Alpha Boys School

Alpha Boys School
Author: Heather Augustyn
Publisher:
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2017-11-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9780692980736

Facing a life of poverty, neglect, abandonment and even homelessness, young Jamaican boys are placed in a disciplinarian Catholic boarding school. With a rigorous musical training program overseen by an eccentric jazz-loving nun, the young virtuoso graduates of Alpha Boys' School went on to change the shape of music forever. It's the 1950s in Jamaica and a musical revolution is brewing. People all over Kingston dance nightly to vast outdoor sound systems blasting American rhythm and blues records across the shanty towns. In the hotels and theaters big bands are playing jazz and calypso. Street musicians are playing home-grown folk music called mento. Out of this musical stew, Jamaica will soon birth a dance music all of its own, a sound that will conquer the globe. Starting with ska in the early 1960s, followed by rocksteady, eventually arriving at reggae in 1969, a group of virtuoso graduates of a Roman Catholic boarding school spearhead a musical and cultural revolution that still reverberates around the world over half a century later. The Sisters of Mercy nuns at Alpha provided a home alongside industrial trades apprenticeships and religious indoctrination. One in particular, Sister Mary Ignatius, dedicated 64 years of her life to running the school's music program. Her deep appreciation of jazz and her sense of fun endeared her to the boys in the band, inspiring them to attain greatness. From early Jamaican jazz giants like Joe Harriott and Dizzy Reece to the greatest ska band of all time, The Skatalites, and some of reggae's most inspirational artists such as Cedric Brooks, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Smart and Yellowman, the Alpha story is the untold history of Jamaican music. Join Heather Augustyn and Adam Reeves as they delve into the history of this remarkable institution and reveal the life and works of 47 of the greatest Alpha boys. The culmination of many combined years of work, using musicians' personal recollections and a wealth of rarely seen photographs, Alpha Boys' School: Cradle of Jamaican Music will take you to the heart of the Jamaica music story. Whether you are a lover of original ska and rocksteady, roots, dub, dancehall and beyond, these stories will take you deeper into the music. If you enjoyed Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae by David Katz, Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley or So Much Things To Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley by Roger Steffens, then this is definitely for you.

Ska

Ska
Author: Heather Augustyn
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0786461977

Before Bob Marley brought reggae to the world, before Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh, before thousands of musicians played a Jamaican rhythm, there were the men and women who created ska music, a blend of jazz, American rhythm and blues, and the indigenous music of the Caribbean. This book tells the story of ska music and its development from Jamaica to England, where the music took on a distinctively different tone, and finally to the rest of the world. Through the words of legendary artists, gleaned from more than a decade of interviews, the story of ska music is finally told by those who were there.

Don Drummond

Don Drummond
Author: Heather Augustyn
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2013-08-03
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1476603332

This is a comprehensive biography of a brilliant musician who forever shaped the course of ska, reggae, and popular music worldwide, only to take the life of his lover and in so doing, destroy his career at the age of 30. In his short life Don Drummond created an enduring legacy despite poverty, class separation, mental illness, racial politics, and the exploitation of his work. The words of Drummond's childhood friends, classmates, musicians, medical staff, legal counsel, and teachers enliven this story of his "unusual mind." They recall the early days in the recording studio, playing the instrumental backup for Bob Marley and others, and the nights in the Rasta camps where musicians burned the midnight oil and more. They remember the gyrations of his lover, Margarita, the Rumba Queen, as she tantalized audiences at Club Havana; tell what happened that tragic night when Drummond stabbed Margarita four times; reveal details of the trial (delayed more than a year as Drummond was ruled mentally unfit) and offer insights into Drummond's death in a mental asylum at age 35.

Wolf Moon

Wolf Moon
Author: JJ King
Publisher: King Publishing
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2020-04-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1999553195

A fancy ski resort, a ghost from her past, a deadly flight, and a whole shitload of trouble. Elena Jensen's world, as she knew it, no longer exists. In the aftermath of the attack on Alpha Wolf Academy, she feels more alone than she ever has. She can't trust her family or The Sisterhood, and Connor, the wolf chosen as her personal guard, brings up a painful part of her past, one she'd prefer to forget. When she and half the students of AWA are shipped to a shifter-exclusive ski resort for winter break, Elena starts to think things aren't so bad. She has a boyfriend that makes her rethink the existence of soulmates, a friend who makes her feel safe, and a new influential mentor. Elena's tentative foundation is destroyed when disaster strikes on the return flight, leaving Elena stranded in the middle of the wilderness with ten other students, a dead pilot, a wounded teacher, and Connor. When it's life and death, you dig deep to keep yourself and others alive... or you die trying. Fans of Vampire Academy and Legacies will want to sink their teeth into Alpha Wolf Academy!

King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land

King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land
Author: Jason Wilson
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2020-02-14
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0774862300

When Jackie Mittoo and Leroy Sibbles migrated from Jamaica to Toronto in the early 1970s, the musicians brought reggae with them, sparking the flames of one of Canada’s most vibrant music scenes. Professional reggae musician and scholar Jason Wilson tells the story of how reggae brought black and white youth together, opening up a cultural dialogue between Jamaican migrants and Canadians along the city’s ethnic frontlines. This underground subculture rebelled against the status quo, broke through the bonds of race, eased the acculturation process, and made bands such as Messenjah and the Sattalites household names for a brief but important time.

Don Drummond

Don Drummond
Author: Heather Augustyn
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2013-08-16
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0786475471

This is a comprehensive biography of a brilliant musician who forever shaped the course of ska, reggae, and popular music worldwide, only to take the life of his lover and in so doing, destroy his career at the age of 30. In his short life Don Drummond created an enduring legacy despite poverty, class separation, mental illness, racial politics, and the exploitation of his work. The words of Drummond's childhood friends, classmates, musicians, medical staff, legal counsel, and teachers enliven this story of his "unusual mind." They recall the early days in the recording studio, playing the instrumental backup for Bob Marley and others, and the nights in the Rasta camps where musicians burned the midnight oil and more. They remember the gyrations of his lover, Margarita, the Rumba Queen, as she tantalized audiences at Club Havana; tell what happened that tragic night when Drummond stabbed Margarita four times; reveal details of the trial (delayed more than a year as Drummond was ruled mentally unfit) and offer insights into Drummond's death in a mental asylum at age 35.

Alpha's Bad Boy

Alpha's Bad Boy
Author: Austin Bates
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2018-01-17
Genre:
ISBN: 9781983912542

A detective, a bad boy, and an undeniable attraction... Logan Morales is a bad boy omega. He's lived a hard life on the streets of La Bonita. When's he scooped up during a police raid, it looks like it's all over for good. Fortunately for Logan, the hot alpha-in-denial detective Ramos Fuentes seems him exactly for what he is - a gold mine of information that can be turned against a crime boss. Unfortunately for Ramos, the infuriatingly attractive Logan is making things hard for him... in more ways than one. Will the newly-minted alpha be able to protect his omega - even when the threat gets personal? And what will they do when they discover there's a baby on the way? This 50,000-word male pregnancy romance is liberally sprinkled with scenes of spicy sex - adults only!

Billboard

Billboard
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 116
Release: 1999-07-17
Genre:
ISBN:

In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.

Wassup with All the Black Boys Sitting in the Principal's Office

Wassup with All the Black Boys Sitting in the Principal's Office
Author: Rashad Anderson
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2019-05-30
Genre:
ISBN: 9780578517025

Based on over a year of observation at a rural elementary school in the South, education researcher Dr. Rashad Anderson provides deeply nuanced accounts of powerful, illuminating, and sometimes painful examples of daily schooling experiences of five Black male students deemed as "unsalvageable" and "at-risk."The author constructs a vivid, thematic picture of the teacher interactions and school practices that influence pre-adolescent Black males to devalue and/or disengage from school. Through interviews with the students, teachers, administrators, parents, and analysis of student data & documents, Wassup with all the Black Boys Sitting in the Principal's Office takes you on an emotional walk in the shoes of students that are least often heard.