Lester "Ska" Sterling OD (31 January 1936 – 16 May 2023), also known as Mr. Versatile, was a Jamaican

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

player.

Early life

Sterling was born on 31 January 1936.Musicians Bio
", Alpha Old Boys Association, retrieved 19 October 2012 Like many Jamaican musicians of his generation, Sterling attended the Alpha Boys School.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 262 Sterling's brother is keyboard player Keith Sterling.

Career

Originally a

er, he was predominantly known as a player of

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

. He was a member of the Jamaica Military Band in the 1950s and played trumpet in Val Bennett's band in 1957. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Sterling played regularly as a studio musician, along with most of the future Skatalites members, in bands such as Clue J & His Blues Blasters.Lieb, Kristin (1994)
Hunt for 'Next Big Thing' Unearths Ska Underground
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', 15 January 1994, retrieved 19 October 2012 Sterling was a founding member of

The Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone (song), Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Bus ...

(playing alto saxophone). After The Skatalites originally disbanded in 1965, Sterling played with Byron Lee & the Dragonaires and recorded several solo singles for the London-based producer "Sir" Clancy Collins. His debut solo album, ''Bangarang'', was released on Pama Records in 1969. Sterling rejoined the Skatalites when they reformed in 1975. The band have continued on and off with a varying line-up since, and Sterling was the only founding member still with the band. Sterling was awarded the Order of Distinction in 1998 in recognition of his contribution to Jamaican music. Lester Sterling was honored by the USA chapter of JAVAA - "JAVAA USA.ORG" at their first awards ceremony held in Brooklyn New York in April 2013. That event was launched under the distinguished patronage of the Consulate General of Jamaica. Sterling was given a pioneers award in the field of music for his contribution since 1964.

Death

Sterling died on 16 May 2023, at the age of 87. At the time of his death he was the second to last surviving founder member of The Skatalites ( Doreen Shaffer is still alive).

Discography

Albums

*''Bangarang'' (1969), Pama *''Sterling Silver'' (2002) Echo Records ;as a featured artist: * The Ska-Flames featuring Laurel Aitken, Roland Alphonso & Lester Sterling - ''Damn Good'' (1995), Sun Shot

References

External links

* * 1936 births 2023 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican ska musicians The Skatalites members Recipients of the Order of Distinction 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century trumpeters Jamaican military musicians People educated at Alpha Boys School {{saxophonist-stub