1> press pause on the main Boom Shaka Lacka music player.
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Lynn Taitt - Rock Steady's Big Daddy
Lynn Taitt at home - photo by Jim Dooley
When one considers the biography of an artist, certain predictable patterns usually develop. This is not the case when one regards the career of Lynn Taitt. Taitt's name became synonymous with rock-steady in the 1960s, yet he is not a Jamaican. His guitar sound became one of the most recognizable sounds in Jamaica in the 1960s, yet guitar was not the first instrument he mastered. Equally interesting is how at the height of his popularity in Jamaica, Taitt opted to permanently move to Canada. All of these aspects of his career prompt more questions than answers. What is certain is that the man, whose stellar guitar work graced countless hits by such singers as Desmond Dekker, the Melodians, Derrick Morgan, Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe, as well as numerous others, was a major figure in the development of Jamaican music.
Nearlin 'Lynn' Taitt was born in San Fernando, Trinidad in 1934. While his father sang in the local church choir, his family was not particularly musical. Lynn's childhood in the pre-independent Trinidad coincided with the emergence of steel bands. "My mother had a drum outside the house - a 45 gallon drum," recalls Taitt. "She cut the top in half to get the rain water from the spout … but the edge that was not cut off, we hit it and get a sound from it - because of the water in it you could get a deep sound." Before long a neighbor, who regularly passed his house, heard Lynn and a friend playing on the barrel and supplied the boys with their first pan. It wasn't long before Lynn and the boys from his neighborhood formed a steel band of their own. Noting how current groups are often formed for primarily for financial reasons, Lynn recalls, "Long ago it was love, it's family, and people who live around you, who were born with you, that's how it was." Lynn quickly excelled on the steel pan, and the local group began entering competitions. While the band did not win, Lynn won an island wide competition as a soloist in 1956. He also pioneered various new pan techniques, including playing with three sticks - two in his left hand, and one in his right. Through trial and error he also taught himself to read and write music.
Lynn performing on the steel pan at the 2002 Montreal Jazz festival
Photo by Jim Dooley
It needs to be emphasized that playing the pan was not considered respectable in those days. Lynn recalls that it simply was not possible to earn a proper living from playing music in those days. Although the pan was always his main interest, Lynn also began to play other instruments at the time. He first started to play the cuatro (a string instrument resembling a ukulele), and often he would accompany his friends as they sang door-to-door Christmas carols during the holiday season. Lynn was exposed to various musical styles as a boy - from Spanish music (a sound, which at least to my ears, would later influence his guitar playing) of Venezuelan origin in the countryside, to classical music on the BBC, to country & western that was played on the radio for the benefit of Americans stationed at the Chaguaramas naval base. Lynn also heard East Indian music when he made trips to the town of Fyzabad where he provided assistance to the local pan group. Lynn learned to play the guitar when he was given one to hide - some local boys had stolen one form a visiting sailor who was drunk. "When they came back for the guitar I was playing it, " he remembers. "So they sell it to me." Before long Lynn was employed as a guitarist by a local group named the Dutchy Brothers. Two years later Lynn decided to form his own group - the Nearlin Taitt Orchestra.
In 1962, the Dutchy Brothers found themselves with two job offers - one to play in South America, and another to do a two-week tour of Jamaica. This scheduling conflict led to Lynn's band getting the Jamaican job. His group traveled to Port of Spain, where they rehearsed as a backing band for a handful of calypso singers - including Lord Melody and Lord Blakie. The band and singers flew to Jamaica as part of the island's independence celebration. While the two-week tour took the ensemble all over Jamaica, the band were left abandoned without pay when it was over. "I don't want to be shame faced - lack of ability of business or what," he recalls. "So I decided to stay in Jamaica." Members of his band were incorporated into various groups (including the Vagabonds and Llans Thelwell) around the island, while Lynn stayed in Kinston and became a member of the Sheiks. Prior to Lynn's involvement, the Sheiks were already an established live band, and during his time with the group he played with such musicians as Lloyd Spence, Lloyd Knibb, Lester Sterling, Bobby Gaynair and Jackie Mittoo. Eventually Spence and Taitt departed to form the Cavaliers.
Lynn quickly developed a reputation as the hot new guitarist in Jamaica. Previously ska had largely been played on acoustic, or hollow-body guitars, but Taitt introduced the flat-body electric guitar to ska. It wasn't long before Lloyd Knibb came by Lynn's Kingston home to mention that there was an upcoming session that involved Duke Reid. This initial session included such giants as Baba Brooks, Ska Campbell, Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso, and produced the enduring hit 'Shank I Sheck'. Although he had never played ska prior to coming to Jamaica, Lynn quickly adapted to the flourishing scene in Kingston. "Ska is just an offbeat, which I used to do on the pan in Trinidad anyway … it was not a difficult music to get into." One only needs to listen to a song like 'Magnificent Ska' (Duke Reid), where the guitar does much more than hold the rhythm, to notice Lynn's contribution to the evolving sound of ska. While Taitt became a regular player on Duke Reid recordings, he also found himself playing guitar with the Skatalites at Studio One. He recalls that his first sessions for Coxsone involved backing the Bajan singer Jackie Opel. Although the Skatalites were particular about their line-up, the configuration did fluctuate somewhat depending of the availability of musicians and the requests of specific producers.
While Taitt was busy during the ska period. Perhaps his largest contribution came as the pace of Jamaican music slowed and melted into rock-steady. In fact, many in Jamaica credit Lynn with inventing the new style. "We were recording Hopeton Lewis in Ken Khouri's sudio," he recalls. "Hopeton Lewis came with a song 'Take it Easy, take it easy'. But it can't sing in ska. It doesn't sound right. So I sit down, and I tell Gladdy Anderson, I say: 'Gladdy, slow down that pace, let's hear how it would sound.' But as you do that, the song get longer and slower, so there is a lot of spaces because it's not fast any more." Lynn attributes part of the formula - including the way the guitar and bass are played in unison - to the way calypso was performed in Trinidad. Rock-steady proved to be a major force in Jamaican music, and dominated the charts in 1967 and '68. Taitt's popularity as a session player increased even more, and his name became forever associated with rock-steady. During this period Lynn's group was the Jets - a band who's core usually included Gladdy on piano, Joe Isaacs on drums, and Bryan Atkinson on bass. Although the popular combination played various live engagements, included a series of Sunday night shows at Club Maracas in Ocho Rios, Lynn estimates that ninety percent of their work was done in recording studios. The recent release of Derrick Morgan's rock-steady era productions titled Red Bumb Ball (Pressure Sounds), demonstrates the Jets in their element and at their peak.
Throughout this period Taitt and the Jets were in constant demand. He became a regular feature at both the Federal Studio and Duke Reid's. "With Duke Reid, Sunday we would start 1:00, 1:15, finished by 10:00 pm, and we do ten songs … Duke was the only person who did that amount of songs." Taitt became the premier freelancer of the era, and notable productions by Leslie Kong, Derrick Harriott, Sonia Pottinger, and Derrick Morgan featured his distinct guitar sound and arrangements. He also worked on some of the first recordings by the new wave of producers, including Bunny Lee (Lloyd and the Groovers - 'Do it To Me Baby') and Joe Gibbs' (Roy Shirley - 'Hold Them'). As well as releasing a series of popular instrumentals, his sound backed such genre-defining classics as the Melodians 'Little Nut Tree', Phyllis Dillon 'Don't Stay Away', Rudy Mills 'Long Story', Delroy Wilson 'Once Upon A Time', Ken Boothe 'Say You', Keith & Tex 'Stop That Train' and Desmond Dekker's '007'.
Interestingly Lynn now states that he was unable to spot which songs were destined to be hits. Reflecting on that period he offers, "Every song to me is equal … these songs were not prearranged three days before - I don't know what we are going to meet in the studio. We go there, he has a song, he sing it, we hear it, we do what we have to do on the song, and we move on to another song." With characteristic humbleness he adds, "With (music) so long in my life, it comes like nothing in my head - normal. It's nothing special."
Lynn also became known for recording Caribbean variations of some television and movie themes. Some are somewhat amusing - such as the Jets version of the theme from 'Bat Man'. Their recording of 'To Sir With Love' gives some insight into the process. The origin of this cover traces back to Lynn's work on Prince Buster's European tour in 1967. "When I came back from England with Prince Buster, 'To Sir with Love' was number one in England, and it didn't reach Jamaica yet." In an effort to have an early released version of the pending hit, Lynn and Roland Alphonso quickly cut a rendition at Federal studio. Lynn also had hits with a number of his own instrumentals, most notably the memorable 'Napoleon Solo'. In the sharing spirit of the times, Jackie Mittoo recorded a rendition of the song for Studio One. Lynn's three solo albums from the late 60s are largely comprised of instrument re-cuts of rock steady hits - the bulk of which he had played on originally.
Lynn Taitt jamming with unknown (Georgie Fame??) while in the UK in 1967
At the height of Lynn's popularity his career took an unexpected detour. In 1968 he was asked to go to Toronto, Canada to help set up a band for the West Indian Federated Club. Like his first trip to Jamaica, the initial plan was to stay for two weeks. However, Taitt decided to remain in Canada. "In Toronto I work at the West Indian Federated Club - Friday, Saturday and Sunday we play out. And in the week about three of us, where they have supper and things, we played a little quite music. That was it, and I stayed there for a year. And they ask me if I would like to go back to Jamaica and I say, 'No I would like to stay in Canada - I like the place'. So they helped me get my immigration papers and I stayed." Although Lynn clearly had no shortage of work in Jamaica, he found the pace and environment in Canada more to his liking. Furthermore, as in the Caribbean, he was readily able to find work in Canada. Before long he found himself playing throughout the province of Ontario. Although live work was plentiful, at the time there was very little happening in the way of recording West Indian music in Canada. While it seems unbelievable that Lynn would turn his back on the Jamaica scene, especially given the demand for his work, he was not the only artist from that era to settle in Canada. Leroy Sibbles spent a considerable period in Toronto; as did Jackie Mittoo and Stranger Cole, and both Lord Tanamo and the saxophonist Karl 'Cannonball' Bryan remain there to this day.
Work again inspired Lynn to move in the mid 1970s. "There was a gentlemen who work in my group, he was from Trinidad, and they call him Sambo. He was in my group, the Cavaliers. He used to dance these leg dances and all that, for the stage show. He was in New York, and he came here with Byron Lee, to work at the Edgewater (a club just outside of Montreal). He heard that I'm in Toronto. They drove to Toronto and bring me here to form a group." As a result of this series of shows, Lynn ended up moving to the Canadian province of Quebec, and settling in the Montreal region. Once again, one show led to the next, and one band led to another, and he ended up staying. Although largely separated from the Caribbean music scene, he would occasionally do sessions with the Skatalites after they had relocated to the New York area. In addition, he sporadically worked with drummer Winston Grennan - a relationship that resulted with each of them playing on the other's solo projects.
The ultra-rare Funk track Lynn recorded in New-York in 1973
Today Lynn plays in a Montreal-based group named La Gioventu. The band plays a variety of styles (everything from Motown hits to traditional Jewish music), and is in constant demand for parties and weddings. As well, Lynn returned to recording in the late 90s - the result being a CD titled New Oldies, which features a variety of genres including ska, calypso and rock-steady. Lynn also played the massive Legends of Ska reunion show in Toronto in the summer of 2002 - a film of which will eventually be released. That summer he also performed a series of well-received shows at the Montreal Jazz Festival. While the sets focused mainly on ska, Lynn also dazzled audiences with a number of steel pan solos. Taitt also continues to arrange songs for various calypsoians in Canada. Most recently he has been working on a set of new recordings that will include both calypso and reggae songs. The plan is to have a new CD released this fall.
The recent passing of Phyllis Dillon was a particularly sad event for Lynn. Not only had they worked together in Jamaica, the two had stayed in touch throughout the years. "It was I who saw her first - I hear her sing first. She used to work with a little group. I tell her, say, 'Come to Kingston man, you have a very good voice … I'll introduce you to Duke Reid." Dillon followed Taitt's advice and ended up doing her most significant work at Reid's Treasure Isle studio. Many highlights of the work Phyllis and Lynn did together can be found on the CD Love Was All I Had (Rhino, UK).
Visiting Lynn at his home studio just north of Montreal is always an interesting experience. I always get the sense that our conversations are taking him away from something he would rather be doing - writing and arranging music. Although his work with La Gioventu keeps him extremely busy, he is still full of interesting musical ideas, and continues to create songs that rival those from the rock- steady era. In spite of the popularity of his music from the 60s, Lynn is always working on new songs - and is never content to merely look backwards. He has never done anything other than being a professional musician, and music truly is his way of life. When considering both his career and personal life, Lynn concludes, "That's how I meet everybody I know in the world - it's through music."
2004, Jim Dooley
Thanks to Lynn for giving me multiple interviews over the last few years - and helping me to better understand the process and environment that created so many hits in the 1960s. Additional thanks must also go to Ken Bilby and Jackie Watson.
SOLO / INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMS:
Sounds … Rock Steady (Merritone, 1967)
Rock Steady Greatest Hits (Merritone, 1968)
Glad Sounds (Merritone, 1968) *
New Oldies: I'm in the Mood for Moods (Twolyn, 1997)
* This Jets album was rearranged and released after Lynn had left Jamaica.
A SMALL SAMPLING OF CURRENT REISSUES FEATURING SONGS OR BACKING BY LYNN TAITT
Desmond Dekker - Rockin' Steady: The Best of Desmond Dekker (Rhino)
Melodians - Swing and Dine (Heartbeat)
Derrick Morgan - Time Marches On (Heartbeat)
Skatalites - Foundation Ska (Heartbeat)
various - Derrick Harriott: Riding the Musical Chariot (Heartbeat)
various - Duke Reid's Treasure Chest (Heartbeat)
various - Explosive Rock Steady: Joe Gibbs' Amalgamated Label (Heartbeat)
various - Jackpot of Hits: Explosive Rocksteady (Trojan)
various - King Kong Compilation (Island)
various - King of Ska (King Edwards)
various - Knock Out Ska (Heartbeat)
various - Musical Feast: Mrs. Pottinger's High Note and Gayfeet Label (Heartbeat)
various - Out On A Funky Trip (Motion Records)
various - Red Bumb Ball (Pressure Sounds)
various - Roots of Reggae: Rock Steady (Rhino)
various - Ska After Ska After Ska (Heartbeat)
various - Trojan Calypso Box Set (Trojan)
All photos and text by Jim Dooley (2004)
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From The Gleaner (27/01/2010, Jamaica, by Howard Campbell):
During a 1965 recording session at Federal Records Trinidadian guitarist Lynn Taitt decided he wanted a different sound for Take It Easy, a ska song he and his band, The Jets, were cutting with singer Hopeton Lewis.
"When I went to Jamaica and started playing with Baba Brooks and those guys, everything was fast, but in Trinidad they had fast calypso and slow calypso," Taitt said in a 2003 interview. "So that day I told Gladdy (keyboardist Gladstone Anderson) to slow the tempo and that's how Take It Easy and rocksteady came about," he added. "Rocksteady is really slow ska."
There are many conflicting stories about the early days of Jamaican popular music, but not many persons challenge Taitt's claim to being the creator of rocksteady. He died January 20 from cancer at age 75 in Montreal, Canada.
Distinctive rhythmic riffs
Born in San Fernando, Trinidad, as Nerlin Taitt, he was one of the most prolific musicians in the rocksteady era, which musicologists say lasted three years. His arrangements and distinctive rhythmic riffs helped make hit songs for Alton Ellis (Girl I've Got A Date), Desmond Dekker (Israelites), 007 (Shantytown), Johnny Nash (I Can See Clearly Now), The Melodians (You Have Caught Me) and Keith and Tex (Stop That Train).
Derrick Harriott produced Stop That Train but also worked with Taitt on some of his own hits as a singer, including Do I Worry and Walk The Streets. He described Taitt's style as simple, yet effective.
"He used a piece of metal over four of his fingers (on his fret hand) and got this Hawaiian sound that every producer loved," Harriott explained. "If Lynn Taitt played on 10 songs, it was guaranteed eight of them would be hits."
Taitt said he was originally a steelpan musician who started playing guitar late, at age 17. He first came to Jamaica in July 1962 with his Nerlynn Taitt Orchestra to help celebrate the country's independence from Britain, the following month.
According to Taitt, the bandwas ripped off by their manager, and he was encouraged by bandleader Byron Lee to stay in Jamaica and play in a band called The Sheiks, alongside saxophonists Headley Bennett and Wilton 'Bobby' Gaynair and keyboardist Jackie Mittoo.
First hit song in jamaica
Taitt was among a handful of musicians from the Eastern Caribbean who settled in Jamaica in the early 1960s. Others of note were his countryman, singer Lord Creator and the Barbadian vocalist Jackie Opel.
In the 2003 interview, he recalled Chang Kai Shek by Brooks' band as the first hit song he played in Jamaica. As his reputation as a guitarist/arranger grew, Taitt began recording with super band The Skatalites, playing on many of their memorable cuts like Guns of Navarone, Confucius and Gun Fever.
Taitt is best known as founder and leader of The Jets, an in-demand band that also featured Anderson, Bennett, guitarist Lynford 'Hux' Brown, organist Winston Wright and bass player Brian Atkinson. They recorded mainly at Federal, but also for producers Clement Dodd, Arthur 'Duke' Reid, Joe Gibbs, Sonia Pottinger and Harriott.
Signature red guitar
Musicians from the 1960s remember Taitt and his red Hofner guitar as fixtures at recording studios. He said his roaming was largely commercial.
"Sessions back then paid one pound, 50 cents. I was living in a foreign country and had to make a living," Taitt recalled.
The Nash collaboration, which also yielded songs like Hold Tight, were among Taitt's last major sessions in Jamaica. He emigrated to Canada in late 1968, living first in Toronto before settling in Montreal.
Taitt said he last visited Jamaica in 1973, but continued to perform with reggae bands in Toronto and recorded at his Montreal studio. One of his last major gigs was with The Skatalites at the Montreal Jazz Festival six years ago.
