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Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Tommy McCook
Person · male · Jamaica · Havana · born 1927 · died 1998 · recording since 1967
Jamaican musician (1927–1998)
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Also known as T. McCook · Thomas McCook · Tommy Mc Cook · Tommy McCoo · トミー・マクック
Timeline
20 events▣ Album 17◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1920s
1960s
· Debut release
Debut release: Wise Birds Follow Spring / Soul Rock
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1970s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Biography
English biography777 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1369126257
Biography
Tommy McCook (4 March 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One Studios in the 1970s.
Early life
Thomas Matthew McCook was born March 4, 1927. While some sources claim he was born to Jamaican parents in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in 1933, others claim that he was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
He was raised by his mother, who worked in the kitchen of a beachfront music club in Kingston. There, McCook sometimes watched bands rehearse, an experience he later cited as fostering an early interest in music. He began learning the tenor saxophone at age eleven, after his mother enrolled him at the Alpha Cottage School in 1938.
Career
McCook joined Eric Deans' Orchestra in 1943 after Deans selected him from the graduating class at the Alpha School. He spent several years playing in various groups, including Don Hitchman's sextet and Roy Coburn's Blu-Flames.
In 1954, he left for an engagement in Nassau, Bahamas, after which he ended up in Miami, Florida, and it was here that McCook first heard John Coltrane, a major influence on his playing. McCook would later call jazz his "first love" and additionally cite Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, and Ornette Coleman as influences.
McCook returned to Jamaica in early 1962, where he was approached by a few local producers to do some recordings. Eventually, he consented to record a jazz session for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, which was issued on the album Jazz Jamaica. His first ska recording was an adaptation of Ernest Gold's "Exodus", recorded in November 1963 with musicians who would soon make up the Skatalites.
In 1968, he led Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, featuring bassist Jackie Jackson and drummer Paul Douglas, who would later become the rhythm section for Toots and the Maytals, when the era of reggae emerged from rocksteady.
During the 1960s and 1970s, McCook recorded with the majority of prominent reggae artists of the era, working particularly with producers Clement "Coxsone" Dodd as well as Bunny Lee, and his house band, The Aggrovators, as well as being featured prominently in the recordings of Yabby You and the Prophets (most notably on version sides and extended discomixes), all while still performing and recording with the variety of line ups under the Skatalites name.
McCook made a brief cameo in the film 1978 film Rockers. He was also part of the Rockers All Stars, the group responsible for the film's instrumental music.
After a heart attack in 1995, McCook temporarily withdrew from touring with the reformed Skatalites, a change which became permanent in 1996. He recorded on the band's albums through the mid-1990s until a triple-bypass surgery kept him from the Ball of Fire (1997) sessions.
McCook died of pneumonia and heart failure, aged 71, in Conyers, Georgia, on May 5, 1998. His funeral was held May 17 in Jamaica at the National Arena. Sister Mary Ignatius, who taught a young McCook at the Alpha Boys School, attended his funeral.
Honors
On Hero's Day in 1975, McCook was honored for his contributions to Jamaica's music with the Order of Distinction at the Officer rank. The ceremony took place at King's House and his insignia was presented by Governor-General Florizel Glasspole. In 1997, The Slackers paid tribute to McCook with "Cooking for Tommy," an instrumental track on their album Redlight.
Selected discography
Top Secret (1969, Techniques)
The Sannic Sounds Of Tommy McCook (1974, Micron Music Limited / South East Music Limited)
Released in the United Kingdom as Horny Dub (1976, Grounation)
Reggae In Jazz (1976, Eve)
Cookin' Shuffle (1995, Jamaica Authentic)
The Authentic Ska Sound of Tommy McCook (1998, Moon Records)
Down On Bond Street (1999, Trojan Records)
Tommy's Last Stand (2001, Creole)
Blazing Horns/Tenor In Roots (2003, Blood & Fire)
Real Cool: The Jamaican King of the Saxophone '66-'77 (2005, Trojan Records)
With The Skatalites
Tommy McCook & The Skatalites - The Skatalite! (1969, Treasure Island)
With Bobby Ellis
Green Mango (1974, Attack)
Blazing Horns (1977, Grove Music)
With The Aggrovators
Brass Rockers (1975, Total Sounds)
Released in the United Kingdom as Cookin' (1975, Horse)
King Tubby Meets The Aggrovators At Dub Station (1975, Live and Love)
Super Star - Disco Rockers (1977, Weed Beat)
Released in the United Kingdom as Hot Lava (1977, Third World)
Instrumental Reggae (1992, RAS)
Show Case - 1975 (1997, Culture Press)
With Yabby You
Yabby You Meets Tommy McCook In Dub (Peacemaker)
Yabby You Meets Sly & Robie Along With Tommy McCook (Prophets)
With Herbie Mann
Reggae (Atlantic, 1973)
Reggae II (Atlantic, 1973 [1976])
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 29 | 90.1th |
| Studio albums | 18 | 95.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 20 | 93.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 31 | 68.2th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (29 release groups · 18 studio albums)
Albums · 18
Greater Jamaica Moon Walk - Reggay
1969 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks
A1Stealing StealingA2Lock JawA3Moonlight GrooverA4Funkey Funkey ReggaeA5Quando mi amorA6My GirlB1Drink MilkB2Only a SmileB3You Were to BeB4Stealing Vol 2B5Moon InvaderB6Moon Walk1969 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 33:17
A1Liquidator2:40A2Live Injection2:30A3Dr No Go2:30A4Tribute To Don2:20A5The Saint3:05A6Tonight2:31B1Bongo Niah2:42B2African Reggay3:10B3Joy Ride2:55B4Zylon2:43B5Progressive Reggay2:55B6Breaking Up3:161974 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks
A1Green MangoA2Roast FishA3Funky StuffA4Hot PepperA5Stag Lack No. 17A6Concrete RockB1Reggae MasterpieceB2Autumn MoodB3Walk On The Wild SideB4Musical RocketB5Jumbo SkankB6Slow Piece1975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks
A1Straight to I-Roy HeadA2I Bust It in the Name of JahA3Mr. Benwood DickA4Straight to Prince Jazzbo HeadA5The DukeA6Wood and StoneB1Sir Dees ScorcherB2Denham Town DubB3Duke of the RoadB4Dub IncorporatedB5Jah DubB6Version SateliteKing Tubby Meets the Agrovators at Dub Station
1975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks
A1Creator of DubA2A Happy DubA3A Collie DubA4The Dub StationA5The Height of DubA6Inspiring DubB1Joh Soy DubB2Sprinkling DubB3A Agrovating DubB4King Tubby DubB5Caretaker DubB6At the Dub Market1975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 38:33
A1A Dancing Dub2:28A2A Version I Can Feel With Love3:54A3A Loving Melody3:35A4The Mighty Gates Of Goza3:07A5Bongo Man Dub3:28A6True Believer In Dubs2:48B1The Duke Of Earl Dub3:36B2The Big Boss Of Dubs2:58B3Behold Dis Ya Dub Of Class3:23B4Dance With Me2:44B5A Gigantic Dub3:35B6The Gorgan Of Dubs & Horns2:571977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 35:59
A1Blazing Horns (Pts 1 & 2)8:18A2Tears Of Love2:51A3Glorious Lion3:14A4Mine Eyes3:02B1Jamaican Place3:46B2Yellow Bird4:23B3Tommy's Mood4:23B4Ites Of Zion3:31B5Jah2:311977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks
A1The Champion ShuffleA2Roots Man ShuffleA3Herbs Man RockersA4The Agrovators ShuffleA5Story Book Children JumpersA6Winter World of Love JumpersB1You'll Never Find RockersB2Jumping With the AgrovatorsB3African LiberationB4Rockers GaloreB5Spring TimeB6Forgot to Say I Love You1977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks
1The Night Rose of Sherron2African Jumpers3Rasta a the Master4Lamb's Bread Herb5Herb & Honey6Macka Dub Rock7Tommy's Rocking Vibration8Disco Rockers9Roots of Africa10The Bionic Horn1978 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks
A1Blue Moon RockA2Blue Berry HillA3Lovers RockA4If You NewA5In a TrapB1Lip StickB2Mr D JB3Road Boy BluesB4Devil in BedB5Rock My SoulThe Authentic Ska Sound of Tommy McCook
1998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 43:40
1They Laughed5:422Don Drummond - The Man With the Big Trombone3:413Secret Love3:294Blood Clad Eyes5:135Yelling King Bravo6:206Skalypso Dub5:407Golden Love3:168Blood Clad Dub5:119Loving Princess Diana (African Rap)5:082001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks
1Spring Time Dub2Happy Dub3Good Vibes Dub4Shack Attack5Mellow Groove Dub6Move and Groove7Take Dub Serious8Rock It on a Dub Land9Dub With a Difference10Give Dub a Chance11Crashing Dancehall Dub12Catchy Dub13You Will Always Find Dub14Boogie Down Dub15Jazzy Dub2004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:07:43
1Blazing Horns, Pts 1 & 25:222Tears of Love2:543Glorious Lion3:164Mine Eyes3:035Jamaican Place3:476Yellow Bird4:257Tommy’s Mood4:318Ites of Zion3:389Jah2:3210Riding West (UK 12″)5:2111Lamb’s Bread (UK 12″)6:4512Stepping High (UK 12″)5:1913Revenge (JA 7″)2:5914Revenge Verson (JA 7″)3:0215Uwi (Ja 7″)2:5016Kojak (JA 7″)2:2117Riding West (A Steaming version) (UK 12″)5:382004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 26 tracks · 1:18:34
1More Music2:332Gold Street Skank3:073Dirty Harry3:234Way Down South2:415Tubby's Control3:376Determination Skank3:507Music From the Southside3:008South Side Feeling3:029When I Fall in Love3:0410Far Over Yonder3:1311Crisp Like a Bell (UK 7")2:5012Drums of Africa (UK 7")2:5013Scatter Light Rock (UK 7")2:3714This Is It (UK 7")2:5515East Christmas Song (UK 7")2:3416Every Forward (UK 7")2:5517Imsperation Instrumental (UK 7")2:0018Meditating Our Own Way of Life (UK 7")3:0219Mitchville Rock (UK 7")2:3020No More Slavery (UK 7")3:2521No More Slavery (South East Rock) (UK 7")3:2422Merry Up3:3323Merry Up Version (UK 7")3:2424At the Crossroads (UK 7")3:1925Mr. Bald Head Aitken (UK 7")3:1826More Music (UK 7")2:282010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 47:12
1A Dancing Dub2:292A Version I Can Feel with Love3:513A Loving Melody3:254The Mighty Gates of Goza3:045Bongo Man Dub3:216True Believer in Dubs2:447The Duke of Dubs3:238The Big Boss Boss of Dubs2:519Behold Dis Ya Dub of Class3:1910Dance with Me2:3411A Gigantic Dub3:2412The Gorgon of Dub and Horns2:4913Rastaman Leave Home (Bonus Track)3:2414Waltzing Mathilda (Bonus Track)3:1415Weeping Dub (Bonus Track)3:202013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 41:25
1Grass Root3:242Caution3:023Sin2:304Wild Bunch2:565Bam-Bam2:566Black-Out3:417Collin, Part 12:328Collin, Part 22:289Band Man3:1710Good Bye2:3711Rock Away3:0812War2:2513Beirut3:1214Beirut (Version)3:172015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 34:34
1Determination Skank3:462South Side3:013When I Fall In Love3:064Funky Reggae3:015It Ain’t Who You Know3:166More Music2:337Brand New Man2:228Dirty Harry3:229Flute Instrumental4:2210When Something Is Wrong3:0711Scatterlight Rock2:38— · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks
A1The Night Of SheronA2African JumperA3Rasta De MasterA4Lambs Bread HerbA5Herbs And HoneyB1Macka Dub RockaB2Tommy's Rocking VibrationB3Disco RockersB4Roots Of AfricaB5The Bionic Man
Single · 5
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Wise Birds Follow Spring / Soul RockSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAWise Birds Follow Spring BSoul Rock | 1967 | ||
| 1968 | Last Flight to Reggae City / Watch Dem GoSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksALast Flight to Reggae City BWatch Dem Go | 1968 | ||
| 1969 | Dream Boat / Tommy's DreamSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Dream Boat 2Tommy's Dream | 1969 | ||
| 1969 | Wanted / Everywhere, EveryoneSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAWanted BEverywhere, Everyone | 1969 | ||
| 1975 | Billy JoeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksABilly Joe (adapted) BBilly Joe (version) | 1975 |
EP · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Blue Moon / InstrumentalSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 11:201Blue Moon7:09 2Instrumental4:11 | 1979 |
Album · 5
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Instrumental ReggaeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 17 tracks · 1:06:521Black Unity4:44 2Ginnigog Mister3:47 3Sargeant Tollawah4:17 4Militant Salute4:34 5Movements of His Majesty4:40 6Hot Lava3:27 7Rocking Jamboree4:26 8Riding West5:15 9You'll Never Find4:21 10Hop, Skip and Rock2:48 11African Roots3:41 12You've Caught Me Baby2:54 13Springtime3:19 14Forgot to Say I Love You3:11 15Smiling Rockers3:30 16A Skanking Rockers4:14 17Riding Uptown3:44 | Compilation | 1992 | |
| 1996 | Yabby You Meets Tommy McCook In Dub - Sounds Of The 70'sSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 47:131Crisis3:46 2Redemption Draweth Nigh5:07 3Dr. Bird3:25 4Crying Zambia3:21 5My Home3:13 6Rockport3:47 7I N I Time3:08 8Tommy Cooks3:50 9Jah High3:31 10Fire3:13 11untitled track3:37 12Jah Want Us3:04 13Stand Up4:11 | Compilation | 1996 | |
| 2003 | Blazing Horns / Tenor in RootsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 20 tracks · 1:14:511Blazing Horns (extended)8:20 2Tears of Love2:51 3Glorious Lion3:15 4Mine Eyes3:03 5Jamaican Place3:46 6Yellow Bird4:24 7Tommy's Mood4:24 8Ites of Zion3:32 9Jah2:31 10Lamb's Bread6:42 11Riding West 12 Mix5:19 12More Music2:26 13Tubby's Control3:35 14Everyday Sax2:51 15South Side Feeling2:54 16When I Fall in Dub2:59 17Far Over Yonder3:06 18Gold Street Skank3:02 19Harry Meet Tommy3:16 20Way Down in South2:35 | Compilation | 2003 | |
| 2005 | Real Cool: The Jamaican King of the Saxophone '66-'77Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 49 tracks · 2:36:26Disc 1 1Out of Space2:43 2Ska Jam2:50 3Riverton City2:52 4A Little Bit of Heaven2:40 5Inez3:43 6Persian Cat Ska (A.K.A. Once in a Persian Market Place)2:32 7Spanish Eyes2:59 8Indian Love Call3:06 9One-Two-Three-Kick2:50 10Continental3:12 11Caltone Special2:55 12Tommy's Rocksteady (A.K.A. Comet Rocksteady)3:00 13Real Cool3:19 14The Shadow of Your Smile3:24 15Soul Serenade3:13 16Sweet Lorna2:55 17Music Is My Occupation3:34 18Our Man Flint3:23 19Mad, Mad, Mad2:44 20Heatwave (A.K.A. Moving)3:17 21Flying Home2:08 22Second Fiddle2:22 23Ode to Billy Joe3:53 24Ranglin on Bond Street2:49 25Progressive Reggay2:53 26Black River2:20 Disc 21Wailing (A.K.A. Mabrouk)2:54 2Stupid Doctor2:55 3Psalm 9 to Keep in Mind2:24 4More Music2:28 5Bad Cow Skank2:31 6Green Mango3:45 7The Great Tommy McCook3:06 8The Watergate Affair3:24 9The Right Track3:51 10Cloak and Dagger4:06 11Move Out3:26 12A Dancing Dub (A Dancing version)2:24 13A Version I Can Feel With Love3:51 14Dub the Duke (A.K.A. the Duke of Earl dub)3:34 15Behold Dis Ya Dub of Class3:21 16Rock by Sir Dee's Scorcher3:00 17La Paloma2:45 18You'll Never Find (A.K.A. You Will Always Find)5:02 19You Have Caught Me (A.K.A. Catchy dub)2:53 20Rock It on a Dub Land4:00 21Hot Lava3:27 22Riding West5:15 23The Night of Sheron4:28 | Compilation | 7 February 2005 | |
| 2011 | Dubbing With HornsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 18 tracks · 58:231Tommy's Hop2:49 2Take This Fruit3:27 3Jumper's Dub2:47 4Dub Creation3:47 5Merry Up4:31 6Aggrovating Horns3:14 7Dub Train2:18 8Classical Rockers2:59 9Waltzing Rockers3:16 10Chant Down Babylon with Horns3:25 11Blowing Up A Storm Dub3:22 12Dub Fever2:37 13Dub For Ethiopia3:27 14Wailing Dub3:46 15Winning Dub2:29 16Far East Dub3:16 17Ladies Man Dub3:14 18High Noon Dub3:39 | Compilation | 2011 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Tommy McCook head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 29 | 90.1th |
| Studio albums | 18 | 95.8th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 20 | 93.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 31 | 68.2th |
| Genres | 3 | 80.4th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Aggrovators(band) | — | present | |
| Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus(band) | — | present | |
| The Duke Reid Group(band) | — | present | |
| The Supersonics(band) | — | present | original |
| Workshop Musicians(band) | — | present | saxophone |
| Tommy McCook Quintet(band) | — | present | eponymous |
| Tommy McCook & His Band(band) | — | present | eponymous,original |
| Tommy McCook & The Supersonics(band) | — | present | eponymous |
| Tommy McCook Allstars(band) | — | present | eponymous |
| King Edward Allstars(band) | — | present | |
| Joe Gibbs & The Professionals(band) | — | present | |
| The Skatalites(band) | 1964 | 1998 | original |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/db987393-16fb-4408-b43b-b82e75f1fffcdiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/db987393-16fb-4408-b43b-b82e75f1fffccore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1075854genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1075854seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_McCookbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_McCook
Why this artist is in the database
- List of reggae musicians
- List of ska musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q1075854 · MusicBrainz: db987393-16fb-4408-b43b-b82e75f1fffc
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