A few resources that will help fill in the blanks I leave and correct the mistakes I make.
The books listed below should be available at all the usual sources. Heather Augustyn’s books are available at skabook.com - and if you mention This Is Ska-Jazz when you order, you get a 10% discount. You can also email her at sallybrownpublishing@yahoo.com
The definitive biography - and tragic story - of Don Drummond, the Skatalites’ trombone player. Heather’s deep-dive research provides a detailed look at every aspect of Drummond’s life. It took me longer than usual to read this book because I had to stop and track down every song she mentions in the text!
Heather teamed up with Adam Reeves (author of the upcoming graphic novel series, Trombone Man: Ska’s Fallen Genius) to compile biographical encyclopedia of the many musicians who attended or were connected with Alpha Boys’ School (now The Alpha Institute) in Kingston, Jamaica. It’s no exaggeration to say that if it wasn’t for Alpha, there’d be no ska - and with no ska, no reggae.
Yeah, you’re tough, but are you pioneering women in Jamaican music tough? If you think it was hard for poor but talented men to make it in the rough, exploitive, and violent music industry, you don’t know half the story. The tougher half.
Profiles of the woman who played a significant role in shaping Jamaican music across the decades. It’s rabbit-hole reading that will introduce you to some unforgettable artists.
A fascinating look at the marketing and public relations effort that may have been the thing that put ska on the international map, creating interest in Jamaican music that enabled later reggae stars to gain recording contracts. One of my favorites!
The 2 Tone era was my introduction to ska and, having grown up with the bands, I thought I knew this story. Wow, was I wrong! Far more women played a far greater role than I ever realized. An important book that fills out the history of the 2 Tone movement.
Probably the best short introductory history of ska, from its beginnings in the 1950s through the end of the 2 Tone era in the early 1980s. It breezes over a lot of details, focusing on the big names and the hits, but it’s a great place to start your ska history journey.
I’ll start by saying I think Pauline Black is brilliant. Her band, The Selecter, is my favorite band from the 2 Tone era. She’s stayed true to her 2 Tone roots of racial equality, social justice and inclusion. Her autobiography covers all the creative and activist aspects of her fascinating life. She suffers no fools and calls things as she sees them - a refreshingly frank, wonderfully written book. Highly recommended!
Here’s a different kind of coffee table book - In addition to excellent photography and a few little known stories, it has reproductions of things like flyers, concert tickets, teletype stories, stickers, labels and postcards. Under the right influence, you might just think you’re back in the day!
When I hear an old-school ska or reggae band I’ve never heard before, I check my well-thumbed copy of this encyclopedia. Most times, I’ll find an entry on the band - which inevitably leads to another band’s entry, and I’m then online to find this song or that version, then another entry and more songs and just like that, it’s 2am. Open this book with caution!
To celebrate 50 years since its founding by Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell (of Island Records fame/infamy) , the U.K.-based Trojan published this album-sized coffee table book highlighting 50 album covers that set the standard in ska, rocksteady and reggae. Each cover is reproduced in all its glory, with a couple hundred words about the band, the cover artist or the music.
A wide-ranging, picture-packed history of the Trojan label. It makes great use of a magazine-style format, with industry stories, band and producer profiles, random lists, lots of album covers and by-lined articles from famous music journalists. Not the kind of book you read cover-to-cover, more like a pre-Covid buffet at a swanky wedding - too much to possibly consume, but too tempting not to try a little of everything.
Studio One was Jamaica’s first recording studio (ok, technically not, but for purposes of ska, we’re going with it) and their album covers influenced everyone. Check out Peter Tosh, the tall guy on the cover. You have an emoji on your phone based on that cover photo. It’s true - use it with pride!
The philosophy of 2 Tone ska (and every ska band since 1980) is one of equality, inclusion and pride. Some bands more than others, but it’s part of ska DNA. This book looks at how that political side of ska (and punk) led to the Rock Against Racism movement . There’s very little discussion on the music, but the story of how a bunch of outsiders shook up the British establishment is inspiring.
Music historian Eric Doumerc writes short, narrow-focused, meticulously researched histories that tie together people, places, music and movements. My favorite book of his is Dub Poets In Their Own Words, but this book helped me better understand how Black Britain shaped the music I love.
Here’s my secret weapon. This slim skazine is how I stay on top of the international ska scene. Four times a year, Kevin Flowerdew provides 2-sentence blurbs for every ska and ska-jazz release he’s got word of - and Kevin’s always got the word. It’s old-school, so it’s not online, but mailed from the UK. I couldn’t do the show without it! Subscribe to Do The Dog here
If you’re looking for a fun novel that captures the spirit of the Two Tone era, try Under the Clock or it’s sequel, Doing Nothing. Author Shelly Hinchliffe-Reece based the story on the people and events of her own teen years in the decidedly uncool town of Essex, far from the epicenter of the Two Tone scene. What the book lacks in professional polish it more than makes up in raw, unflinching honesty. If you were ever a teen, you’ll relate. Order your copy directly from Shelly by messaging her here.
If you learned nothing today, learn this: ska predates reggae. The Wailers - Bunny Livingston, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley - started off singing ska, with The Skatalites playing the instruments. Here’s the story of the Wailers earliest years, wonderfully researched (with a bibliography but regrettably no footnotes of specific sources) and told in such a relaxed style you think author John Masouri is just telling you a story over cold Red Stripes. The description of what it was like to watch the Skatalites in the studio is worth the price of the whole book. You can get the book directly from the author, too!