finetune artist: Don Drummond

b. 1943, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, d. 6 May 1969, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. One of the principal innovators in Jamaican music, Drummond tragically died before seeing the growth and success of the genre he helped to create. Don Drummond was educated at the famous Alpha Catholic Boys Home and School, in the heart of the Kingston ghetto, where he, like so many others, was allowed to develop and express his musical talents, first as a pupil and later as a teacher. By the early 50s he had established his reputation as one of the island's top jazz trombonists. His main inspiration at this stage was the American big-band sound, but as the decade wore on, the influence of R&B and sound systems began to be felt in Jamaica. When the sound system operators began to make their own records, they immediately turned to accomplished musicians such as Drummond, Roland Alphonso and Rico Rodriguez, who had consolidated their reputations throughout the decade with residencies at clubs such as the Glass Bucket and the Silver Slipper. Their musical knowledge and expertise were critical in determining the feel and direction of these early recordings, which were usually credited to the Skatalites. Drummond was also an early convert to the Rastafarian faith and his beliefs were reflected in records such as "Addis Ababa", "Far East" and countless uncredited recordings. His fragile mental condition was not helped by the lack both of financial rewards and recognition of his talents. Following the murder of Marguerita, his common-law wife, in 1965, he was committed to Belle Vue, (Kingston's centre for Mental disorders), where he ended his days in 1969. Drummond's case was an early tragedy in Jamaican music and he was the precursor of much that was to follow. Since his death, his work has been assessed for its true worth, while one particularly perceptive critic stated that his music "contained the hurt of his people". Always a quiet, reserved and shy man, he let his music do the talking.

Listen to Don Drummond at Finetune.

Man In The Street
Eastern Standard Time
Roll On Sweet Don (Heaven And Hell)
Don De Lion
Dragon Weapon