Don Drummond (1947-1969) was a famous ska trombonist and composer. He was one of the original members of The Skatalites, and composed many of their tunes.

Drummond was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1947.

His musical career began in the mid-1950s with the Eric Deans All-Stars. He continued into the 1960s with others, including Kenny Williams.

With the birth of ska Don joined The Skatalites. He became a household name in Jamaica, before suffering mental problems. He was rated by pianist George Shearing to be amongst the world's top five trombone players.

In 1964 he was convicted of the murder of Anita "Margarita" Mahfood, an exotic dancer and singer. He was interned at Bellevue Asylum where he remained until his death in 1969. The official cause of death was "suicide", but other theories remain; some of his colleagues believed it was a government plot against the Kingston musical scene, and some believed that he was killed by gangsters as revenge for the murder of Mahfood.

External links

• Short Don Drummond Biography
• Was Don Drummond Murdered?