Noel Bartholomew Simms (18 March 1935 – 4 February 2017), better known by his nickname and artistic names Scully or Zoot, was a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

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

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

and vocalist.

Biography

Born in the Smith Village area of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

in 1935 and educated at the

Alpha Boys School Alpha Cottage School (often referred to as Alpha Boys' School, Convent of Mercy "Alpha" Academy and now called Alpha Institute) was the name of the vocational residential school on South Camp Road in Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica, still ru ...

, he initially worked as a singer in a duo with his schoolfriend Arthur "Bunny" Robinson, known as Simms & Robinson and later Bunny & Scully. Katz, David (2003) ''Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae'', Bloomsbury, , p. 14, 15, 34, 321 The duo won the

Vere Johns Joseph Vere Everette Johns (28 November 1893 – 10 September 1966)

talent contest two years running and were the first Jamaican artists to make R&B records on the island, starting with acetates for

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

use in 1953 (previous Jamaican-made singles were calypso). They went on to release singles in the early 1960s for producer

Clement "Coxsone" Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent a ...

, with Simms also recording solo sides for

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

, and as part of another duo, Simms & Elmond.Cooke, Mel (2004)
Studio One shows depth at Mas Camp
", ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

'', 28 June 2004, retrieved 20 July 2010Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 334, 340, 348 He was one of the first Jamaican musicians to use

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

phrases in songs after learning them from Rasta leader

Mortimer Planno Mortimo St George Planno, (6 September 1929 – 5 March 2006) was a Jamaican Rastafari elder, drummer and a follower of the back-to-Africa movement founded in the 1910s by Marcus Garvey. He is best known as the Rasta teacher and friend of Bob Mar ...

, with tracks such as "Golden Pen" and "Press Along" in the early 1960s. As a percussionist, he has performed as a member of several bands, including

the Aggrovators The Aggrovators were a dub/reggae backing band in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of the main session bands of producer Bunny Lee. The line-up varied, with Lee using the name for whichever set of musicians he was using at any time.Larkin, Col ...

the Upsetters The Upsetters was the name given to the house band for Jamaican reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am the Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Coxs ...

,Bradley, Lloyd (2000) ''This is Reggae Music'', Grove Press, , p. 326, 349

the Revolutionaries The Revolutionaries (sometimes known as "Revolutionaires") was a Jamaican reggae band. Career Set up in 1975 as the house band of the Channel One Studios owned by Joseph Hoo Kim, The Revolutionaries with Sly Dunbar on drums and Bertram "Ranchi ...

, and

Roots Radics The Roots Radics Band is a Jamaican reggae group, formed in 1978 by bass player Errol "Flabba" Holt, guitarist Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont and drummer Lincoln "Style" Scott. The nucleus of Holt and Lamont had previously worked together in the ...

, and has recorded and performed with

Big Youth Manley Augustus Buchanan (born 19 April 1949, Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica),Thompson, Dave (2002) "Reggae & Caribbean Music", Backbeat Books, better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), is a Jamaican Toasting (J ...

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band Bob Marley and the Wa ...

(playing in the All-Star Band at the

One Love Peace Concert The One Love Concert (OLPC) was a large concert held on 22 April 1978 at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. This concert was held during a political civil war in Jamaica between opposing parties Jamaican Labour Party and the People's ...

),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edition'', Rough Guides, , p. 143, 153 Dillinger and

the Heptones The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady in ...

, playing on more than 200 albums between 1971 and 1985. He toured Europe with The Jamaica All Stars along with

Justin Hinds Justin Hinds (7 May 1942 – 16 March 2005) was a Jamaican ska and conscious roots reggae vocalist with his backing singers the Dominoes. He is best known for his work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Records, where his most notable song, "Car ...

, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore and Sparrow Martin.Johnny 'Dizzi' Moore dies at 70
,

Press Association PA Media (formerly the Press Association) is a multimedia news agency A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and ...

, 17 August 2008 (reproduced at UnitedReggae.com), retrieved 20 July 2010 He also played in a backing band for

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

. On recordings, he is credited under many different names, including: Noel "Scully" Simms, Noel "Skully" Simms, Scully, Scully Simms, Skullie, Skully, Skully Simms, Zoot "Scully" Simms, Mikey Spratt, Scollie, Zoot Sims, mr foundation and Skitter. ''African Challenge'', one of his most well-known recordings for

Coxsone Dodd Clement Seymour "Coxsone" Dodd (26 January 1932 – 4 May 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. He was nicknamed "Coxsone" at school due to his talent ...

and sung entirely in

, was recorded under the name of Zoot Sims. In 1978, Scully made a brief cameo in the film

Rockers Rocker or rockers may refer to: Places *Rocker, Montana, a neighborhood in Butte, Montana, United States People *Rocker, a British drummer, formerly of The Flatmates *Fermin Rocker (1907–2004), painter and illustrator *John Rocker (born 1974), ...

, directed by

Ted Bafaloukos Theodoros Bafaloukos (May 18, 1946 – 2016) was a director, screenwriter and production designer from Greece known for his work in Jamaica and the U.S. He directed '' Rockers'', the 1970s era film about Jamaican music and culture. Bafaloukos was ...

. He was also part of the Rockers All Stars, the group responsible for the film's instrumental music. In 2004, along with his former singing partner Robinson, Simms received a Badge of Honour from the Jamaican government in recognition of their contribution to Jamaican music. Simms lost his sight to

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

. Despite this, he kept on recording and writing songs, including "Africa for the Africans".Cooke, Mel (2005)
Five good minutes of 'Africa for the Africans'
, ''

'', 21 December 2005, retrieved 20 July 2010 Simms died on 4 February 2017, having been diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

two years earlier.Campbell, Howard (2017)
Scully’s funeral on Sunday, March 26
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 13 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017

References

External links

Scully Simms
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Noel 1935 births 2017 deaths Jamaican reggae musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Deaths from lung cancer in Florida People educated at Alpha Boys School The Revolutionaries members The Aggrovators members