Laurel Aitken

Known as "the Godfather of Ska," Laurel Aitken was Jamaica's first real recording star. He was a pioneer in many other respects as well: he was one of the first artists ever to release a ska record, the first to work at promoting his music in the U.K., and one of the first to record for the seminal Island label, itself a major force in the international popularity of Jamaican music. Cutting his teeth on the sort of jump blues and boogie shuffles popular during the early days of American R&B, Aitken recorded numerous hits for a variety of labels over the years, enjoying his heyday during the '60s. His continued presence in the U.K. made him an elder statesman to the Two Tone ska revival movement of the punk era, and he continued to tour even into the new millennium. Aitken was born in Cuba on April 22, 1927, and moved to his father's homeland of Jamaica in 1938. At age 15, he won a prominent talent competition with his rendition of "Pennies From Heaven"; around the same time, he also sang as part of a calypso group that performed for tourists arriving on the island from cruise ships. Aitken developed his singing and songwriting chops on a wide variety of material: jump blues (especially those of Louis Jordan and the young Nat King Cole), New Orleans R&B, calypso, and the indigenous Jamaican folk style mento. He became a popular nightclub performer around Kingston, and officially joined the nascent Jamaican recording industry in 1957, when he recorded (and produced) the R&B/calypso spiritual "Roll Jordan Roll." The following year, he began recording for producer Chris Blackwell's fledgling Island label; his double-A-sided "Little Sheila"/"Boogie in My Bones" was the first single ever released on Island, as well as one of the earliest ska records. It was also a massive...