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Contents

   



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1 Biography  





2 Discography[7]  





3 References  





4 External links  














Tommy McCook






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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Tommy McCook
Born(1927-03-03)3 March 1927
Havana, Cuba
OriginJamaica
Died5 May 1998(1998-05-05) (aged 71)
Atlanta, Georgia
GenresSka, rocksteady, reggae
Instrument(s)Saxophone
LabelsStudio One
Formerly ofThe Skatalites
Tommy McCook and the Supersonics

Tommy McCook (3 March 1927 – 5 May 1998)[1] was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The RevolutionariesatChannel One Studios in the 1970s.[2]

Biography[edit]

While some sources claim that McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in 1933,[3] others claim that he was born in Kingston, Jamaica.[4] He took up the tenor saxophone at eleven, as a pupil at the Alpha School, and eventually joined Eric Deans' Orchestra.[3]

In 1954, he left for an engagement in Nassau, Bahamas, after which he ended up in Miami, Florida, and it was here that McCook first heard John Coltrane and fell in love with jazz.[3] McCook returned to Jamaica in early 1962, where he was approached by a few local producers to do some recordings. Eventually, he consented to record a jazz session for Clement "Coxson" Dodd, which was issued on the album Jazz Jamaica.[3] His first ska recording was an adaptation of Ernest Gold's "Exodus", recorded in November 1963 with musicians who would soon make up the Skatalites.[3]

In 1968, he led Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, featuring Jackie Jackson on bass guitar.

During the 1960s and 1970s, McCook recorded with the majority of prominent reggae artists of the era, working particularly with producers Clement "Coxson" Dodd as well as Bunny Lee, and his house band, The Aggrovators, as well as being featured prominently in the recordings of Yabby You and the Prophets (most notably on version sides and extended discomixes), all while still performing and recording with the variety of line ups under the Skatalites name.[5]

When McCook was bandleader for The Supersonics, the band included Jackie Jackson (bassist) and drummer Paul Douglas, who became the rhythm section for Toots and the Maytals, when the era of reggae emerged from rocksteady.[6]

McCook died of pneumonia and heart failure, aged 71, in Atlanta, on 5 May 1998.[1]

Discography[7][edit]

With The Skatalites

With Bobby Ellis

With The Aggrovators

With Yabby You

With Herbie Mann[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1998 - 1999". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  • ^ "Tommy McCook Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  • ^ a b c d e "Tommy McCook - Bio in English". Skabadip.com. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  • ^ "Obituary: Tommy McCook". The Independent. 5 June 1998. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  • ^ "Skatalites, The Biography". musicianguide.com. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  • ^ "From The Aces To The Zodiacs, A Primer in Jamaican Rock Steady – Tallawah". Tallawah.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  • ^ "Tommy McCook Albums and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  • ^ Herbie Mann - Reggae, retrieved 19 February 2023
  • External links[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tommy_McCook&oldid=1228821297"

    Categories: 
    Jamaican reggae musicians
    Jamaican saxophonists
    Male saxophonists
    Jamaican ska musicians
    Cuban emigrants
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    1927 births
    1998 deaths
    Musicians from Havana
    Island Records artists
    Trojan Records artists
    Rocksteady musicians
    20th-century saxophonists
    20th-century male musicians
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    This page was last edited on 13 June 2024, at 11:05 (UTC).

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