Time to say goodbye to The Skatalites
At 8 AM I went to the Hotel Le Dauphin for the last time.
Spontaneously I was invited for breakfast by the hotel manager (he knew me already, I was quite more in that hotel, than mine). I was sitting at the table with Rolando Alphonso and Lloyd Brevett.
My Amsterdam poster was signed by all the band members.
After a while I changed to the table with Tommy McCook, Luis Bonilla and Nathan Breedlove. All three of ’em at the same table haven’t signed my poster from Amsterdam yet. So I asked them to fill the gaps. Luis and Nathan signed with a smile.
Tommy just left the table before sign in. So I walked behind him to the lobby, where I asked him to sign.
Finally the poster was finished:
I also gave Tommy McCook the 7inch of Don D Lion, which is a strange release on Trojan.
He also found it very strange, because these are two Don Drummond compositions. He wanted to keep the single, but said, it might get broken, so he left it to me.
Then a shake hand and gone. I went to my hotel and then to the railway station, where I found out, that the next train is leaving not before 3 PM. While I was waiting, I wrote most of this diary. Then I took the train to Paris. In Paris I was almost lost. I took a very poor hotel and left Paris the next day without doing anything, it was too heavy for me.
Oh, by the way, my diary looks very strange, doesn’t it?
The finish for the Skatalites was:
Tuesday, August 25, 1992
In a short drive The Skatalites went to the Nantes airport to fly to London (AF 3550).
The next day on the rider is:
Sunday, August 30, 1992:
Flight London-Brussels SN 602
and then flight Brussels-New York SN 541.
The show at the Robey in London is on the rider cover, but inside the rider is nothing about that show. I don’t know, if there was another show on this tour or not.
By now I will close this tour blog, but in october I will post some memories of the Skatalites Tour of 1997, which is 20 years ago, and it was my only performance with The Skatalites on stage. Be patient. (c)
Hey dude
When you going to sell the skatalites signed poster ?
I’m interested when you are ready. I am an avid ska and early reggae collector and have a skatalites lp picture and CD all signed but alas no Roland Alphonso signature.
Let me know if you are interested to sell as there are only really him and Don Drummond I need to complete my collection.
Thanks man and great reading
Mark
Irie Mark
Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry for that long awaited reply. Great to hear, you’re loving the Skatalites. I really wasn’t hunting for signatures all over those years. But still I have a few signatures. I’m just wondering, why I didn’t post the one from my diary from 1996.
No, I won’t sell any stuff from or about the Skatalites. But maybe someone else will do so. 🙂
Keep the originators in mind. Listen the music and enjoy. I’m looking for the Rolando signature… and will come back later…
Yours Skacerly
C