Don Drummond

Well supported

The Skatalites' trombonist (1932-1969) and ska's greatest composer — "Man in the Street", "Eastern Standard Time" and dozens more, played with a melancholy that stood apart from the music's bounce. Schooled at Alpha Boys School, he was among the most gifted musicians Jamaica produced. In 1965 he killed his partner, the dancer Marguerita Mahfood, was committed to Bellevue asylum, and died there in 1969 — a tragedy that shadows the whole ska story.