Jackie Mittoo

Studio One

Donat Roy Mittoo was born on March 3, 1948; Wikipedia and MusicBrainz say Brown's Town, in Saint Ann Parish, while the Canadian Encyclopedia says Montego Bay. He began piano as a small child, taught by his grandmother, at three per Wikipedia and four per Peace and Rhythm, and was recording professionally by about 13 around 1961. He was a founding member of the Skatalites and became musical director of Coxsone Dodd's Studio One, working with the Soul Brothers, the Soul Vendors and Sound Dimension, the Kingston house band formed in 1967 whose members included Leroy Sibbles, Ernest Ranglin, Eric Frater, Joe Isaacs and Cedric Brooks. "Free Soul" (1966) with the Soul Brothers was later interpolated in Lily Allen's "Smile", and "Peanie Wallie" was reworked as "Duppy Conqueror" by the Wailers in 1970. After the hit "Ram Jam" the Soul Vendors toured England in 1967.

He emigrated to Toronto in 1968 according to Wikipedia and 1969 according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, and worked there in the 1970s and 1980s, including lounge gigs and his own Stine-Jac label. Wishbone (Summus, 1971), arranged by Howard Cable with Toronto Symphony players and produced by Carl DeHaney, is described as the first Canadian-produced reggae release; Light in the Attic reissued it in 2006 and PopMatters, scoring it 6 of 10, called it a curiosity just short of cult classic. Macka Fat (1970) won the 2024 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize. In 1980 he co-wrote "Armagideon Time" with Willi Williams, later covered by the Clash, and was musical director of the Broadway show Reggae; in 1983 he played additional keyboards on UB40's Labour of Love and toured with them, and in 1985 he went to Ghana with Musical Youth.

He rejoined the Skatalites in 1989 and made Wild Jockey for Wackies that year. He died in Toronto on December 16, 1990, aged 42, and the funeral was held at the National Arena in Kingston on January 2, 1991. Dodd called him an ambassador of our music worldwide. Superchunk named a 2013 song for him, and Karen Cyrus's 2015 York University dissertation is the first in-depth account of his career.