Lester Sterling
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
Lester Sterling | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Kingston, Jamaica | 31 January 1936
Died | 16 May 2023 | (aged 87)
Genres | Ska, reggae |
Instrument(s) | Saxophone, trumpet |
Years active | 1950s–2023 |
Lester "Ska" Sterling OD (31 January 1936 – 16 May 2023), also known as Mr. Versatile, was a Jamaican trumpet and saxophone player.
Early life
Sterling was born on 31 January 1936.[1] Like many Jamaican musicians of his generation, Sterling attended the Alpha Boys School.[2] Sterling's brother is keyboard player Keith Sterling.
Career
Originally a trumpeter, he was predominantly known as a player of alto saxophone. He was a member of the Jamaica Military Band in the 1950s and played trumpet in Val Bennett's band in 1957.[1] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Sterling played regularly as a studio musician, along with most of the future Skatalites members, in bands such as Clue J & His Blues Blasters.[3]
Sterling was a founding member of The Skatalites (playing alto saxophone).[2] After The Skatalites originally disbanded in 1965, Sterling played with Byron Lee & the Dragonaires and recorded several solo singles for the London-based producer "Sir" Clancy Collins.[2] His debut solo album, Bangarang, was released on Pama Records in 1969. Sterling rejoined the Skatalites when they reformed in 1975.[2] The band have continued on and off with a varying line-up since, and Sterling was the only founding member still with the band. Sterling was awarded the Order of Distinction in 1998 in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music.[1]
Lester Sterling was honored by the USA chapter of JAVAA - "JAVAA USA.ORG" at their first awards ceremony held in Brooklyn New York in April 2013. That event was launched under the distinguished patronage of the consulate general of Jamaica. Sterling was given a pioneers award in the field of music for his contribution since 1964.
Death
Sterling died on 16 May 2023, at the age of 87.[4] At the time of his death he was the second to last surviving founder member of The Skatalites (Doreen Shaffer is still alive).
Discography
Albums
- Bangarang (1969), Pama
- Sterling Silver (2002) Echo Records
- as a featured artist
- The Ska-Flames featuring Laurel Aitken, Roland Alphonso & Lester Sterling - Damn Good (1995), Sun Shot
References
- ^ a b c "Musicians Bio Archived 8 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine", Alpha Old Boys Association, retrieved 19 October 2012
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 262
- ^ Lieb, Kristin (1994) "Hunt for 'Next Big Thing' Unearths Ska Underground", Billboard, 15 January 1994, retrieved 19 October 2012
- ^ McKenzie, Vanassa (16 May 2023). "Skatalites saxophonist Lester Sterling has died". Our Today. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
External links
- Lester Sterling discography at Discogs
- Lester Sterling at IMDb
- Webarchive template wayback links
- Articles with short description
- Short description is different from Wikidata
- Articles needing additional references from May 2023
- All articles needing additional references
- Use Jamaican English from January 2015
- All Wikipedia articles written in Jamaican English
- Use dmy dates from January 2015
- Articles with hCards
- Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts
- Articles with ISNI identifiers
- Articles with VIAF identifiers
- Articles with WorldCat Entities identifiers
- Articles with BIBSYS identifiers
- Articles with BNF identifiers
- Articles with BNFdata identifiers
- Articles with GND identifiers
- Articles with J9U identifiers
- Articles with LCCN identifiers
- Articles with NKC identifiers
- Articles with MusicBrainz identifiers
- Articles with SUDOC identifiers
- 1936 births
- 2023 deaths
- Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
- Jamaican reggae musicians
- Jamaican ska musicians
- The Skatalites members
- Recipients of the Order of Distinction
- 21st-century saxophonists
- 21st-century trumpeters
- Jamaican military musicians
- People educated at Alpha Boys School
- All stub articles
- Caribbean musician stubs
- Jamaican people stubs
- Trumpeter stubs
- Saxophonist stubs