World of Jamaican Music

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Remembering Derrick Harriott (1939-2026), rocksteady singer and producer. Read his story →

Lynn Taitt

Artist. Ska, rocksteady

Active
1962-2010
Sunrise
June 22, 1934, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
Sunset
January 20, 2010, Montreal, Canada (cancer)
Also known as
Lynn Taitt & The Jets, The Jets, Nerlynn Taitt

Nearlin "Lynn" Taitt was a Trinidadian guitarist, arranger and session leader who worked in Jamaica from 1962 to 1968 and is generally credited with the guitar and bass figure that turned ska into rocksteady. His band, Lynn Taitt and the Jets, was the most recorded group of the rocksteady years.

He was born in San Fernando and started on steelpan as a boy, playing with his brothers in a band called the Seabees, and took up guitar in his teens; by 1956 he was a prize-winning steelpan soloist, and he went on to play guitar in a Latin jazz group, the Dutchy Brothers, before leading his own orchestra. His orchestra came to Jamaica in August 1962 for a two-week tour with the calypsonians Lord Melody and Lord Blakie during the independence celebrations, and he stayed on with the help of Byron Lee. In Kingston he played with the Sheiks, the Cavaliers and the Comets, and worked with Baba Brooks, the Skatalites, and Tommy McCook and the Supersonics; his first Jamaican hit was "Chang Kai Shek" with Brooks, and Prince Buster took the Comets to Europe in 1967.

At Federal, backing Hopeton Lewis on "Take It Easy," Taitt's band played the rhythm slower at Lewis's request, because the singer was having difficulty fitting the lyrics over the ska tempo. Taitt described the result as slow ska: the space the slower tempo opened let him lay a bass line and double it on guitar. Gladstone Anderson's remark that the rhythm was rock steady is the usual account of how the style got its name. "Take It Easy" was an instant hit in Jamaica. Alton Ellis's "Girl I've Got a Date," Roy Shirley's "Hold Them" and Derrick Morgan's "Tougher Than Tough" are the other records commonly named as the first rocksteady, and Taitt played guitar on all of them.

He used a flat-bodied Hofner Super Solid in red and black, strung with heavy flatwounds, an unusual choice among guitarists then playing large semi-hollow jazz instruments, and it gave him a sharp percussive tone that cut through the mix. He switched the offbeat chop from upstrokes to downstrokes, which every reggae rhythm guitarist afterward followed, and developed what he called bubbling, a single-note picking line shadowing the bass with fast tremolo fills he called pick and roll, an approach he traced to the steelpan. The effect was to move the rhythmic weight off the horns and onto bass and drums and to bring the singers forward, and that arrangement held through reggae and after.

The Jets formed in 1966, and Taitt became a permanent fixture at Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studio. The lineup shifted; those named most often are Anderson on piano, Winston Wright on organ, Headley Bennett on saxophone, Lynford "Hux" Brown on guitar, Hopeton Lewis, and Brian Atkinson on bass, with Bobby Ellis, Joe Isaacs, Lennox Brown and Carlton Samuels appearing in Taitt's own photographs of the band. They worked for Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, Bunny Lee, Joe Gibbs, Sonia Pottinger and Derrick Harriott as well as at Federal, sometimes at five sessions in a day, and Taitt arranged and led most of what he played on. His guitar is on Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" and "007 (Shanty Town)," the Melodians' "You Have Caught Me," Keith and Tex's "Stop That Train," and Johnny Nash's "Hold Me Tight" and "Cupid," and on records by Derrick Morgan, Ken Boothe, Lee Perry, Joe Higgs and Bob Marley. Session pay was about a pound and a half. Harriott, who recut "Walk the Streets" so that Taitt could play on it, reckoned that of any ten songs Taitt appeared on, eight would be hits.

Taitt left for Toronto in August 1968 to arrange for the house band at the West Indian Federated Club, and later settled in Montreal, where he wrote and played for local reggae, calypso and jazz groups, recorded at home, and appeared with the Kingpins on Let's Go to Work, with the Montreal Ska All Stars, and at the Montreal International Jazz Festival with a reassembled Jets in 2002. He returned briefly to Jamaica in 1973 to record at Federal. Albums under the band's name include Rock Steady Greatest Hits (Merritone, 1968) and Glad Sounds, credited to Gladdy with Lynn Taitt and the Jets; Trojan collected the sessions as Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73 in 2005. He was the subject of Generoso Fierro's documentary Lynn Taitt: Rock Steady (2006) and of a second film, Ruff 'n' Tuff. He departed in Montreal at seventy-five; the cause was cancer. Hux Brown, who carried his approach into reggae, is the clearest line from his playing to what came next. Herbie Miller called his playing "such a splendid alternative to the virtuosity that Ernie Ranglin displayed during the ska era," and Winston Blake simply "a musician's musician."

Last updated November 5, 2026

Connections

Notes

  1. Bradley writes that Taitt "is given the most credit as the man who consolidated the various musical advances and solidified the rocksteady style." Lloyd Bradley, This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music (New York: Grove Press, 2001), 166. The Rough Guide calls him "the most significant rocksteady musician," who played "a line on the bass strings of his guitar in unison with the bassist." Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton, The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd ed. (London: Rough Guides, 2004), 55.
  2. Johnson writes that the band "backed almost every important rocksteady hit"; the Observer calls Taitt "arguably the most prolific musician in the rocksteady era." Kim Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt: The Secret Trinidadian Hero of Jamaican Ska & Rocksteady Music," Caribbean Beat, no. 93 (September/October 2008), https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-93/secret-hero-jamaican-music; "The 20 Greatest Personalities in Rocksteady," Jamaica Observer, April 3, 2026, https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2026/04/03/20-greatest-personalities-rocksteady/. The Rough Guide treats the Soul Vendors and the Supersonics as the top session bands of the period and the Jets, which Taitt led while also playing with the Supersonics, as a rival outfit. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 83.
  3. Johnson describes the Seabees as a steelband formed by Taitt, his brother Cedric and other neighborhood boys, and says he taught himself guitar on an instrument a neighbor had stolen from a sailor. Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt." Taitt told Campbell he started guitar "late, at age 17"; Wikipedia, citing Colin Larkin, gives fourteen. Howard Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt," Jamaica Gleaner, January 27, 2010, https://old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100127/ent/ent2.html; "Lynn Taitt," Wikipedia, accessed October 3, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Taitt. Katz names Teddy Clarke of the Bataan steelband as the man who gave the brothers their first pans, says Taitt won first prize as a soloist in an island-wide competition in 1956, and names the Dutchy Brothers, a Latin jazz group, and his own Nearlin Taitt Orchestra. David Katz, "Nearlin 'Lyn' Taitt Obituary," Guardian, February 10, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/feb/10/nearlin-lynn-taitt-obituary.
  4. Katz: "In August 1962, Taitt's orchestra travelled to Jamaica with the calypsonians Lord Melody and Lord Blakie for a two-week tour that coincided with the island's independence celebrations. He remained in Jamaica with the help of a local bandleader and promoter, Byron Lee." Katz, "Nearlin 'Lyn' Taitt Obituary." Campbell, from a 2003 interview, says Taitt came in July 1962 with his Nerlynn Taitt Orchestra for the independence celebrations and that Byron Lee encouraged him to stay; Roy Black also has Lee inviting him for the 1962 celebrations. Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." Roy Black, "Many Claim to Be Rocksteady's First," Jamaica Gleaner, August 9, 2015, https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20150809/many-claim-be-rocksteadys-first. Keyo instead dates his arrival to August 1963, with a calypso tour, citing an advertisement for an August 9, 1963, concert at the Sheraton Kingston; Dacks also gives 1963. Brian Keyo, "A Tribute to Nearlin 'Lynn' Taitt," Tallawah, accessed October 3, 2026, http://tallawah.com/articles-reviews/lynn-taitt/; David Dacks, "Rocksteady Pioneer Lynn Taitt Dies in Montreal," Exclaim!, January 22, 2010, https://exclaim.ca/music/article/rocksteady_pioneer_lynn_taitt_dies_in_montreal.
  5. Taitt recalled "Chang Kai Shek" by Brooks's band as the first hit he played on in Jamaica. Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." To Keyo he described "Shank I Sheck" as the hit from his first session, for King Edwards, and he recalled the Sheiks, the Cavaliers and his own Comets. Keyo, "Tribute." Bradley calls him "previously of the Skatalites." Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 166. Katz says that while working for Duke Reid he moonlighted for Studio One on Sundays, "replacing Jah Jerry on Skatalites recordings," and that Prince Buster took the Comets to Europe in 1967 for his first continental tour. Katz, "Nearlin 'Lyn' Taitt Obituary."
  6. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 63. Taitt's own account is that he found the tempo too fast: "So that day I told Gladdy (keyboardist Gladstone Anderson) to slow the tempo." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." He gave the same account to Kim Johnson and to Bob Schoenfeld. Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt." Keyo, "Tribute." Campbell dates the session to 1965; the Rough Guide places it in late 1966.
  7. "Rocksteady is really slow ska." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." To Schoenfeld he said, "as the music got slower it had spaces," and "I put a bass line and I play in unison with the bass." Keyo, "Tribute."
  8. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 63.
  9. Wikipedia, citing Larkin, gives the number-one position. "Lynn Taitt." Johnson writes that it "sold 10,000 copies in a single weekend." Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt." Augustyn says it "sold over 10,000 copies" and was "an instant hit on the charts and stayed there for many weeks," without giving a position. Heather Augustyn, "Hopeton Lewis Dies, Leaves Legacy," SkaBook (blog), September 5, 2014, https://skabook.com/2014/09/05/hopeton-lewis-dies-leaves-legacy/.
  10. The Rough Guide: "Taitt was the arranger for all the records generally cited as the first examples of rocksteady." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 55. Johnson: "Taitt arranged and played on them all." Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt." Katz names "Take It Easy" and Roy Shirley's "Hold Them" as two of the earliest rocksteady records, both arranged and played by Taitt, and puts him on "Girl I've Got a Date" and "Tougher Than Tough." Katz, "Nearlin 'Lyn' Taitt Obituary."
  11. Taitt described his favorite guitar as "my 1965 Hofner with a red body and black plastic overlay," and said he brought "the first flat body guitar in Jamaica" for recording, when "Ernest and Jerry both had wide body Jazz guitars." Keyo adds that Dennis Sindrey had recorded in Jamaica with a Fender Stratocaster before Taitt arrived. Keyo, "Tribute." Campbell mentions the "red Hofner guitar." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt."
  12. To Schoenfeld: "the guitarists at that time used to strum up first for the beat. But I turned to strum down." He also said "many of the guitarists take the bubbling." Keyo, "Tribute." Johnson writes that, "striving for the sound of a tenor pan, Taitt developed a percussive, 'bubbling' style." Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt."
  13. The Rough Guide: "the bass and drums became much more prominent, with the horns taking on a supportive rather than a lead role." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 55. Ranglin, on Taitt's approach: "it was right for singing." Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 167.
  14. Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 166. The Rough Guide places Taitt in Duke Reid's session band. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 64. Other accounts put the Jets mainly at Federal: Taitt told Keyo, "Once I got steady work at Federal, I formed the Jets"; Campbell says they "recorded mainly at Federal"; Winston Blake said Taitt "did most of his work with Federal Recording Company." Keyo, "Tribute." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." "Lynn Taitt: The Musician's Musician Dies in Canada," Jamaica Observer, January 22, 2010, archived January 25, 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20100125021131/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/LYNN-TAIT_7347330.
  15. Campbell names Anderson, Bennett, Brown, Wright and Atkinson; the Observer adds Hopeton Lewis. Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." "Lynn Taitt: The Musician's Musician." A photograph from Taitt's collection captioned "The Jets @ Federal" shows Bobby Ellis, Joe Isaacs, Jerry Geary, Lennox Brown, Carlton Samuels, Anderson and Atkinson. Keyo, "Tribute." The Rough Guide credits the "innovative drum and bass of Joe Isaacs and Bryan Atkinson." Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 83.
  16. Campbell lists Dodd, Reid, Gibbs, Pottinger and Harriott; Bradley lists Gibbs, Harriott, Pottinger, Bunny Lee and Leslie Kong. Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." Bradley, This Is Reggae Music, 166. On the workload, Taitt said: "maybe four session a day, five session a day for different promoters." Keyo, "Tribute." Johnson credits him with arranging and recording "over 1,500 songs as session leader." Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt."
  17. The Observer names "Israelites," "Shantytown," "Stop That Train," and "You Have Caught Me." "20 Greatest Personalities in Rocksteady." Harriott confirms "Stop That Train." Angus Taylor, "Interview: Derrick Harriott (Part 2)," United Reggae, March 25, 2015, https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1798/032515/interview-derrick-harriott-part-2. Wikipedia, citing Larkin, gives the Nash records as "Cupid" and "Hold Me Tight"; Campbell names Nash's "Hold Tight" and "I Can See Clearly Now." "Lynn Taitt." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." Johnson lists the other artists. Johnson, "Nearlin Taitt."
  18. Taitt: "Sessions back then paid one pound, 50 cents." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." He also told Keyo of losing "my 20 pound session pay from 'Shank I Sheck.'" Keyo, "Tribute."
  19. Harriott recalled redoing "Walk the Streets at Night" "and make sure that Lynn Taitt was there." Taylor, "Interview: Derrick Harriott." "If Lynn Taitt played on 10 songs, it was guaranteed eight of them would be hits." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt."
  20. Keyo dates the departure to August 8, 1968, for a one-year contract at the West Indian Federated Club, and Taitt's move to the Montreal area to 1975. Keyo, "Tribute." His work for local calypso and reggae groups is from Moss Raxlen. Dacks, "Rocksteady Pioneer." Wikipedia dates "Let's Go to Work" to 1999 and the Jazz Festival appearance with the Jets to 2002. "Lynn Taitt." Discogs dates the Canadian Stomp release of Let's Go to Work to 1998 and lists no Taitt credit there; the French reissue of 2000, whose sleeve gives "℗ Stomp Records 1999," credits him with "bubbling guitar" on two tracks. "The Kingpins: Let's Go To Work," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/951344; "The Kingpins: Let's Go To Work," French reissue, Discogs, accessed October 21, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/5670318. Keyo has him playing ska with the Kingpins at the 2002 festival and leading a band billed as Lynn Taitt and the Jets there in 2006. Keyo, "Tribute."
  21. Keyo names a 1973 Federal session for Mary McCreary. Keyo, "Tribute." Campbell gives 1973 as Taitt's last visit. Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt."
  22. The Rough Guide reviews Rock Steady Greatest Hits on Merritone. Barrow and Dalton, Rough Guide to Reggae, 83. Discogs dates the original Merritone pressing to 1967, and credits Glad Sounds (Merritone, 1968) to "Gladdy" with Lyn Taitt and the Jets. "Lynn Taitt & The Jets: Rock Steady Greatest Hits," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/master/372476; "'Gladdy' With Lyn Taitt & The Jets: Glad Sounds," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/10747275; "Lyn Taitt & The Jets: Hold Me Tight Anthology 65-73," Discogs, accessed October 3, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/3317004.
  23. Fierro debuted the film at Jamaica's first Reggae Film Festival. Tomas Palermo, "Pon Di Wire: Eek-A-Mouse, Mavado," XLR8R, August 27, 2008, https://xlr8r.com/news/pon-di-wire-eek-a-mouse-mavado/. Dacks dates the film to 2006. Dacks, "Rocksteady Pioneer." Keyo says Taitt was filmed for Ruff n' Tuff, a Japanese documentary, in 2006. Keyo, "Tribute."
  24. Dacks, "Rocksteady Pioneer." Campbell, "Remembering Lynn Taitt." The Observer obituary said he died in Toronto. "Lynn Taitt: The Musician's Musician." Keyo writes that he died of cardiac arrest, after being admitted with pneumonia, while suffering from advanced kidney cancer. Keyo, "Tribute."
  25. Hux Brown, interviewed by Kenneth Bilby in 2005: "Everything that I learned playing . . . guitar like that . . . is from Lynn Taitt." Keyo, "Tribute."
  26. "Lynn Taitt, the Musician's Musician, Dies in Canada," Jamaica Observer, January 21, 2010, https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2010/01/21/lynn-taitt-the-musicians-musician-dies-in-canada/.

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