Lloyd Knibb
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Lloyd Knibb (8 March 1931 – 12 May 2011) was a Jamaican drummer who is primarily known for his contribution to the development of the rhythm of the Ska era. He played for The Skatalites (in the 1960s up to his death), and for Tommy McCook & The Supersonics. Knibb recorded for the producers Lloyd "Matador" Daley and Duke Reid.
Biography
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Knibb, like a lot of musicians in the 1940s, honed his craft in jazz bands. His first professional engagement was with the Val Bennett band, but it was with Eric Dean's band where he gained the technical skills to play many styles. Dean's set list included the big band music of Glen Miller as well as the popular dances of the day: rumba, Cha-cha and bolero. Knibb's technical proficiency and wide knowledge of styles soon led to him being featured on the recordings of Coxsone Dodd, Prince Buster, Sonia Pottinger and Duke Reid.
Knibb gained his widest audience, however, as the drummer for The Skatalites. They recorded for the Treasure Isle (Duke Reid), Studio One (Clement Dodd) and Top Hat (Phillip Yap) labels, releasing ska music in the 1960s to an audience that responded to a rhythm that was uniquely Jamaican. Knibb, along with the other original Skatalites members, reformed to play the Reggae Sunsplash concert in Montego Bay, Jamaica in July 1983. The success of the reunion led to the reformation of The Skatalites as a full-time touring band, of which Knibb remained until his death in 2011. He played his last show in Peru in April 2011.
In his later years, Knibb resided in Hull, Massachusetts with his long time friend and fellow musician, John, and his wife, Adele. His son Dion plays in the Boston-based ska band Dion Knibb & The Agitators.
On 12 May, 2011, after being ill for some time with liver cancer and receiving treatment in the USA, Knibb traveled back to his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica to be among his family and friends. Later that day, Knibb died aged 80.
