Jah Jerry Haynes
| Jerome "Jah Jerry" Haynes | |
|---|---|
| Born |
11 August 1921 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Origin | Jamaica |
| Died | 13 August 2007 (aged 86) |
| Genres | Ska, rocksteady, reggae |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Associated acts | The Skatalites |
Jerome "Jah Jerry" Haynes OD (11 August 1921 – 13 August 2007) was a Jamaican guitarist and former member of The Skatalites.
Haynes was born in Trench Pen, presently known as Trench Town, the cultural capital of Jamaica, in 1921. He learned to play guitar from early years by his father and then by Ernest Ranglin. In 1949 he played with Jocelyn Trott Orchestra in Montego Bay.
This prepared him for his sojourn into organized playing when he hit the hotel circuit playing with the Jocelyn Trott Orchestra in Montego Bay, in 1949. In the mid-1950s he freelanced with several other bands (including saxophonist Val Bennett's jazz band) until he joined the Arkland "Drumbago" Park Studio Band. His upward "stumming" of the guitar became the signature style in the Boogie Shuffle/Ska
In 1959 Haynes worked with Prince Buster and played guitar in many sessions. In 1961, he was contracted exclusively to Coxsone Dodd, though he played for other producers, such as Duke Reid, King Edwards the Giant and Lyndon Pottinger. In 1964 he was one of The Skatalites founders and played with them until 1965. He was featured on Rico Rodriguez' That Man Is Forward album. Two years later, he joined the reformed Skatalites at the Reggae Sunsplash festival.
Haynes left the Skatalites in 1986 and lived in relative anonymity in Jones Town.
Jah Jerry, O.D, as a member of the Skatalites, was one of the first twelve inductees in the Jamaica Music Hall of Fame sponsored by the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artists and Affiliates in 2008. In 2010, he was honored by the Jamaican Government on National Heroes Day and was posthumously awarded the "Order of Distinction" at King's House for his contribution to the development of Jamaican music. Jah Jerry was also a songwriter and a pioneer musician who helped create Jamaica's first indigenous music. He was a legengary guitarist who added jazz chords to the music and rapidly and repeatedly shifted these chords which was unheard of during that time.
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