Lynn Taitt, the 'architect of rocksteady', dies — one of the main names of the style's golden era!

Lynn Taitt, great guitarist from the golden age of rocksteady, the "architect of rocksteady", as some called him, passed away on the 21st. The musician suffered from cancer, an illness that worsened after recording the documentary Rocksteady: The Roots of the Reggae. He was 75 years old. Born in Trinidad, Taitt began his career as a teenager as a percussionist in local bands. Some time later, he formed his own band, and was invited by Byron Lee to participate in the Independence Day celebrations at Jamaica, the place where he lived from then on. He worked with several artists, such as Baba Brooks, Skatalites, Tommy McCook, among others. His band, The Jets, had great success, allowing him to play for producers like Joe Gibbs, Coxsone Dodd, Bunny Lee, Sonia Pottinger and Duke Reid, with Lynn Taitt responsible for the rhythmic and mesmerizing rhythm of the inaugural rocksteady, "Take it Easy", sung by Hopeton Lewis, who was also from the Jets. In the late 1960s, Taitt moved to Canada, and despite this, he was a strong influence on the compositions of Jamaican artists who recorded after him, such as Lee Perry, Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley and Ken Boothe. The musician currently lived in Montreal, where he was still active.

IN MEMORIAM

Check out this and other legends that have already left us, in the special section "In Memoriam".