The Baba Brooks Band

about

Oswald Baba Brooks started his musical career as a trumpet player with the Eric Dean Orchestra in Jamaica in the 1950's. The Jamaican bands played mostly Folk, Afro, Jazz, they played at clubs, big hotels and sometimes on local radio. This was an exciting scene at the time but began to die out towards the end of the fifties. Band members began to move into the recording studios in Kingston that were emerging at the time with the advent of the Sound System. The records that were produced kept the musicians well employed. Most big bands began to die out and only a few managed to survive into the sixties and beyond. One such band was Byron Lee, they became the Islands premire band and established many talented musicians including Baba Brooks. He soon became a popular session man working for many of the top record producers and featured on many of the great Ska tracks during the golden period from 1963 - 1967. He was riding high in 63' with three hits in the Jamaican charts, Musical Communion, Bank To Bank and his version of Watermelon Man. This was a year before the Skatalies had been formed as a band, with whom he was to play on many occasions. With Duke Reid he had many records released on his Treasure Isle/Dutchess labels. Teenage Ska was a brilliant driving ska beat track in his instrumental style. He had a habit of using a voice over intro calling out the name of the tune as on Seven Guns Alive, Girls Town Ska, Guns Fever & One Eyed Giant. On Alcatraz Count Machuki spoke t

top songs

albums

Trojan Ska Collection

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The Trojan: Ska Collection

The Best of the Skatalites

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Trojan: Mod Reggae Box Set

Trojan Mod Reggae Collection

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Treasure Isle Presents: Ska

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Memorial Album

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The Trojan Ska Collection

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Trojan Mod Reggae Vol. 2

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Ska Mania

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Trojan: Mod Reggae Box Set (Limited Edtion)

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Trojan Calypso Collection

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