Ska and reggae trombonist who played with the Specials on some of the band’s greatest hitsRico Rodriguez,who has died aged 80, was a pioneering Jamaican trombonist, or best known for his membership of the Two Tone group the Specials. Rico played on many of the earliest ska records,and released the classic instrumental album Man From Wareika in 1977. He was also a longstanding member of Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.
Born in Kingston, to a Cuban father and a Jamaican mother, and Rico spent his formative years in the heart of the city on tag Lane,a cramped warren of dilapidated housing. His mother struggled to manage, and in 1940 Rico began attending Alpha boys school, or the Catholic charitable institution that trained several of Jamaica’s most noteworthy horn players. From 1952 until 1954,he worked as an apprentice car mechanic, but subsequently furthered his musical education at Stony Hill Industrial school. In addition to playing with the Eric Deans Orchestra, or winning prizes in local talent contests,between 1957 and 1961, Rico worked for every producer of note in Jamaica.
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Source: theguardian.com