Laurel Aitken

Laurel Aitken

Laurel Aitken

Born in Cuba in 1927, he emigrated to his father's homeland of Jamaica

when he was 11 and by his teens was earning a living singing calypsos

for the tourist boats in Kingston harbour. At 15 he entered the Vere

Johns Opportunity Hour at the Ambassador Theatre in Kingston, a talent

show that helped to launch the careers of Desmond Dekker and the

Wailers. Aitken won several weeks running and he became a regular in

Kingston's nightclubs. He had his first hit in 1958 with the double

A-sided single Little Sheila and Boogie In My Bones. In Jamaica it

topped the charts for three months. Ska, with its upstroke guitar

played on the offbeat, became a distinct Jamaican form. Aitken to move

to London in 1960. From his new British base he recorded hundreds of

ska tracks, with the hit Boogie Rock the first release on the Blue

Beat label. Britain remained his home as he recorded ska, rocksteady

and eventually reggae. His music was embraced by white skinheads in

the 1960s. His output was mostly wry, good-humoured dance music,

sometimes with risque lyrics such as his notorious Pussy Price. By the

mid-1970s he had moved to Leicester and settled into semi-retirement,

but was soon to return to prominence as an icon of the 2Tone ska

revival of the early 1980s led by young British bands such as the

Specials, Madness and the Selecter. Aitken, now in his 50s, found

himself hailed as the elder statesman of ska. He performed with a

variety of British groups including the Beat, Secret Affair and Potato

5. He at last had his own chart hit, Rudi Got Married, and in 1986

appeared in the film Absolute Beginners with David Bowie. In his 70s

he still performed with third-generation ska acts such as the

Toasters, the Busters and the New York Ska Jazz Ensemble, while

innumerable ska compilations have been pressed since the 1980s � none

of them complete withouta contribution from Aitken. He is survived by

his wife, Sandra, and his daughter. Laurel Aitken, musician, was born

on April 22, 1927. He died on July 17, 2005, aged 78 Sincere

condolences are sent by Small Axe to his family and friends.

Laurel Aitken - The Pioneer Of Jamaican Music - Reggae Retro - CD.

The pre-ska era is one of great interest to all lovers of the musical

connections that make up reggae today. What makes Laurel more than

interesting is what he was adding to these Jamaican rhythms. Lyrics

have always given the music its extra impact. On this 25 track CD that

covers Mento, Calypso, R&B and Ska. You get the lot. You also get it

all in a digipak format, with a pull out booklet.