|
Jackie Mittoo. Pianist, organist, songwriter, b Montego Bay, Jamaica, 3 Mar 1948, d Toronto 16 Dec 1990. Said to have been a piano prodigy, Mittoo began his career in his mid-teens in Kingston, Jamaica. He worked in turn with the Rivals, Sheiks, and Skatalites and was a major figure (keyboard player, composer, arranger, producer) at Coxsone Dodd's Jamaican Record Manufacturing Co (familiarly, Studio One), where he led, or was a member of, a succession of studio groups (Soul Vendors, Sound Dimension, Invaders, Brentford All Stars, New Establishment) and backed Bob Marley and The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, the Heptones, Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, and others.
Several of Mittoo's songs and/or rhythms from the 1960s were later recorded or adapted by other artists - eg, 'Real Rock' by The Clash and Willie Williams (as 'Armagideon Time'), 'Full Up' by the Mighty Diamonds (as 'Pass the Kouchie') and Musical Youth (as 'Pass the Dutchie') and 'Feel Like Jumping' by William Orbit. His own recording of 'Ram Jam' was a hit and led in 1967 to a tour of England with the Soul Vendors. Mittoo also played on the US soul singer Johnny Nash's Jamaican recordings of 'Hold Me Tight' (1968) and 'Cupid' (1969), which were among the first reggae songs to enjoy broad popularity in North America and Europe. Mittoo moved in 1969 to Toronto, but continued to work in Jamaica and toured, and/or recorded, as a member of the Skatalites and with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, Sugar Minott, Johnny Osbourne, Willie Williams, and others. He was music director in 1980 for a short-lived Broadway production, Reggae, and further supported reggae's growing acceptance in mainstream pop through the guidance he offered non-Jamaican bands like England's UB40, with which he recorded (Labour of Love, Virgin DEPCD-5) and toured in 1983. In Toronto, Mittoo performed in local lounges and during the 1970s recorded LPs of instrumental reggae for Summus (Wishbone, SUS-50002) and the CTL (Reggae Magic, CTLS-5164/Pickwick PC-44015; Let's Put It All Together, CTLS-5189/U Artists UA-LA-442). There, as elsewhere, he assisted local reggae bands and artists, including Earth Wind and Water, Esso Jaxxon (R. Zee Jackson), Carl Harvey, Lord Tanamo, Boyo Hammond, Carl Otway, the Sattalites, and Jackie James. He was inducted into the Black Music Association of Canada Hall of Fame in 1985. Mittoo's discography also includes LPs issued by Coxsone (In London, CSL-8009; Evening Time, CSL-8012; Keep on Dancing, CSL-8020), Studio One (Showcase, SOL-0130; Macka Fat, SOL-1120; Now, SOL-9016), Third World (The Keyboard King, TWS-501; Hot Blood, TWS-912; In Cold Blood, TWS-931), and Wackie's (Wild Jockey, W-2749). All were distributed in Canada by his own company, Jackie. Many of the ska, 'blue beat,' 'rock steady,' and reggae recordings in which he participated at Studio One have been included in several CD reissues by Heartbeat - eg, Full Up: Best of Studio One, Vol 2 (HB-14), Downbeat the Ruler (HB-38), and Fire Down Below (HB-81).
Author
Daniel Caudeiron
Bibliography
Meredith, Joan. 'Jackie Mittoo's music brings a touch of sunshine from the Islands,' CanComp, 59, Apr 1971 Vipond, Patti. 'Keyboard king Jackie Mittoo,' Spear, vol 5, Nov 1975 Caudeiron, Daniel. 'Soul Beat: tribute to a king,' The Record, 21 Jan 1991
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| David Thompson was an outsider, struggling to find a foothold in the empire that had consumed his country... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Woodwinds playing and teaching. The woodwind instruments in wide use in Canada during the 19th and 20th centuries were flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and recorder; and, in the orchestra, piccolo, english horn, bass ... |
|
|
