Rocksteady: Lynn Taitt and the Jets

Before the melody, behind the lyrics, there is the sound.

Hopeton Lewis’ Take it Easy was recorded at Ken Khouri’s Federal Records studio, the first recording studio in Jamaica, and really the birthplace of rocksteady. It set the tone, quite literally, for the rocksteady movement - Lewis’ smooth, gospel and soul-infused vocal telling us everything we needed to know about the short-lived genre:

“Take your time… take your time… take your time… no need to hurry…”

But Lewis wasn’t alone in the studio that day; behind the vocals was the supremely talented Lynn Taitt (and his Jets). As with many genres, the vocalists often get all of the attention (and I contend that several rocksteady vocalists were easily on par with their American soul contemporaries; just listen for a moment to the pure tone of Derrick Harriott on The Loser, for example. But, I digress… rocksteady will, after all, make you meander.) But it’s truly the sound that sets rocksteady apart, and Lynn Taitt’s contribution to that sound cannot be understated. Some even credit him with being the father of the rocksteady bassline.

A Trinidad-born steel-drum player and guitarist who originally made a living as a ska studio session player, on the heels of Take it Easy Taitt quickly became one of rocksteady’s most influential and sought-after lead guitarists and musical arrangers. His guitar-picking style, which he said was inspired by the steel-drum music of his native Trinidad, is really a foundational element of the genre. Tracks like Gladstone Anderson’s ABC Rocksteady or Derrick Morgan’s Tougher than Tough give you a good sense of his signature sensibilities and style.

Like most musicians of the time, Taitt transitioned to reggae, working with a wide range of artists, from Bob Marley to Johnny Nash. It’s not surprising given his depth of talent that he continued to make music into the early 2000s. He passed away in Montreal (one of our favorite cities) in 2010.

Today, we are listening to it all: 1967’s “Sounds… Rocksteady”, 1968’s “Glad Sounds” (with Gladstone Anderson), and 1968’s “Rocksteady: Greatest Hits”. There’s not a lyric in the bunch — Taitt lets his instrument do all the talking — but it’s still a near pitch perfect representation of what we love about the genre.