Lloyd Knibbs: heartbeat of The Skatalites

Lloyd Knibbs

By Observer Reporter

A number of Jamaican artistes are among the recipients of National Honours and Awards. The awards will be presented on National Heroes Day, next Monday October 21, at King's House, by Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke.

Here is a profile of one of the awardees.

THE man who has, since 1964, wielded the sticks in the Skatalites and is one half of the drum and bass rhythm section (the other half being Lloyd Brevette), of the legendary band, Lloyd Knibbs, becomes the fifth member of the band to receive the National Honour, the Order of Distinction (Officer Class).

The other members so honoured are Tommy McCook (1975), Rolando Alphonso (1980) Lester Sterling (1998) Lloyd Brevett (2001).

Knibbs' career is inextricably bound up with the history of the much storied Skatalites band, which is considered to be the high-water mark of the ska era of Jamaican popular music in the 1960s.

Jamaica gained Independence from Britain in 1962 and in the immediate pre and post-Independence years, ska became the earliest form of Jamaican popular music. The music was borne on the shoulders of many of Jamaica's top musicians of the day, most of whom earned their daily bread playing in hotel bands, including those who would later become a part of the Skatalites. This period, too, marked the infancy of Jamaica's music recording industry and was an age when the session musician was much in demand.

The music was largely confined to the recording studios of the day such as Federal and Studio One, where young singers such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and The Maytals all made their first recordings backed by the players who would become The Skatalites.

McCook (tenor saxophone), Alphonso (tenor saxophone), Johnny Moore (trumpet), Lester Sterling (alto saxophone), the late Don Drummond trombone), Lloyd Knibbs (drums), Lloyd Brevett (bass), Jerry "Jah Jerry" Haynes (guitar), and Jackie Mittoo (keyboards) began working together in 1963 and took the name Ska-talites in May 1964, seeking to promote in concert the music they recorded in the studio. The name was a Tommy McCook pun on the Soviet space satellite, Sputnik, launched in 1963.

In its first incarnation, surprisingly, the band only stayed together for a year, breaking up in August 1965. But in that time the Skatalites imprint on Jamaican music was stamped indelibly. They were not to re-group again until 1983, when they re-formed to play Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay. A reunion album, The Return of The Big Guns, followed in 1984 and the group, most of whose members now reside in the United States, Knibbs among that number, has constantly been on tour since, performing all over the globe.

Writer Andy Clayden, in an article about Jamaica's greatest ever rhythm sections, notes that the two Lloyd's, Knibb and Brevett, "hold the prestigious honour of being the rhythm section for arguably Jamaica's greatest ever session band", the Skatalites and makes the point that "there is hardly a single Jamican artiste from the first decade of the industry that has not benefitted from the pair's talent."

Knibbs, Clayden writes, a powerfully built man, put all of his energy and strength into his drumming. He hit some of the hardest rimshots ever commited to tape, and countered this with some deft touches on the bell of the cymbal, creating a ringing aura that emanated from the often cluttered soundscapes produced by primitive Jamaican recordings. Good examples of this can be heard on the Skatalites classics Fidel Castro and Occupation. Another Knibbs trait was the crash cymbal emphasising the end of a bar.

As well as expertly holding down the archetypal ska beat, Knibbs was also accomplished with the African burru beat, having played with the late Count Ossie at his encampment in Warieka Hills, and even implemented a bossa nova feel on the classic Ska Ba (Ska Boss). Listening to further cuts such as Addis Aba Ba from In Memory Of Don Drummond and China Town and Smiling (a real Knibbs showcase) from Ska Boo Da Ba will clearly emphasise Knibb's complete mastery of his chosen instrument.