ENTITY · PERSON (ARTIST, SELECTOR, PRODUCER…)
Jackie Mittoo
Well supported
Jackie Mittoo (born Donat Roy Mittoo, 1948-1990) was a Jamaican keyboardist, composer and arranger who served as musical director and house-band leader at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One, where he played on and arranged a vast body of ska, rocksteady and early reggae recordings. A founding member of the Skatalites in 1964, he composed enduring organ-driven instrumentals and riddims such as "Darker Shade of Black" and helped shape Studio One classics like the Cables' "Baby Why."
He emigrated to Toronto in the late 1960s, remaining active in Canada and briefly rejoining the Skatalites before his death from cancer in 1990.
At a glance
- Confidence
- Well supported
- Sources
- Wikipedia; AllMusic.
Coverage areas
Tap a tag to explore related records across the atlas.
Connections
Media & sources
Footage
Recordings
Articles & sources
Debate & reception
What people argued about this record — two documented positions each time, kept apart from verified fact. Browse every argument in the archive →
Who authors a riddim? Bass, keys and the credit for the version
One side
Session musicians as uncredited authors
The other
Producers and labels as rights-holders
A long-running, documented industry debate framed from both sides. One position holds that the session musicians who wrote the foundation basslines and keyboard figures - the players behind rhythms like Real Rock and Full Up - are the uncredited authors of the version tradition. The other holds that authorship and rights sit properly with the producers and labels who commissioned, owned and marketed the masters. Neutral; a matter of public discussion, not a claim against any person.
Read the argument →Share this record
Compiled and researched by The Jamaica Music Atlas music desk. The sources that informed it are credited above.
Share it freely. Quote it, teach from it, print it, put it on your own site — all we ask is that you credit The Jamaica Music Atlas music desk and link back where a link is possible, so the next reader can follow the trail to the sources. If you publish something built on this, tell us and we will link to you in return.