Born OTD in 1936, Lester “Ska” Sterling, AKA, Mr. Versatile. Like many Jamaican musicians of his generation, Sterling attended the Alpha Boys School. Sterling is a founding member of The Skatalites (playing alto saxophone), one of only two (the other is Doreen Shaffer) still alive. After The Skatalites originally disbanded in 1965, Sterling played with Byron Lee & the Dragonaires and recorded several solo singles for the London-based producer “Sir” Clancy Collins. His debut solo album, Bangarang, was released on Pama Records in 1969.

Behind Jamaica’s musical reverberation lies the unlikely story of a boarding school run by Roman Catholic nuns and a brass band that helped shape some of the world’s most beloved musical forms. Under a strict disciplinarian regime, ‘wayward ‘boys,’ many orphaned or from deeply troubled backgrounds and hailing from some of the toughest streets in the world, went on to become the backbone of Jamaican jazz, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dancehall, and dub. Alpha Boys School: Cradle Of Jamaican Music takes a look at the lives of over 40 of these influential musicians who, against a backdrop of extreme poverty, gun culture, street gangs and a political civil war, reached the standards of virtuoso players and created their own sonic revolution. Told in a narrative style with a wealth of interviews, exclusive photos and archival material this book is a long overdue look at the lives and impact of the Alpha Boys.  Available in store & online.