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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDRUMMOND, Don(b 1934, Kingston, Jamaica; d 6 May 1969, Bellevue Hospital NYC) Ska trombonist and band leader, one of the most influential musicians to emerge from Jamaica in the post-war years, recording extensively under his own name and as a session musician. He joined the school band while at Alpha Boys School, a musical breeding ground, and joined Eric Dean's Band '55 before establishing The Don Drummond Four in the mid-'50s. He may have first recorded in '56 when he cut 'On The Beach' with vocal by Owen Grey (who had also attended Alpha). Health problems put a temporary halt to his musical career; he returned with the hit 'This Man Is Back' '57 (to be found on the anthology In Memory of Don Drummond 100 Years After on Studio One, a collection of his recordings, some also credited to The Skatalites; the album included typically titled pieces for his repertoire such as 'Dick Tracy', 'Mr & Mrs TV', 'Ska In Vienna Woods' and 'Don Cosmic'. Drummond joined the studio-based ensemble The Skatalites '63, the most important single force in ska at the time; the lineup included Roland Alphonso on tenor sax, Lloyd Brevette on bass, Jah Gerry on guitar, Lloyd Knibbs on drums, Tommy McCook on tenor saxophone, Jackie Mittoo on piano, Johnny Moore on trumpet and Lester Stirling on alto saxophone. Their strength lay in their undoubted musicianship and sound grounding in musical theory: having cut their teeth on jazz and big band music, they were able to add a sophistication to ska which put them in a different class. They broke up in 1965. Meanwhile, to celebrate Jamaica's independence in 1962 a group of Jamaican musicians had convened to record Jazz Jamaica on Studio One; contributing musicians included Alphonso, Drummond, Billy Cooke on trumpet, Cecil Lloyd on piano, Lloyd Mason on bass, Tommy McCook on tenor saxophone and Carl McLeod on drums. Drummond's poor health resulted in his premature death in a mental hospital after murdering his girlfriend. Trojan released Memorial Album, produced by Duke Reid the year after his death. Drummond's work is an essential element in any ska retrospective anthology, hence the availability (and duplication) of much of it. 'Scandal' appears on Ska Scandal on Island '89; 'Man In The Street' and 'Lucky Seven', 'Sucu-Sucu' and 'Dick Tracy' by The Skatalites on More Intensified '80. Anthologies include The Best of Don Drummond on Studio One, with tracks such as 'Roll On Sweet Don', 'Ringo' and 'Confucious'. |