In Memoriam: Johnny “Dizzy” Moore

Trumpeter Johnny “Dizzy” Moore, a founding member of legendary Jamaican ska pioneers the Skatalites and the most-recorded soloist in the history of ska, died on August 16 at age 69 after a battle with cancer.

 

As a child growing up in Jamaica, Moore deliberately engaged in petty crime so as to gain admission to Alpha School, a reform school well-known for its rigorous music program. There he studied classical music while pursuing his first love, jazz, mostly on his own. After school, he joined a popular dance orchestra but was kicked out of the group for growing dreadlocks. Embracing his Rastafarian beliefs, he moved to a Rasta community outside his native Kingston where his schoolmate Tommy McCook recruited him as a session musician. In 1964, along with Don Drummond, Jerry Haynes, Lloyd Knibb, Lloyd Brevett and five others, he formed the Skatalites.  

 

From 1964 to 1967, the Skatalites recorded hundreds of tracks under their own name as well as backing the most popular Jamaican artists of the era. Moore’s often frenetic, virtuosic yet smartly terse trumpet work – which earned him the nickname “Dizzy” – was a defining part of the sound that would eventually morph into reggae. Some of the dozens of iconic songs associated with Moore include Rockfort Rock, Swing Easy and Man in the Street.

 

After the Skatalites broke up, Moore was highly sought after for recording and live dates, playing with the Jamaican All Stars, Bunny Wailer and countless others. He also rejoined the Skatalites when they regrouped in 1983 and played with them through 1999. To this day, Moore’s solos and work as an ensemble player continue to cast a wide influence on modern-day horn players in ska and reggae.