Tyrone Downie (20 May 1956 – 5 November 2022) was a Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member ofBob Marley and the Wailers.[1]
Tyrone Downie | |
|---|---|
 Downie in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tyrone Downie |
| Also known as | Organ D |
| Born | (1956-05-20)20 May 1956 Kingston,Jamaica |
| Died | 5 November 2022(2022-11-05) (aged 66) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Arranger,pianist,musician |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards (piano,rhodes piano,organ,synthesizers,mellotron),guitar |
| Years active | 1970–2022 |
| Formerly of | Bob Marley & The Wailers,The Wailers Band,Tom Tom Club,Peter Tosh,Burning Spear,Steel Pulse,Sly & Robbie Has also toured Zambia and elsewhere with Jimmy Cliff. |
He studied at Kingston College and joined the Wailers in the mid-1970s, making his recording debut with the band onRastaman Vibration, having previously been a member of the Impact All Stars.[2][3] He also played withthe Abyssinians,Beenie Man,Black Uhuru,[3]Buju Banton,Peter Tosh,Junior Reid,[1]Tom Tom Club,Ian Dury,Burning Spear,Steel Pulse,Alpha Blondy,Tiken Jah Fakoly andSly & Robbie. He resided in France and was a member of the touring band ofYoussou N'Dour, whose albumRemember he produced.[2]
In 1983,Grace Jones released the single "My Jamaican Guy". Unbeknown to Downie, he (though in a relationship and not romantically linked to Jones) was the subject of the song.[4]
Downie released the solo albumOrgan-D in 2001.[3]
Downie played keyboards on the album 'Maroon Songs: Born Free, Live Free, Ever Free' withEarl Chinna Smith's InnadeYard Binghistra Movement, released on August 17, 2022.[5]
Downie died in Kingston on 5 November 2022, at the age of 66.[6]
References
edit- ^abFoster, Chuck (1999)Roots Rock Reggae, Billboard Books,ISBN 0-8230-7831-0, p. 66, 116
- ^ab"Wailers bands carry on tradition for survival",Jamaica Gleaner, 19 July 2009, retrieved 31 October 2010
- ^abcMoskowitz, David V. (2006) "Tyrone Downie", inCaribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press,ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 92-3
- ^Simon Hattenstone (17 April 2010)."Grace Jones: 'God I'm scary. I'm scaring myself'".The Guardian. www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved2 January 2012.
- ^"Maroon Songs: Born Free, Live Free, Ever Free".Reggae-vibes.com. Retrieved13 November 2022.
- ^"Bob Marley and The Wailers pianist Tyrone Downie is dead".Jamaica Observer. www.jamaicaobserver.com. Retrieved7 November 2022.
External links
edit- Tyrone Downie at Roots Archives