Aubrey Wellington Adams (17 June 1920 – 6 August 1990) was a
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n pianist and keyboard player who was one of the top bandleaders in Jamaica in the 1950s, and led the Dewdroppers as well as playing with
Clue J & His Blues Blasters
Clue J & His Blues Blasters were a Jamaican band of the late 1950s and early 1960s led by Cluett Johnson, who were one of the first bands to play ska. Several of the band's members went on to join The Skatalites.
History
Formed in the late 1950 ...
.
Biography
Adams was active in the pre-
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
era of Jamaican music when he led a band that had a residency at the Courtleigh Manor Hotel, that included tenor saxophonist
Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook (3 March 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One S ...
among others.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 4-5 He also played in Sonny Bradshaw's jazz band.Gambrill, Tony (2007) Sonny Bradshaw is 81 years young , ''
Jamaica Observer
''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...
'', 27 May 2007, retrieved 13 September 2009 He continued to perform in the ska era of the early 1960s, when he played piano for Clue J and His Blues Blasters, and also recorded with
Roland Alphonso
Roland Alphonso OD or Rolando Alphonso "The Chief Musician" (12 January 1931 – 20 November 1998)Thompson, p. 262 was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist, and one of the founding members of the Skatalites.
Biography
Born in Havana, Cuba, Alphonso c ...
,
Clancy Eccles
Clancy Eccles (9 December 1940 in Dean Pen, St. Mary, Jamaica – 30 June 2005 in Spanish Town, Jamaica)Katz was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, songwriter, arranger, promoter, record producer and talent scout. Known mostly for his early reg ...
, Pat Kelly, and the Soul Defenders. His keyboard playing was influential on other ska and jazz players, including
Monty Alexander
Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis ...
Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'', Rough Guides, , p. 24, 49, 81, 83 and he had a hit in Jamaica with "Marjie", recorded with his band The Dewdroppers, and released on
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd
Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond.
He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...
's Worldisc label. Adams became a regular session musician for Dodd in the 1960s, and also played on sessions for
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD ( Durrant; 21 June 1931 – 3 November 2010)Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 316Lynn Taitt's band the Jets.
Discography
Singles
*"Little Willie" (1961), All Stars/Coxsone - Aubrey Adams with Clue J & His Blues Blasters
*"West Kingston Express" (1961), All Stars - Aubrey Adams & the Dewdroppers
*"Mellow Grove" (1961), All Stars - Aubrey Adams & the Dewdroppers
*"Panic in Bond Street" (1961), Coxsone - Aubrey Adams & the Dewdroppers
*"Lady in Red" (1961), Coxsone - Aubrey Adams & the Dewdroppers
*"Stew Peas and Cornflakes" (1961), All Stars - Aubrey Adams & Rico Rodriguez
*"Cherry Island" (1973), Jogibs