Laurel Aitken

Called the “Godfather of Ska,” the indomitable Laurel Aitken is widely acknowledged as modern Jamaican music’s spiritual figurehead. By the time of his death in 2005, Aitken had been involved in virtually every phase of the music’s history, from its pre-ska roots to its current dancehall incarnation. Born in Cuba of mixed descent, Aitken immigrated with his family to Jamaica in the ‘30s. There, as a local entertainer, he helped popularize a mix of New Orleans-style R&B and the indigenous folk style, mento, a sound that would soon evolve into ska. During ska’s heyday in the ‘60s, Aitken made his way to the U.K., where his recordings on the Blue Beat label won favor among West Indian immigrants, mods, and skinheads. In later years, as his popularity waned, Aitken dabbled in rocksteady and reggae, and presided as elder statesmen of ska’s Two Tone revival.