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Byron Lee: From Ska to Soca |
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 |
What started out as a group of ecstatic high school boys musically celebrating the victory of a football match at St George’s College in Kingston, Jamaica – late 1950s – laid the foundation for the formation of one of the most popular and renowned musical bands in the Caribbean, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
For 52 years, Byron Lee led the Dragonaires on a musical journey from Jamaica to the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and throughout the Caribbean. He took the popular music of Jamaica, at the time Ska, created from the rough realities of the underprivileged living in the poorer sections of downtown Kingston, refined it and made it more palatable for the world to enjoy. Impressed by the spectacle and splendor of Trinidad’s Carnival, he immersed himself into the twin island republic’s annual carnival and added calypso and soca to the band’s repertoire.
Byron Lee was one of the first Jamaican musicians to take a businesslike approach to operating his band, disciplining musicians for infractions such as tardiness, improper dress and holding all members of the band to a higher standard. This approach paid dividends for Lee, as the band became a household name throughout the Caribbean, drawing full houses wherever they performed.
In 1990, he introduced the color and excitement of Carnival to the streets of Jamaica, determined to make it accessible to the people downtown. Prior to that, Carnival was restricted to the upper echelons of the Jamaican society, except for celebrations at the University of the West Indies by students. Many were skeptical, but under the expert guidance of Byron Lee, Jamaican Carnival was a success, and has now become a permanent fixture on the island’s annual entertainment calendar.
His success of bridging Reggae and Soca music has influenced the sound of Caribbean music today. We have all danced to ‘Tiney Winey’, his signature song which has become a virtual soca party hit. Byron Lee and the Dragonaires have entertained us for many decades and now that he has transitioned, his passing should not be considered a loss, but his body of work through the band, his recording studio and Jamaica Carnival, has left us with a legacy which has elevated the music and culture of the Caribbean of which we all have gained.
The significance of his passing on November 4, the day Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected President of the United States of America, may be purely coincidental, but “Dragon” as he was affectionately called by many, has unselfishly given of himself to the people of the Caribbean through his music. Let us celebrate his life.
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