Bobby Aitken is a Cuban-born Jamaican

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

ist and singer who had a string of hits in Jamaica in the 1960s and led the band The Carib Beats.

Biography

Aitken is the brother of Laurel Aitken, and recorded in the early 1960s for producer King Edwards.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2003) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn.'',

Rough Guides Rough Guides is a travel company that offers tailor-made trips planned and arranged by local travel experts based in destinations around the world. Originally established as a guidebook publisher in 1982, Rough Guides expanded into customized t ...

, , p. 43, 83 He had hits in the

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

era of the 1960s with singles such as "Never Never" (1962, Blue Beat), "Baby Baby" (1962,

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

), "Don't Leave Me", "I've Told You", and "It Takes a Friend" (all 1963), "Jericho" and "Rolling Stone" (1964), "Rain Came Tumbling Down" (1965), "Thunderball" and "Shame & Scandal" (1966), and "What a Fool" (1967).Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, Aitken also led the band The Carib Beats, who recorded for J.J. Johnson,

Bunny Lee Edward O'Sullivan Lee OD (23 August 1941 – 6 October 2020), better known as Bunny "Striker" Lee, was a Jamaican record producer. He was known as a pioneer of the United Kingdom reggae market, licensing his productions to Trojan Records i ...

Joe Gibbs Joseph Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former American football, football coach. He served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 Washingto ...

, Ewan McDermott, and

Clancy Eccles Clancy Eccles (9 December 1940 in Dean Pen, St. Mary, Jamaica – 30 June 2005 in Spanish Town, Jamaica)Katz was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, songwriter, arranger, promoter, record producer and talent scout. Known mostly for his early re ...

. The Carib Beats disbanded in the mid-1960s, with Aitken becoming more involved with his church.Katz, David (2000) ''People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee "Scratch" Perry'', Payback Press, , p.45, 115 Aitken has also been involved in the music tuition of the younger members of the congregation of his church, including

Carlton "Santa" Davis Carlton "Santa" Davis (born 21 November 1953) is a musician from Jamaica, primarily known for his drumming with bands such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Aggrovators, Soul Syndicate and Roots Radics. He has worked with reggae artists such ...

, who went on to become one of the most prominent Jamaican drummers of the 1970s. He is the father of rising singer Debbi Verbz. Aitken was one of the top session musicians of the

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

era, and his productions from this era were collected together on the album ''Bobby Aitken Presents Rock Steady Original & Red Hot'', released by Next Step Records. Bobby Aitkens musical works were stolen, reproduced, and has been illegally sold since he became a Christian 1975. Other honorable songs the Legend has created were hit song, " Jesus Name So Sweet" 1977 the year of his 2nd to last daughter. The song was made popular by Donnie McKlurkin, which is now copyrighted by Bobby Aitkens.

References

External links

Bobby Aitken
at discogs.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Bobby Jamaican reggae musicians Island Records artists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)