finetune artist: Ernest Ranglin

b. 19 June 1932, Manchester, Jamaica, West Indies. Ranglin had two uncles who played guitar and ukulele, and as a child he would pick up their instruments and try to imitate their playing. He was also influenced by the recordings of Charlie Christian, and by Cecil Hawkins, an unrecorded local guitarist. At the age of 15, Ranglin joined his first group, the Val Bennett band, and subsequently played with Eric Deans and Count Boysie. By the early 50s, he had developed into a proficient jazz guitarist, and started to tour overseas. Around 1959, he joined bass player Cluett Johnson in a studio group called Clue J And His Blues Blasters, who recorded several instrumentals for Coxsone Dodd at JBC studio. The first of these recordings, "Shuffling Jug", is widely regarded as one of the first ska recordings. Ranglin's beautiful, versatile guitar playing ensured that he was in demand as a session musician throughout the ska era, and he provided the musical accompaniment for Millie's worldwide smash, "My Boy Lollipop".

Listen to Ernest Ranglin at Finetune.

Surfin'
King Tubby Meets the Rockers
Cherie
Black Disciples
Congo Man