Clue J & His Blues Blasters
Encyclopedia
Clue J & His Blues Blasters were a Jamaica
n band of the late 1950s and early 1960s led by Cluett Johnson, who were one of the first bands to play ska
. Several of the band's members went on to join The Skatalites
.
ist Cluett Johnson (aka Clue J), and other members included Ernest Ranglin
(guitar
), Emmanuel "Rico" Rodriguez
(trombone
), Roland Alphonso
(tenor saxophone
), Theophilus Beckford
(piano
), Aubrey Adams
(piano/organ), and Arkland "Drumbago" Parks (drums). The band was the first to make records in Jamaica, their earliest releases being calypso
or R&B, such as "Shuflling Jug", and were promoted on producer
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat sound system and released on his Worldisc label. Johnson is sometimes credited with creating the term "ska", after telling Ranglin to "play it like ska, ska, ska", but this is disputed. Most of the band members went on to greater fame in bands such as The Skatalites. Johnson relocated to Montego Bay where he performed at a hotel until his death.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n band of the late 1950s and early 1960s led by Cluett Johnson, who were one of the first bands to play ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
. Several of the band's members went on to join The Skatalites
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
.
History
Formed in the late 1950s, the band was led by double bassDouble bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ist Cluett Johnson (aka Clue J), and other members included Ernest Ranglin
Ernest Ranglin
Ernest Ranglin O.D. is a Jamaican guitarist and composer. Best known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin helped give birth to the ska genre in the late 1950s...
(guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Emmanuel "Rico" Rodriguez
Rico Rodriguez
Rico Rodriguez MBE , also known as Reco or El Reco, is a ska and reggae trombonist. He has recorded with many producers, including Karl Pitterson, Prince Buster, and Lloyd 'Matador' Daley...
(trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
), Roland Alphonso
Roland Alphonso
Roland Alphonso O.D. or Rolando Alphonso aka The Chief Musician was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist, and one of the founding members of The Skatalites....
(tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
), Theophilus Beckford
Theophilus Beckford
Theophilus Beckford , also known by the nickname "Snappin'", was a Jamaican pianist who was one of the pioneers of indigenous Jamaican music.-Biography:...
(piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
), Aubrey Adams
Aubrey Adams
Aubrey Adams was a Jamaican pianist and keyboard player who was one of the top bandleaders in Jamaica in the 1950s, and led the Dewdroppers as well as playing with Clue J & His Blues Blasters.-Biography:...
(piano/organ), and Arkland "Drumbago" Parks (drums). The band was the first to make records in Jamaica, their earliest releases being calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
or R&B, such as "Shuflling Jug", and were promoted on producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat sound system and released on his Worldisc label. Johnson is sometimes credited with creating the term "ska", after telling Ranglin to "play it like ska, ska, ska", but this is disputed. Most of the band members went on to greater fame in bands such as The Skatalites. Johnson relocated to Montego Bay where he performed at a hotel until his death.