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The “Kingston Calypsonians” was a studio name used in the 1950s for rotating mento musicians who recorded anonymously,…

The Caribbean Serenaders were a hotel and tourist-facing band of 1950s Jamaica, blending mento and calypso to entertain…

Discover Chin’s Calypso Sextet, the 1950s Kingston ensemble tied to Ivan Chin’s pioneering recording label, capturing mento and…

Meet the Times Store Calypsonians, an ensemble tied to Kingston’s shop-label recordings in the 1950s, where mento and…

Discover the Blue Glaze Mento Band, a North Coast ensemble that brought mento to hotels in the 1950s…

Before becoming a ska pioneer, trombonist and arranger Carlos Malcolm honed his craft in Jamaica’s 1950s hotel bands,…

Explore George Moxey’s Band, a piano-led ensemble that animated Kingston’s nightclubs and hotels in the 1940s–50s, blending mento,…

Discover how Ernest Ranglin’s early years in hotel bands shaped his artistry. Before becoming a jazz legend and…

Discover the Dan Williams Orchestra, the Kingston-based ensemble that backed Lord Fly on Stanley Motta’s earliest recordings, bringing…

Explore the foundational mento artists of 1940s–1950s Jamaica—from Lord Fly and Lord Flea to The Jolly Boys and…