It is only about a week ago that I learned that earlier this year, on May 12, 2011, Lloyd Knibb, the drummer of the world famous Jamaican ska band The Skatalites, had passed away at age 80. At the time, I was staying in Tokyo for three months, the news simply didn’t reach Japanese shores or at least I didn’t hear or read anything about it back then. I twice had the pleasure of seeing The Skatalites perform live, once in Dordrecht in 2007 and two years later at another outdoor festival in The Hague, both in the Netherlands. Especially the first time was memorable. The stage was situated in one of the city squares, a quite intimate location. The trumpets started first, followed by a countdown to: Freedom! What followed was about one and a half hours of great ska music. An energetic performance, especially the beautifully sung ‘Nice Time’ made a lasting impression. The Skatalites already played this song in the 1960s as backing band for the Wailers, which then consisted of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingston.

Anyhow, when I first saw The Skatalites perform live I already knew their music, but I didn’t know anything about the line up of the band. Seeing them play live, I immediately took notice of the drummer. Except for his hands moving to play his instruments flawlessly and tirelessly, the man hardly moved and did not even seem to blink his eyes. He seemed in utter concentration and captured by the music he played very gracefully, clearly an experienced musician. That drummer, of course, was Mr. Lloyd Knibb. The second time I saw The Skatalites it was a much less intimate concert, as it took place at a larger outdoor festival with a much bigger crowd and stage. But even from afar, the distinct style of mr. Knibb could easily be seen and heard. As I know now, it was the last time I saw him play live.

The Skatalites live in Dordrecht 2007, with Lloyd Knibb on drums

As a founding member, Mr. Knibb was drummer of The Skatalites since the very beginning of the band in 1964, his drumming style a hallmark of the band’s music. The best examples of his style might be found on songs like ‘Guns of Navarone’ and ‘Freedom Sounds’, of which videos can be found below. The roots of ska lie at Studio One, a recording studio in Kingston run by the influential and legendary reggae and ska producer ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd, where Knibb invented the ‘shuffling, syncopated’ ska beat in the early 1960s. In these early years, ska not only emerged as a distinct music style but also quickly grew and developed through the work of Knibb and fellow Jamaican musicians. Most visible of the Jamaican ska bands were by far The Skatalites. Consisting of highly talented musicians, they played their own compositions while also backing many famous Jamaican artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers. Eventually, internal conflicts between band members lead to The Skatalites being disbanded in 1965. Some twenty years later, in 1983 during the ‘ska revival’ of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a one-time reunion concert lead to the band playing and touring again, albeit with a different line-up. Since then, they have been touring around the world, regularly changing (or having to change) their line-up. Despite the many changes in line-up, Lloyd Knibb remained the drummer of the band until his death in May.

Mr. Knibb’s importance to Jamaican music and its global popularity cannot be overstated. A self-taught musician who reportedly started playing on a wooden box and milk tins, Knibb was not only a brilliant musician but also an innovator who created and contributed to the development of the Jamaican music now known around the world as ska. Soon after it was created on Jamaica, the ska beat spread so that nowadays it can be heard and enjoyed around the world. Moreover, not only has ska developed into a musical style in its own right, but out of it developed rock steady (slower than ska) and later reggae.

Former Jamaican prime minister P.J. Patterson credits Lloyd Knibb with revolutionizing Jamaican drumming and notes regarding The Skatalites that, “were it not for Knibb, the band — regarded as the greatest aggregation of musical talent ever assembled on a Jamaican bandstand — would probably not have existed” (Jamaica Observer). Herbie Miller, director and curator of the Jamaica Music Museum and contributor to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, writes that Knibb emerged as the “world’s greatest ska drummer” by synthesizing different musical styles into a new, distinctive ska beat, thus becoming “the most important and influential modern drummer this country has produced”. For his work as a musician and his important contributions to the popular sound of Jamaica, Knibb received the Order of Distinction, Officer Class (OD), a distinction bestowed by the Jamaican government, as well as many numerous other awards. Knibb died on May 12, 2011 in St. Andrew, Jamaica, among his family and friends.

Lloyd Knibb OD (8 March 1931 – 12 May 2011)

About Lloyd Knibb, his music and influence on Jamaican music on BBC Radio 4

Lloyd Knibb in Peru in April 2011, preparing for what would be his last performance on stage as the drummer of The Skatalites

References/for further reading:

Cullen, Miguel (2010, November 24). “The Skatalites – Ska legends”, The Independent. Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-skatalites–ska-legends-2141868.html

Katz, David (2011, May 17). “Lloyd Knibb obituary. Drummer whose rhythmic innovation defined the ska sound”, The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/17/lloyd-knibb-obituary

“Lloyd Knibb revolutionised Jamaican drumming, says PJ” (2011, May 27), Jamaica Observer. Retrieved from: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Lloyd-Knibb-revolutionised-Jamaican-drumming–says-PJ_8867991

“Lloyd Knibb a flawlessly brilliant drummer” (2011, May 20), Jamaica Observer. Retrieved from: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Lloyd-Knibb-a-flawlessly-brilliant-drummer_8830678

Miller, Herbie (2011, May 16). “The Rhythmic Innovation Of Lloyd Knibb”, Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved from: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110516/ent/ent1.html

Perrone, Pierre (2011, May 23). “Lloyd Knibb: Drummer with the Skatalites and inventor of the ‘ska beat’ “, The Independent. Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lloyd-knibb-drummer-with-the-skatalites-and-inventor-of-the-ska-beat-2287875.html

The Skatalites – Guns of Navarone live at Glastonbury Festival 2003

The Skatalites – Freedom Sound live at Lokerse Festival

The Skatalites as backing band on ‘Simmer Down’, a 1960s song by The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston)