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Born 1927, and died Monday 4 May 1998, Tommy McCook was a graduate of the Alpha Boys School in Kingston Jamaica where he learned tenor saxophone, flute and music theory. He was a consummate musician who not only played Reggae but Jazz, Swing and later, as a frequent visitor to grounations at Count Ossie's camp, he developed a love for Rastafarian music. He started out playing with the dance bands of Eric Deans and Ray Coburn , after a while he emigrated to the Bahamas in 1954 where he continued to develop his musical skills. He returned to Jamaica in 1962, and in 1964 he joined the Skatalites, who, it is said, he named. For just over a year and a half, Tommy McCook and the band recorded and performed prolifically for original producers like Dodd, Reid, Kong, Chin, and Justin Yap. When The Skatalites eventually broke up in 1965 he became the leader of Duke Reid's studio band: The Supersonics. Among the regular members were Johnny More- trumpet, Lloyd Knibbs - drums, Danny Simpson- trombone, Herman Marouis- sax, Gladstone Anderson - organ, Winston Wright- organ, Clifton 'Jackie' Jackson - bass, George Tucker - guitar, Ranny 'Bop' Williams - guitar, the Supersonics broke up in 1969. The above record is McCook's rendering of Jah Vengeance, and, because it was produced by Vivian Jackson, could easily be found on the 'Spiritual's' page. The fervid spirituality in Vivian 'Yabby Yu' Jackson's recordings makes him, despite his frequent outspoken denunciations of Haile Selassie, a yardstick for righteous roots Rasta reggae. Named Yabby Yu by King Tubby, his first recording, was Conquering Lion released, in 1972 as by Vivian Jackson & the Rolfe Brothers, issued on the Now label.