Jackie was born March 3, 1948, in Brown’s Town in the Parish Saint Ann, Jamaica. At thirteen, he began playing professionally with bands like The Rivals or The Sheiks. It was at this time that he began hanging out at Fedral Studio and playing with some of the best musicians in Jamaica. The Skatalites would be his name starting June 1964. Jackie Mittoo met Clement “Coxsone” Dodd in 1959 while he was working as a recording artist at Fedral Studios. Dodd was so impressed, he asked Jackie Mittoo to manage the sessions at his new studio at 13, Brentford Road in Kingston in 1963. Dodd and Mittoo recorded thousands of songs during the Sixties. Dodd, who was part of the Skatalites’ split, formed the Soul Brothers studio band under Roland Alphonso’s guidance. Alphonso orchestrated the horns while Jackie composed the music. Jackie became the leader of the session musicians, changing their names to the Soul Vendors and then to Sound Dimension. Jackie was more than a leader. He also wrote the chords for the guitarist and played the keyboards, as well as organizing the recordings. This period saw the recording of many great instrumental music, including Ken Booth, Bob Andy and The Heptones. This music is the foundation of reggae and is constantly being re-mastered and adapted. It’s also an amazing artistic and creative accomplishment in its own right. R.I.P. December 16, 1990. discogs
