Skatalites

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