Leonard Dillon died on 28 September at the relatively early age of 68.
In 1965 he released a record under the name of Jack Sparrow. His backing harmonies were provided by a group unknown outside Jamaica – the Wailers.
In 1966 he formed the Ethiopians, inspired to the name by the visit of Haile Selassie to Jamaica.
Those early records were more ska or rock steady than reggae, sweeter & more to my taste than the harder-edged reggae to come.
Last Saturday came the astonishing news of the death of another Caribbean musician, Trinidad-born Edmundo Ros – astonishing because I had no idea that he was still alive, at the age of 100.
He was such a fixture on the BBC – first radio then tv – in my childhood & so was responsible for inculcating in me a love of Latin rhythms. The image of that burly figure stays with me - & his voice wasn’t half bad either, gravel pebbles in a velvet purse.
The Queen must have fond memories of him too – the news reports of his death have all mentioned that she danced her first dance in public to his music.
One wonders why he had to wait until 2000 to get his OBE.
