King Django (born Jeffrey Baker) is an American bandleader, singer, songwriter, arranger, engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, especially in the genres of

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 wal ...

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 ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

, dub,

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Ro ...

rhythm & blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

. Other influences in his music have included

traditional jazz Trad jazz, short for "traditional jazz", is a form of jazz in the United States and Britain in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, played by musicians such as Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine, based on a reviv ...

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

/ punk rock, hip-hop and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

. Django has toured many times throughout the US, Europe, Canada, and Japan as the leader of

Stubborn All-Stars Stubborn All-Stars are an American, New York City-based ska band led by King Django, front man of Skinnerbox and owner of Stubborn Records. In 1994, Django assembled Stubborn All-Stars for a studio session which resulted in the four-song ' ...

Skinnerbox Skinnerbox is a third wave ska band formed in New York City in the late 1980s by King Django. Discography Full Length *''Instrumental Conditioning'' (Stubborn) 1990) *''Now & Then'' (Stubborn) (1992) *''Tales of the Red'' (Stubborn) (1993) *''W ...

, and the King Django Band and as a sideman with such renowned acts as

Rancid Rancid may refer to: * Rancidification, the oxidation of fats, fatty acids, and edible oils * Rancid (band), an American punk band, and their eponymous releases: ** ''Rancid'' (EP), the above group's self-titled debut EP released in 1992 ** ''Ra ...

, Murphy's Law,

The Slackers The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of Nor ...

, and

The Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American second wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert "Bucket" Hingley relocated to New ...

. He is also widely known and respected as an influential mentor to younger musicians, sharing and spreading his deep knowledge of and love for Jamaican and American music. Django currently performs regularly leading the King Django Band and Bad Luck Dice and as a sideman with Predator Dub Assassins.

Early years

King Django was born at

Brookdale Hospital The Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center (often called Brookdale Hospital, or Brookdale for short) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) medical services provider in the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. Brookdale's primary and secondary ser ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, NY and grew up in the east Brooklyn neighborhood of

Canarsie Canarsie ( ) is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph A ...

. His interest in music was sparked while attending

Hunter College High School Hunter College High School is a secondary school located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is administered by Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Hunter is publicly funded, and there ...

in uptown Manhattan, New York. At age 15 he became a professional computer programmer in New York. Since taking up the trombone at age 19, the self-taught musician has been steadily playing, touring, and recording with a series of bands. From 1986 to 1988, he played trombone, wrote, composed, sang and co-lead the seminal NYC Rocksteady band The Boilers. In late 1988 Django formed

, melding ska, reggae, dancehall, funk, punk, jump blues, soul and psychedelia. Baker is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, and his grandfather survived the Holocaust.

Stubborn Records

In 1992 he formed the Stubborn Records label to release Skinnerbox's debut full-length CD ''Tales of the Red.'' The Stubborn Records label went on to define the 1990s New York Traditional Ska sound and continues releasing new material to this day.

Stubborn All-Stars

In 1994 he assembled a group of musicians under the name Stubborn All-Stars for a recording session which yielded the 4-song vinyl EP “Old's Cool” released on the Stubborn Records. Within two weeks of the release of this record, he was summoned to the offices of Profile Records in NYC to sign a recording contract. In 1995 and 1996 Stubborn All-Stars had a degree of commercial success with the singles “Tin Spam” and “Pick Yourself Up,” which saw rotation on MTV.

Version City

In 1997 Django assembled the Version City recording studio which rapidly became the hub of the NYC ska and reggae scene. The popular Version City Party was started that same year at Coney Island High on St. Mark's Place in Manhattan's East Village. In 2000 the studio was moved to New Brunswick, NJ where Django continues his engineering and production work for a wide roster of international clients. In August 2006 after several years of floating to different venues, most notably SEHO in the Lower East Side, the Version City Party was resurrected as a monthly at the

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

in New York City, on the first Saturday of every month.

Echo Mix Wave Tour

In late 2011, Django was a headlining performer on the month-long “Echo Mix” tour along with Konrad Kuechenmeister (Berlin, Germany) and Brian Hill of Regatta 69. In June of the same year, Django set out alone for Florida, performing a string of shows with several different backing bands. In 2012 Django celebrated the 20th anniversary of his independent label Stubborn Records, as well as the 5th anniversary of his Version City label based in Kingston, Jamaica.

Version City Tour

In late 2012/early 2013, Django took his popular, long-standing NYC Rocksteady and Ska “Version City” Party (active since 1997, most notably at prestigious NYC venue The Knitting Factory) on the road, leading the first Version City Tour through 30 dates in 10 states. Playing piano and trombone, supported by young PA band The Snails, Django performed a wide selection of his own material as well as a number of classic reggae and ska tunes. In February 2013, Django was invited to perform in Kingston, Jamaica, at the Institute of Jamaica’s Jamaica Music Museum, accompanying such musical dignitaries as Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Ras Michael, Nambo Robinson, Big Youth, Junior Reid, and Bongo Herman. In late May/early June 2013, Django led the second outing of his Version City Tour through 27 east coast shows in 25 days. Version City Tour #2 featured a compact and versatile quartet with Django being joined by Brian Hill of NC’s Regatta 69 on bass and vocals as well as guitarist/vocalist John DeCarlo of hard-touring Boston ska group Westbound Train. Depending o the venue the show ranged from 45 minutes to three hours, showcasing the songs of these three veteran performers, along with drummer Anthony Vito Fraccalvieri of Long Island bands Broadcaster and Royal City Riot (who had just come off a six-week US tour with The Toasters).

Discography

with Skinnerbox

*''Instrumental Conditioning'' cassette 1990 *''Now & Then'' cassette 1992 *''Tales of the Red'' CD/cassette (Stubborn), May 1993 *"Does He Love You"/"Right Side" 7" single (Stubborn) Dec. 1993 *''Sunken Treasure'' 4-song EP (Stubborn) July 1994 *''Special Wild 1989-1994'' CD (Stubborn), May 1996 *''What You Can Do, What You Can't'' (

Moon Ska Moon Ska World, formerly known as Moon Ska Europe, is a ska record label based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1998 as the European sister label of the defunct American label Moon Ska Records, which was owned by Robert "Bucket" Hingley ...

) Apr 1997 *''Demonstration'' full-length CD/CS (

Triple Crown Records Triple Crown Records is a New York-based rock music record label created in 1997 by Fred Feldman. The label features such artists as The Receiving End of Sirens and The Dear Hunter, ''Artists Page'' and launched the career of Brand New in 2001 ...

/Stubborn) Dec 1998 Compilation appearances *''NYC SKA Live'' LP (Moon) 1991 *''Step on a Crack'' (Sound Views) 1992 *''Skarmageddon'' CD (Moon) July 1994 *''Stay Sharp Vol. 2'' (Step-1 -

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

) June 1995 *Skinnerbox, Scofflaws V/A: ''Joint Ventures of Ska'' CD (DVS Media) May 1996 *Skinnerbox, Dunia & Django, The Stable Boys, Noah & The Arks, et al. V/A: ''Roots, Branch & Stem'' CD *(Stubborn), June 1996 *''This Aren't 2-Tone'' compilation CD (Too Hep) 1996 *''Big Skank Theory'' (1997, Le Silence De La Rue -

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

) *''Skankaholics Anonymous'' (Moon Ska) Apr 1997 *Skinnerbox, Stubborn All-Stars V/A: ''

Give 'Em the Boot Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, w ...

'' (1997, Hellcat) **Track 08 - "Does He Love You?" *Skinnerbox, The Lonely Boys V/A: ''Who's The Man'' (Full Stop) 1998 *''All Around Massive'' (Cole Mack) 1998 *''Ska, Punk & Disorderly'' ( BANKSHOT!) 1998 *''NYC Ska Mob & Friends'' (Grover -

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

) Dec 1998

with Stubborn All-Stars

*''Old's Cool'' EP (1994, Stubborn) *'' Open Season'' CD/LP (1995, Another Planet Records 6009) *''

Back With a New Batch The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column run ...

'' (November 1997,

3003) *'' Nex Music'' (1999, Stubborn) Compilation appearances *'' Spawn of Skarmageddon'' (1995, Moon Ska Records 058) **Track 01 - "Tired of Struggling" *''

Ed's Next Move ''Ed's Next Move'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Walsh. It stars Matt Ross, Callie Thorne, and Kevin Carroll. A micro-budget film about a transplanted Midwesterner adapting to life in New York's East Villa ...

'' soundtrack CD/CS (1996,

Milan Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases ...

35776) **Track 04 - "Look Away" *

with Stubborn All-Stars: '' Beavis & Butthead Do America'' soundtrack (1996, Geffen) **Track 05 - "

I Wanna Riot I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

" *'' New York Beat: Breaking and Entering'' CD (1997, Moon Ska Records 099) **Track 20 - "Bald Man Jump" *''

Dancin' Mood ''Dancin'' is a musical revue created, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse and originally produced on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1978. The plotless, dance-driven revue is a tribute to the art of dance, and the music is a collection of mo ...

'' CD/LP (1997,

3002/ Another Planet Records 6019) **Track 03 - "Dave Helm" / Track 07 - "Citadel" *''

'' CD (1997,

Hellcat Records Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, ...

80402/

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and em ...

04022) **Track 10 - "Open Season" *'' Roots, Branch and Stem: Living Tradition in Ska!'' CD (1998, Stubborn Records 002) **Track 02 - "Tin Spam (Bokkle mix)" *''

Somewhere in the City ''Somewhere in the City'' is a 1998 American indie comedy-drama film written and directed by Ramin Niami. Cast * Sandra Bernhard as Betty * Ornella Muti as Marta * Robert John Burke as Frankie * Peter Stormare as Graham * Bai Ling as Lu Lu * ...

'' soundtrack CD (1998,

Velvel Records Velvel ( yi, װעלװעל) or Velvl ( yi, װעלװל) is a Yiddish masculine given name meaning "wolf" in Yiddish. Velvel is often associated with the tribe of Benjamin, who is described in the Bible as a wolf, i.e. a mighty and fearless warrior ...

79717) **Track 11 - "Tim Spam" *'' City Rockers: A Tribute To The Clash'' CD (1999,

Chord Records Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord (as ...

030) **Track 11 - "Lose This Skin" *'' NYC Ska Mob & Friends'' (December 1998,

Grover Records Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originally ...

- Germany)

Other recordings

*King Django: ''Brooklyn Hangover'' (2010, Stubborn Records) *

Subatomic Sound System Subatomic Sound System, founded in 1999 by Emch and Noah Shachtman, is an American record label and collective hosting musicians, producers, DJs, and visual artists from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. In late 2008, Subatomic Sound Sy ...

: ''On All Frequencies'' (featuring King Django)(Subatomic Sound/ Modus Vivendi /

Nomadic Wax Nomadic Wax is an international music, film, and events production company specializing in hip-hop and underground music. Background Ben Henson founded Nomadic Wax in 1999, while living in Brooklyn, New York. In the summer of 1999, Henson discove ...

) 2007 *King Django: ''Roots Tonic'' (Jump Up/Stubborn/Big 8) 2005/2006 *

: ''Lost Hits Vol. 1: Dancehall versus Hip Hop'' (dancehall remixes with King Django) (Subatomic Sound) 2005 *King Django: ''A Single Thread'' (Megalith/Leech) 2004 *V/A: ''Version City Sessions'' (Asian Man) 2004 *

Sonic Boom Six Sonic Boom Six (often shortened to SB6) are an English five-piece band from Manchester, United Kingdom. Their eclectic sound combines different elements of several genres and has been described by ''Kerrang!'' as "taking ska, pop, grime, dubst ...

''Through the Eyes of a Child'' (Rebel Alliance Recordings) 2009 *Version City Rockers: ''Deeper Roots'' (Antifaz) 2004 *''King Django meets the Scrucialists'' (2003, Leech/Grover) * Don Khumalo: ''De Vuelta al Ska'' (2001, Stubborn Venezuela) *King Django: ''Reason'' (2001, Hellcat/Epitaph) *Version City Rockers: ''Version City Dub Clash'' (2000, Stubborn/Jump Start) *Radiation Kings ''Early Years'' (1999, Stubborn) *King Django ''King Django’s Roots & Culture'' (1998, Triple Crown) *The Agents ''For All The Massive'' (Radical) Oct 1998 * Rocker T & Version City Rockers ''Nicer By The Hour'' (June 1998, Stubborn/December 1998,

- Germany) * Rocket From the Crypt * The Usuals ''At Shirley & Juicy’s'' (1997, No Idea) *

''Hard Band for Dead'' (1996, Moon) *

'' Better Late Than Never'' (1996, Moon Ska) *

CIV Civ or CIV may refer to: Arts and entertainment * CIV (band), a punk rock music band * Civ (imprint), an imprint of VDM Publishing devoted to the reproduction of Wikipedia content * ''Civilization'' (1980 board game) * ''Civilization'' (series) ...

'' Set Your Goals'' (1995,

Revelation Records Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side, Chain of Strength, Shelt ...

/Atlantic) * Die Monster Die 1995 * Murphy's Law ''Good For Now'' EP (1993,

We Bite Records In Modern English, ''we'' is a plural, first-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''we'' has six distinct shapes for five word forms: * ''we'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''us'' and ': the accusative (object ...

) *

Outface Outface was an American punk rock band formed in the Cleveland, Ohio, United States, area in the mid 1980s, by Chris Hall and Charlie Garriga fronted, eventually by future Sepultura singer Derrick Green. The band also featured bassist Frank Cava ...

''Outface'' (1993,

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

Revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on th ...

) *

The Boilers King Django (born Jeffrey Baker) is an American bandleader, singer, songwriter, arranger, engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, especially in the genres of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, rhythm & blues and soul. Other influen ...

''Rockin' Steady'' LP (Oi/Ska - England) 1988 Compilation appearances *

Too True ''Too True'' is the third and final studio album by Dum Dum Girls, released by Sub Pop on January 22, 2014 in Japan; January 27, 2014 in Europe; and January 28, 2014 worldwide. The album marked the fourth Dum Dum Girls release in a row produced ...

: ''NY Beat - Hit & Run'' (1985, Moon) *

: ''Skaface'' LP (1988, Moon) *

Django and Elwood Django may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Django'' (1966 film), a 1966 Italian Western by Sergio Corbucci which had a particular influence on the Spaghetti Western genre and a number of unofficial prequels and sequels ** ''Django, Prep ...

: '' Keep the Pressure On'' (1996,

Kingpin Records Kingpin or king pin may refer to: Vehicular part * Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism ** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the ride ...

) * Castillo y La Rabia: ''Latin Ska Vol. 2'' (Moon) 1996 *King Django, The Demanders, Selika and Django: ''Version City'' (Stubborn) Dec 1997 *King Django: ''

Give 'Em the Boot III Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, ...

'' (2002, Hellcat/

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

) **Track 17 - "Precipice" *

Version City Rockers Version may refer to: Computing * Software version, a set of numbers that identify a unique evolution of a computer program * VERSION (CONFIG.SYS directive), a configuration directive in FreeDOS Music * Cover version * Dub version * Remix * ''Ve ...

: ''Roots of Dub Funk 3'' (

Tanty Records Tanty (russian: Танты; Dargwa: ТIантIи) is a rural locality (a selo) in Akushinsky District, Republic of Dagestan, Russia. The population was 824 as of 2010. There are 8 streets. Geography Tanty is located 16 km south of Akusha ...

) 2003

References

External links

King Django website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Django, King Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male singers American ska trombonists Male trombonists Hellcat Records artists Third-wave ska groups Triple Crown Records artists 21st-century American Jews 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American male musicians The Slackers members