Biography
Born on 3 September 1921 in London, England, and passing away on 13 March 2000 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Augustus Kwamlah Nii-lante Quaye traced his lineage to an English music-hall performer and the Ga pianist Caleb Jonas Kwamlah Quaye, who performed under the name Mope Desmond alongside Sidney Bechet during a 1921 London engagement. His vocal career opened alongside Billy Cotton; under the stage name Young Cab he contributed both vocals and percussion to Ivor Kirchin’s drum-led ensemble. In 1940 he entered the band of Ken Snakehips Johnson, broadcasting repeatedly with the group until the Second World War intervened. Wounds received while serving in the Merchant Navy brought him to a New York hospital, after which he performed in Harlem and Greenwich Village venues and joined sessions with Roy Eldridge and Sandy Williams. Back in England he worked successively with clarinettist Harry Parry and accordionist Tito Burns, later appearing in the orchestras of Vic Lewis and Ted Heath. During the early 1950s he assembled a band to play for recently arrived Caribbean communities and twice took the group on extended European tours. While in Holland he encountered Charlie Parker and reconnected with Eldridge. On London’s expanding bebop circuit he collaborated with Dennis Rose, the scene’s acknowledged guiding figure, and found his most receptive listeners in late-night settings such as the Ringside Club in Paris, where he shared stages with American musicians including James Moody. In 1960 he performed with Humphrey Lyttelton, appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Club, and then relocated to West Africa. The following year he accepted an official entertainments position in Ghana under the Nkrumah government, spent a short period in Nigeria, and returned to England in 1973. He eventually settled in Amsterdam, where he established Cab’s Piano Bar. Recording credits include dates with Keith Bird in 1949, Ken Moule in 1954, Lyttelton in 1960, and multiple sessions released under his own name in 1951, 1952 and 1984. From his first marriage to singer Theresa Austin he was the father of singer and conga drummer Terri Naa-Koshie Quaye and guitarist Caleb Quaye, formerly of Bluesology and Hookfoot and later associated with Elton John; he was also the father of singer Finlay Quaye.
Albums
