ska, rocksteady and reggae, we are walking on the musical road that The Skatalites built.

Who were The Skatalites?

The Skatalites were a group of top Kingston session musicians who decided to form a band of their own in 1964.

The classic line-up included:

• Tommy McCook – tenor sax and bandleader (read McCook’s biography)
• Roland (Rolando) Alphonso – tenor sax
• Lester Sterling – alto sax
• Don Drummond – trombone
• Johnny “Dizzy” Moore – trumpet
• Jackie Mittoo – piano (read Mittoo’s biography)
• Jah Jerry – guitar
• Lloyd Brevett – bass
• Lloyd Knibb – drums
• Jackie Opel – vocals

Many of them had studied music at the Alpha Boys School, a Catholic institution in Kingston known for turning troubled youths into skilled musicians.

Before The Skatalites, they played jazz, R&B and dance music in hotel bands and nightclubs around Jamaica.

How did The Skatalites create ska?

From hotel bands to studio kings

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Jamaican producers like Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and Duke Reid started their own labels, respectively Studio One and Treasure Isle. They needed expert musicians to record local songs for sound systems and radio.

The future Skatalites became the core session band primarily at Studio One, where they played on countless early Jamaican recordings, including R&B covers, boogie tunes, ballads, and local mento-influenced songs. While members of the group also contributed to sessions at Treasure Isle, the lineup there was more varied, often featuring different musicians.

What is ska?

Ska is a fast, upbeat dance music that mixes:

• American R&B and rock ’n’ roll
• Jamaican mento and Caribbean rhythms
• Jazz and big-band swing
• Latin and Cuban melodies and grooves

The Skatalites pushed the guitar and piano accents on the off-beat, added walking bass lines, and layered horns on top.
The result was a bright, syncopated style that made people dance in the streets of Kingston – and later all over the world.

Key Skatalites recordings

As an instrumental band, The Skatalites turned many melodies into ska anthems. Some of their most famous tunes include:

• “Guns of Navarone” – a bold, cinematic ska classic
• “Phoenix City” – adapted from Mongo Santamaria’s “Hammer Head”
• “El Pussy Cat” – based on another Latin tune, reshaped in ska style
• “Addis Ababa”, “Confucius”, “Chinatown”, “Don Cosmic” – deep, minor-key works often linked to trombonist Don Drummond

They also reworked jazz standards, such as:

• “Skaravan” – their version of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan”
• Other pieces inspired by modern jazz

The band mixed Latin, jazz and Jamaican rhythms into something new. Even when they adapted Cuban songs, they wrote their own arrangements and improvised fresh solos.

The Skatalites as the sound of Jamaica

Although The Skatalites were “officially” together for only about 2 years, their impact was huge. They:

• Played live at Kingston venues like the Hi-Hat Club, Bournemouth Club and the Orange Bowl Club
• Backed many of the era’s most important singers in the studio
• Recorded hundreds of tracks – both instrumentals and vocal sides

With the exception of Bob Marley & The Wailers, no Jamaican group is seen as more important for the foundation of the island’s modern music.

In many ways, The Skatalites were the first Jamaican “supergroup”.

Don Drummond and the tragedy that changed things

Trombonist Don Drummond was one of the band’s strongest creative voices. He wrote many of their most haunting compositions, often in minor keys, with deep emotional weight.

Unfortunately, Drummond struggled with mental health issues. On New Year’s Day 1965, Jamaica woke up to shocking news: he had killed his partner, dancer and singer Anita “Margarita” Mahfood. He was declared unfit to stand trial and was sent to Bellevue psychiatric hospital in Jamaica, where he stayed until his death in 1969.

This tragedy not only shook the country; it also helped bring about the end of the original Skatalites, who split later in 1965 after internal tensions and outside pressures from rival producers.

Soon after, a slower style called rocksteady took over in Jamaica, and later evolved into reggae.

Life after the split: Soul Brothers, Supersonics and more

Even after the band name disappeared, the musicians kept shaping Jamaican music.

• Alphonso, Moore, Mittoo and Brevett formed The Soul Brothers, later known as The Soul Vendors, key Studio One bands in the rocksteady era.
• Tommy McCook led The Supersonics, who became a main band for Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label.
• Other members continued to record and tour with various producers and vocalists.

In other words: even when you do not see “The Skatalites” on the label, you often still hear their playing.

Reunions, tours and Grammy-nominated albums

From the mid-1970s onwards, the members of The Skatalites began to reunite in different forms:

• Mid-1970s: studio projects like African Roots and Hot Lava reunited several original players.
• Late 1970s / early 1980s: sessions produced by Chris Blackwell and Bunny Lee.
• 1983–1986: a full-scale reunion led to regular live shows in Jamaica, the USA and beyond.

By 1989, The Skatalites were touring the United States as Bunny Wailer’s backing band. They later did the same for Prince Buster and kept touring under their own name.

In the 1990s and 2000s they released several studio albums, including:

• “Ska Voovee” (1993) – a strong return to form
• “Hi-Bop Ska: The 30th Anniversary Recording” (1994) – jazz-infused ska with guests like Prince Buster and Toots Hibbert, nominated for a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category
• “Greetings from Skamania” (1996) – another Grammy-nominated album
• “Balls of Fire” (1997/98) – new versions of classic ska tunes in a modern jazz style
• “Bashaka” (2000), “From Paris with Love” (2003), “On the Right Track” (2006), “Walk With Me” (2012) and “Platinum Ska” (2016)

They have appeared at major festivals worldwide, from Glastonbury to Montreux Jazz Festival, Fuji Rock, WOMAD, and reggae festivals across Europe, the Americas and Japan.

Are any original Skatalites members still alive?

Over time, most of the founding members have passed away:

• Tommy McCook died in 1998
• Roland Alphonso also died in 1998
• Lloyd Knibb passed in 2011
• Lloyd Brevett in 2012
• Lester Sterling, one of the last original members regularly on stage, died in 2023

Despite this, as of December 2025 a version of The Skatalites continues to tour and record, with a changing line-up of musicians who honour the original sound.

Singer Doreen Shaffer, often called the “Queen of Ska”, has played a key role in keeping the band’s spirit alive on stage.

Why do The Skatalites matter so much?

For reggae and ska fans, The Skatalites are essential because:

• They defined the ska sound that later gave birth to rocksteady and reggae
• They were the backbone of early Jamaican recording sessions
• They supported and helped launch many legendary singers
• They created instrumentals that still set the standard for ska musicians today
• Their work inspired 2 Tone, American ska-punk and even pop-rock bands around the world

For vinyl collectors, Skatalites records are a window into the birth of modern Jamaican music. Original Studio One and Treasure Isle pressings are prized, and later reissues and live albums show how the band kept evolving while staying true to their roots.

Quick FAQ about The Skatalites

Sources:
The Skatalites Biography by Mark Deming on allmusic.com
Red Bull Music Academy / David Katz
Skatalites.com