Roland Alphonso (Havana, Cuba, January 12, 1931 - Los Angeles, California, November 20, 1998) aka Rolando Alphonso or The Chief Musician was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist.
Alphonso came to Jamaica at the age of two with his Jamaican mother, and started to learn saxophone at the Stony Hill Industrial School.
In 1948 he left school to join Eric Deans’ orchestra and soon passed through other bands in the hotel circuit and first recorded as a member of Baba Motta’s group in 1952.
Around the mid 1950s, he joined the band of Cluett Johnson named Clue J & The Blues Blasters and backed many sessions of Coxsone Dodd in a typical Jamaican R&B style. By 1960, he was recording for many other producers such as Duke Reid, Lloyd “The Matador” Daley and King Edwards. During this period he played in many different bands, such as The Alley Cats, The City Slickers, and Aubrey Adams & The Dew Droppers. In 1963, after few months spent in Nassau, Bahamas, he took part in the creation of The Studio One Orchestra, the first session band of the freshly opened recording studio of Coxsone. This band soon adopted the name of The Skatalites.
When the Skatalites disbanded by August 1965, Alphonso formed the Soul Brothers (with Johnny “Dizzy” Moore, Jackie Mittoo) to become The Soul Vendors in 1967. He released the first album under his name in 1973 on the Studio One record label.
During the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, he kept on playing on numerous records coming out from Jamaican studios, especially for Bunny Lee, and he toured with many bands. He was awarded Officer of the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government in 1980, and started to tour more often in the U.S. He took part in the reformation of the Skatalites in 1983, with whom he toured and recorded constantly until his death in 1998.
Tracklist
1 | Muscially by Keith Blake |
2 | Dream Land by Bunny Wailer |
3 | Musical Resurection by Roland Alphonso |
4 | Mr. Midnight by Dynamite |
5 | Saving My Love by Errol Dunkley |
6 | I'm So Happy With The Lord by Ernest Atkins |
7 | Lonely Nights by Eric Donaldson |
8 | Happy Birthday Jamaica by Lee ''Scratch'' Perry |
9 | You Hurt My Soul by Joe Higgs |
10 | Cherrie by Soul Twins |
11 | I Want To See Sweet Jesus by Andy Miller, Ranny Williams & The All Stars |
12 | Can't You See It's Time by Horace Andy |
13 | Declaration Of Rights by The Abyssinians |
14 | Get On The Glory Road by Andy Miller, Ranny Williams & The All Stars |
15 | Free Again by Culture |
16 | Dick Head by King Tubby, African Brothers |
17 | Brotherly Love feat. Hendrick by Lee Perry & The Jolly Brothers |
18 | Let Us Do Something by Joe Higgs |
19 | Soul Rebel by Bunny Wailer |
20 | No More Will I Roam by Dennis Brown |
21 | Out Of Space by Lee 'Scratch' Perry |
22 | One Thousand Tons Of Megaton by Roland Alphonso |
23 | Dreams To Remember by Hippy Boys |
24 | Ram Bam Bam by Joe Higgs |
25 | Green Bay by Lord Sassafrass |
26 | Casmas Town by I Roy |
27 | Loving Version by Roots Radics |
28 | Real Version by The Musical Intimidators |
29 | Stranger in Town by Gregory Isaacs |
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