Lester Sterling OD (born 31 January 1936),Musicians Bio
", Alpha Old Boys Association, retrieved 19 October 2012 also known as Lester "Ska" Sterling or Mr. Versatile, is 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 ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

player.

Biography

Like many Jamaican musicians of his generation, Sterling attended the

Alpha Boys School Alpha Cottage School (often referred to as Alpha Boys School, Convent of Mercy "Alpha" Academy and now called Alpha Institute) was the name of the vocational residential school on South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica, still run by Roman Catholic ...

.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 262 Originally a

er, he is predominantly known as a player of

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

. He was a member of the

Jamaica Military Band Jamaican Military Band (JMB) is one of two military bands in the Jamaican Defence Forces, with the other being The Jamaica Regiment Band. The main task of the band is to play music at all national and military ceremonies. The band's repertoire i ...

in the 1950s and played trumpet in

Val Bennett Val Bennett (born Lovall Bennett, ?, died 1991) was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist and jazz and roots reggae musician who began his career in the 1940s. He made a number of releases on the Island Records and Crab Records labels. Biography In the ...

's band in 1957. 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 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 ...

.Lieb, Kristin (1994)
Hunt for 'Next Big Thing' Unearths Ska Underground
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', 15 January 1994, retrieved 19 October 2012 Sterling is a founding member of

The Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...

(playing alto saxophone), one of only two (the other is

Doreen Shaffer Monica Johnson, better known by her stage name Doreen Shaffer (sometimes spelled Schaffer or Schaeffer), is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae singer. Known as the "Queen of Ska", she was a founding member in 1964 of the Skatalites.Campbell, ...

) still alive. After The Skatalites originally disbanded in 1965, Sterling played with

Byron Lee & the Dragonaires Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (known as Byron Lee's Dragonaires after Lee's death and now The Dragonaires) are a Jamaican ska, calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron ...

and recorded several solo singles for the London-based producer "Sir" Clancy Collins. His debut solo album, ''Bangarang'', was released on Pama Records in 1969. Sterling rejoined the Skatalites when they reformed in 1975. The band have continued on and off with a varying line-up since, and Sterling is the only founding member still with the band. Sterling was awarded the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

in 1998 in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music. Sterling's brother is keyboard player

Keith Sterling Keith Sterling (born Keith Sterling-McLeod, January 1952, Kingston, Jamaica)Larkin, Colin (2006) ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', 4th edn., OUP USA, , p. 743 is a piano and keyboard player. Biography Keith Sterling is a well-respected Jama ...

. Lester Sterling the only living foundation member of the original Skatalites band 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 Mr. LaMont, Mr Sterling was given a pioneers awards in the field of music for his contribution since nineteen sixty four and continues to doing it.

Discography

Albums

*''Bangarang'' (1969), Pama *''Sterling Silver'' (2002)

Echo Records The Echo Label was a British record label started by Chrysalis Group in 1994, and linked with Pony Canyon in Japan. The Chrysalis Group were the original owners of Chrysalis Records, which they sold to EMI. In 2005, The Echo Label recorded a ...

;as a featured artist: * The Ska-Flames featuring

Laurel Aitken Lorenzo "Laurel" Aitken (22 April 1927 – 17 July 2005) was an influential Caribbean singer and one of the pioneers of Jamaican ska music. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Ska". Career Born in Cuba of mixed Cuban and Jamaican desc ...

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 ...

& Lester Sterling - ''Damn Good'' (1995), Sun Shot

References

1936 births Living people 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 {{saxophonist-stub